It's not that simple. Al Qaeda has a particular belief that Muslims must hate kafirs. They have a doctrine called al-wala wa-l-bara (love and hate for the sake of Allah). It directs them to associate with Muslims and disassociate with non-Muslims. Meaning, love Muslims and hate non-Muslims. But, I think most Muslims don't accept this doctrine.

Al Qaeda has the ability to recruit people not on the basis of a hate doctrine but with the help of other issues it raises. There are issues in world politics where they see injustice. There is real injustice in Palestine. There is real injustice in Kashmir. There is real injustice in Iraq and there is real injustice in most Arab countries.

Egypt is an example where the regime is authoritarian, brutal and corrupt, despotic. Saudi Arabia to some extent, but less than Egypt. Iraq under Saddam and Syria had seen bad rulers. Al Qaeda breeds on this sense of injustice.

It is not easy to solve these issues because if you address this injustice it will create another class who will have perceived injustice at the hands of the Islamists. All of India will nurse a feeling of injustice if the Islamists have their way in Kashmir. The case between the Shias and Sunnis in Iraq is also complicated.

The issue is not just about solving the problems of Al Qaeda which is a challenge. There is no solution. There is no silver bullet, as we say in America.

This problem we will have to 'manage'. I think there are real problems within the Muslim world and between the Muslim world and others. All of it is leading to a profound sense of injustice that Al Qaeda is taking advantage of. Then, there is a sense of terror that Al Qaeda inflicts on the US, India and also in Iraq. Here they are terrorising Shias and other Iraqis.

Al Qaeda's weakness, and thank God for this weakness, is that they end up killing innocent Muslims but, mostly, Muslims.

Even in the Mumbai terrorist attacks they killed some 40 Muslims. This is very important to underline that Muslims were killed.

Under Islamic law it is forbidden to kill innocent Muslims. It is not acceptable. By the way, it is forbidden to kill innocent civilians in general, but specially killing Muslims is problematic.

Al Qaeda's weakness is that in their violence they end up making people hate them and dislike them, especially Muslims who say we don't want our religion to be associated with this. We have issues, we feel injustice and legitimate claims but this kind of violence we don't want to associate with Islam.

I think, eventually, if enough Muslims do something about it, if they say 'Hey Al Qaeda, we don't want you,' then this movement can't survive.

Image: The Taj Mahal hotel, Mumbai, engulfed in smoke during the terrorists's siege. Photograph: Arko Datta/Reuters

Also see: 'Our operation was not about 10 terrorists, it was about saving lives'

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