Evoking a war between good and evil

YOUR editorial (Page A10, July 3) praises the British for fighting the terrorists without frightening the populace with "evocations of an apocalyptic war between good and evil." But that is exactly the situation we are encountering these days as Islamist fanatics wage war on "Crusaders, Jews, American, British," and assorted others.

It is deeply disturbing to read statements of Muslim fanatics who speak of reconquering Al-Andalus (Andalusia, Spain) from Christians.

In the 1140s, a fanatical army of Islamists, the Almohades, invaded from North Africa and did precisely that, presenting Jews and Christians with a deadly alternative: Islam or the sword. The family of the great rabbi and philosopher Maimonides fled east and settled in Egypt, then controlled by tolerant Muslim rulers. Others made their way to Northern Spain and more liberal Christian rule. But the impact of the Almohades was disastrous: it marked the end of the Golden Age in Spain when Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived together in relative peace and harmony and the three civilizations enriched one another in a burst of creativity.

Are we heading in that ominous direction? And is the "clash of civilizations" a reality?

GILBERT S. ROSENTHAL
Needham
The writer, a rabbi, directs the National Council of Synagogues.