A time of reckoning

For Muslims of the Middle East and south and central Asia, the moment of reckoning arrived yesterday. The Bush administration has made what are, for an American government, extraordinary efforts to show that the war that began Sept. 11 will not be the war Osama bin Laden wants: a battle between Islam and the rest of the world, particularly the United States. Whether Muslims in the region accept, encourage and further this American effort will determine much of their fate in coming years. It will also determine how effective the war against terrorism will be.