"We caution that, unlike the terrorists, America cannot afford to punish the innocent with the guilty."

"As a bastion of democracy... the US must not be seen to be arbitrary".

"Latter-day crusade"

An editorial in the Egyptian weekly Al-Ahram speaks of a growing Muslim disquiet.

"By rushing headlong into collectively punishing Afghans for a crime whose perpetrators have not yet even been established, the US will reinforce a growing conviction among Muslims that its battle cry heralds a latter-day crusade - a term fraught with sinister and bitter implications."

Senegal's Walfadjri L'Aurore picks up the theme in an editorial where it advises that "equating Islam with terrorism is a dangerous oversimplification".

A commentary in Kenya's Daily Nation also warns against "inflaming Islamic societies everywhere".

And it predicts a scenario of widespread regional destabilisation in the aftermath of what it says would be a "counterproductive military solution".

"Then the house would really fall in," it says.

Common enemy

In an editorial entitled "How the US Should Respond", Ethiopia's Addis Tribune advocates a united world-wide response to the threat of terrorist attacks.

It advises that "the root causes of terrorism - which is partly a result of a widespread sentiment in the Muslim and Arab world of being a victim of US bias against them - must be addressed, because otherwise an effective long-term solution to the problem will remain elusive."

"It should not be forgotten, furthermore, that Muslims died in the recent terrorist attacks on the US and that Muslim nations are also victims of fundamentalist terrorists."

The writer ends with a rallying call: "In fighting this new war against terrorism, the nations of the world, Muslim and non-Muslim, must unite against their common enemy".

"Globalised madness"

An editorial in Algeria's La Tribune also urges people not to gear up for a fight against Islam.

The writer says the world needs to realise that it is getting ready for a war "not against Islam, but against terrorism".

And he concludes by warning in no uncertain terms against a wave of violence which he says could assume mass proportions.

"Do we really have to fall into mass madness by resorting to bombings and attacks against 'the other'?", the writer asks.

"A Muslim is not necessarily a member of Al-Qaeda, just like a Christian is not necessarily affiliated to the extreme right... It is imperative that the world refuses to let itself be carried away by this globalised madness".