Like so many politically-correct opinionators, Tony Greenstein leans over so far backwards to defend British Taliban supporters that his head must touch his heels (Letters, November 7).

British Muslims are not flying out to fight for the Taliban on account of "racist attacks, discrimination, unemployment and poverty" in this country.

Many of them have a far higher standard of living here than they would have done in their countries of origin. Many are well-educated, with good jobs.

The Taliban are the ones who impose poverty and discrimination. As for dragging in the colonial argument, don't forget many Taliban are themselves not Afghanis but foreign invaders.

Mr Greenstein claims there is "no threat" to Britain but the same thing that happened to New York could happen to London.

Bin Laden may have, and Saddam Hussein almost certainly does have, nuclear capability.

One suitcase bomb could destroy the centre of London, killing hundreds of thousands of people, wiping out the Government.

On September 11, our enemies tried to destroy the US government. This war should not be underestimated. Al-Qa'eda has bases in 60 countries and the whole of the free world is under threat.

The real reason British Muslims are expressing support for the Taliban and al-Qa'eda is because they have been brainwashed.

Extremist Islam is an ideology as threatening to Western values as was Soviet communism, to which it bears several resemblances.

Those Britons who support bin Laden are just as much traitors as were Philby, Burgess, Blunt and others who betrayed this country to the Soviets.

So, far from the present military action being an attack on the ordinary Afghani people, as the misguided anti-bombers claim, it offers them their first real hope in decades.

Once the Taliban and bin Laden's terrorists have been rooted out, a regime can be put in place that will offer the Afghanis an end at last to war, oppression, bigotry and cultural destruction.

-Colin Chapman, Marine Parade, Brighton