Propaganda war

against al Qaida, but omits to mention that the main reason we are losing that war is that Mr Blair, along with George Bush, led us into a vicious “war on terror” – a war which Mr Mullen originally supported.

Al Qaida’s barbarous act of mass-murder on 9/11 was immediately denounced by Muslim scholars, academics and politicians all over the world. This presented an opportunity to work with the Arab/Muslim world to eliminate al Qaida. Instead, the US led an all-out war, first against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, and then, in an act of madness which had nothing to do with al Qaida, against Iraq.

The “narrative” that the West is waging war on Islam is, as Mr Mullen says, a “pervasive lie”, but the killing, maiming, torture and indefinite incarceration of innocent Muslims only helps al Qaida to perpetuate that lie.

I fear that the “propaganda war” was lost years ago.

Not for the first time, Mr Mullen also states that the West must deal more effectively with the nuclear threat from Iran. I hope he is not recommending another disastrous military adventure.

Pete Winstanley, Durham.