I'D LIKE to thank you for devoting almost a full page of Saturday's Herald to a brief guide to Islam. At this dangerous time, that's one of the most useful things you could have done.

Some of the difficulties we're now experiencing have their roots in the way Islam has been portrayed in our media for as long as I can remember. Rarely do we see the word ''Islamic'' in our newspapers without it being followed by words like fundamentalist or terrorist or extremist. That is neither helpful nor fair.

I'd like to make it clear that I'm not a Muslim, nor do I pretend to have an extensive knowledge of Islam. But I've been to a number of mosques in various parts of the world and have been impressed by the simple beauty of many of them. And I've talked to many Muslims and respect their devotion, compassion, and generosity.

As in any religion, there will always be some individuals who act way outside the tenets of faith while at the same time claiming to be staunch believers. It is quite wrong to indulge in the delusion that these small numbers are typical of the religion itself. We have been guilty of that and I believe the press has to take a large share of the responsibility for the distortion.

We are now in the midst of the greatest crisis of my lifetime (and I'm not in the first flush of youth). If we are to get through this, it will only be by showing tolerance and understanding towards each other, by respecting different views, and by ensuring that our opinions are founded on facts and not fallacies. I hope you will continue your good work with more articles like Saturday's.

Perhaps some good can come of this, if we manage to navigate the dangerous waters ahead. Perhaps we will see more interaction between communities, more contacts, better communication. Nothing can undo the enormous harm done to so many families on September 11. It's now up to us whether we choose to multiply that harm many times or use it as a spur to creating a better world.

Doug Maughan,

52 Menteith View, Dunblane.

IN the frenzy that has prevailed since the strike on lower Manhattan, you are to be commended for the balance and insight displayed on your letters page, where it is apparent that among fellow Scots, at least, there is a tendency to look for reasons, instead of indulging in blind jingoistic nonsense about declaring war on terrorism.

We were told by President Bush that the assault on the Twin Towers was an attack upon America; an attack upon democracy; and an attack upon civilisation itself. In what order? We were subsequently told that the code phrase of the American riposte would be Infinite Justice. Whose justice?

Pace the very heavy loss of innocent civilian life, which is inexcusable, it is perfectly obvious that the simultaneous strikes on the Pentagon and World Trade Centre (cf Wall Street) were intended as a reprisal against the American finance and military-industrial power complex, which in many social and environmental circles is seen to be exacerbating third-world poverty. They do this by paying for their imports in paper US dollars which are in effect only a promise to pay, since they don't have the wherewithal in real wealth to balance their purchases. So the Americans get the resources, the third world governments get the debt, and the shirtless ones debase an already debased standard of living to fund the interest.

Three years ago I had the honour to be involved with advice given to the Malaysian government at the height of the Asian crisis. Our advice was on three main points: (a) to impose a measure of exchange control against speculative flows and attacks on the national currency; (b) to stop borrowing in US dollars and raise capital domestically; (c) to maintain social programmes and see the people fed before paying the bankers' interest.

I am happy to say that they seem to have adopted all three. The country has subsequently prospered, and the Malaysian dollar is rock-solid on the exchanges. Dr Mahathir, the prime minister, had struck his own blow against the denizens of the Twin Towers, and had done so without taking a single US life, while improving the lives of his own people.

I have waited for other Muslim countries to follow his lead. They have it in their own hands. Now, as a result of the events on September 11, they may find themselves embroiled in this frenetic campaign by George Bush and his Downing Street sidekick to ''free the world of terrorism''. How much new terror will have been invoked in consequence? And will our political leaders have conveniently forgotten how it all began? There are some who profit mightily from such turmoil, and they are not necessarily in the camp of bin Laden.

James G Stuart,

2 Main Street, Bridge of Weir.