Al-Qaeda's number two Ayman al-Zawahiri recently distributed a video calling on U.S. President George W. Bush to "admit defeat" in Iraq, saying U.S. troop withdrawals would be a "victory" for Islam. "Bush, you must admit that you have been defeated in Iraq and that you are being defeated in Afghanistan and that you will soon be defeated in Palestine, with the help and strength of God," Zawahiri said in a tape broadcast by Al-Jazeera.

The statement followed the massacre of more than 125 people in Iraq on Thursday and over 40 others on Wednesday, so that the number of people killed since New Year’s Day has reached 240.

The veracity of the tape cannot be independently confirmed but the terrorist acts have caused more damage to the image of Islam, brought more agony to the public, and displayed the savagery of people who enjoy killing human beings, whether they are Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, or practitioners of any other religion.

It is not Bush who has been defeated in Iraq. Rather, it is the children who saw the bodies of their parents mutilated in Karbala, Ramadi, Baghdad, and elsewhere in Iraq. It is the mothers and wives grieving over the loss of their children and husbands.

What is the difference between Saddam Hussein and Zawahiri? Saddam killed those who defied his rule, but Zawahiri kills indiscriminately. Saddam did not kill in the name of religion, but Al-Qaeda kills in the name of Islam, which is worse.

The terrorists are trying to make a connection between their shameful acts in Iraq and the resistance of the Palestinians, whose homeland has been illegally occupied, with millions of their compatriots and their children having been forcefully driven out of their homes and farms. Equating the Palestinian struggle with the vicious acts in Iraq will only benefit the Zionist occupiers, who never miss any opportunity to liken the Palestinian resistance to the terrorists in Iraq.

The terrorists will eventually be defeated, but it will take many years to restore the reputation of Islam, which has been sullied in the minds of people across the world who have gotten the false impression that Islam endorses violence. Regrettably, this trend is being promoted by certain circles that seek to distort the image of Islam.

However, these terrorist acts do not provide an excuse for laxity and/or incompetence on the part of foreign troops and local security forces tasked with safeguarding the lives of the people.

Unfortunately, the occupiers, who are required to safeguard the lives of the people according to international law, have created a bitter legacy, with many Iraqis believing that the foreign military presence since the fall of Saddam has not helped to prevent the ongoing calamity. In addition, according to some Iraqi officials, unprofessional recruitment methods for police forces have allowed terrorist agents and bandits to infiltrate the ranks of the security forces.

The high death toll illustrates the enormous task Iraq will face in taking control of its security as foreign troops prepare to leave the country. Clearly, it will be impossible to accomplish this task without an overhaul of intelligence and security methods.

Although their efforts will be in vain, and some terrorists already realize this, the hateful insurgents are still bent on derailing the political process, preventing the formation of a truly representative government, and igniting a civil war in Iraq. Therefore, Iraqi officials should set aside their disputes about the results of the December 15 parliamentary election and immediately form an efficient unity government in order to avoid inadvertently providing the terrorists a window of opportunity, because the protection of the lives of the people is of paramount importance.