As a Muslim-American who has lived in the Middle East, I have a message for all those who are killing in my name with the expressed desire of bringing democracy to the region: not in my name. Matt Valkovic's column on Oct. 7 ("Positive recognition needed for action in Samarra") reveals the incredibly offensive paternalism that has dictated the West's relationship with the Islamic world since the fall of the Ottomans. Appointing itself the guardian over the "desert Arabs," the West has repeatedly waged wars, supposedly in the Arab's best interests while actually fighting to increase its own dominion. To date, over one thousand Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and Afghanis have been brutally killed in the name of exporting democracy (or importing oil?) We say to all those who fight for our "liberation" (read on, President George W. Bush): If you are truly interested in our well-being, why don't you stop propping up the myriad dictatorships that have spread like a cancer in our society? Why don't you stop aiding brutal tyrants like Mubarak, under whose reign Egypt, long renowned for its Al-Azhar University, is today notorious for the torture of dissidents? Why don't you withdraw support for Pakistani dictator Musharraf who in addition to bombing his own people in Waziristan has waged jihad on democracy? Don't confuse fighting to expand your global reach and access to oil reserves with defending the interest of the Muslim world. When you appoint a former CIA hit man and Shia British citizen Allawi as the prime minister of Iraq, don't be surprised when most Iraqis see through this "democracy" for what it is: a sham. Most of all, don't you dare use us to justify your imperialistic ventures, because stripped of all the propaganda and glitter, that is all your actions boil down to: violent, vicious and self-serving imperialism.