Sir, - The main American Dictionary, Webster's, of which the Bush White House presumably possesses a copy, gives three definitions of the word "crusade".
The first refers to the medieval Western Christian "Holy Wars" against Islam. The second refers to any military adventure with a Christian religious objective. The third - the one which is most common in modern English - is "an enterprise projected in a spirit of enthusiasm and conducted with earnestness for some cause or idea, or against some social or economic wrong; as, a crusade against the slave trade, a crusade against impure milk".
It is unfortunate that in Mr Bush's White House no adviser was able to caution him and the Attorney-General, Mr Ashcroft, against the use of this word in the context of their proposed war on terrorism.
Not only does it continue to have primarily its first meaning for English-speaking Muslims; it is also the one idea that could unite moderate and fundamentalist Muslims, however unwillingly, in defence of their religion.
For all of them Islam means "God's Truth" and crusade means "a war on God's Truth". We can be sure that Mr Bush's remark - especially if uncorrected - will be given ever wider circulation by so-called Islamic fundamentalists. - Yours, etc.,
Gerard Mulholland, Chevilly Larue, France.