I am delighted by this comment from “Paskalis” (a relative newcomer to the blog). So much so that I am lifting it out of the comments section on the Georgia post and giving it its very own entry.

I feel it would serve as an excellent epitaph for me. If there is not enough room on my tombstone for the entire comment, then I would accept just the second sentence:

“Your comments and insights are thoughtful, insightful and intelligent and have as much weight as a ripe banana on this planet of the apes.

“You have turned geopolitics into a parlour game for the enfeebled while the men are in another room smoking their cigars.”

Critics of the "war on terror" - like me - have a favourite cliche. The battle is ultimately about "hearts and minds". Bush has got it all wrong because he has "over-militarised" the conflict.

The conventional wisdom is that the US is going down to a catastrophic defeat in the battle for Muslim opinion. The recent resignation of Karen Hughes from the State Department - she was in charge of US public diplomacy - was seen as evidence of this.

But - actually - there is interesting evidence that America is doing a lot better on the hearts-and-minds front than is generally acknowledged. This first occurred to me a couple of weeks ago, when I was writing a column on Pakistan, and turned to the Pew polls of global opinion. Normally, if you are looking to prove American unpopularity around the world, Pew is a reliable source of bad news. And indeed, the approval ratings for America in places like Turkey and Pakistan - not to mention the Arab world - are as low as you might expect.

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It will be interesting to see if the revelation that the terrorist plot in London and Glasgow was allegedly organised by doctors will finally knock on the head one of the most ingrained myths about al-Qaeda - that this is an organisation manned by the oppressed of the earth.

I remember, shortly after 9/11, hearing a left-wing British MP on the radio. He confidently predicted that it would turn out that the terrorists had been victims of western policy in the Middle East - Palestinian refugees perhaps. As it turned out they were middle-class, educated and with plenty of opportunities in life. Mohammed Atta was an architect.

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The front page of the evening paper in London this evening proclaims "Muslim leaders condemn bombers". It is rather sad that this should be considered front page news. None of the people arrested in connection with the London and Glasgow bomb plots have, so far, been British Muslims. But it is still clear that we are embarking on another round of the agonised debate about the relationship between Muslims, Islam, Islamism and terrorism.

The Brown government has been praised in many quarters for avoiding the "I" word in condemning the would-be terrorists. They have been characterised as criminals, rather than Islamic terrorists. But some people think the government is being a bit too tactful.

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“Do you lick a dick a day?” No mother likes to be asked that sort of question by her eight-year-old son – particularly over breakfast. But my wife stayed calm. She turned to my son and asked him coldly, which of his friends had taught him this horrid little ditty? “Jamila”, he replied.

This was a surprise. Jamila is a Muslim child who wears the veil. Islamic piety has its drawbacks, but I had assumed it provided some protection against smut. However, on reflection, I found the episode strangely heartening. The British often agonise about whether Muslim immigrants are assimilating with the mainstream. Jamila’s taste in doggerel suggested to me that – behind the veil - assimilation is proceeding apace.

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If you happen to be passing though Malibu next month, why not pop into an intriguing-sounding conference at Pepperdine University on "The Collapse of Europe". One of the early sessions is entitled - "Eurabia: Is Muslim domination of Europe inevitable?"

My answer to this is "No" it’s not inevitable. In fact, given that the Muslim population of Europe is just 4% at the moment, I would say it’s highly unlikely. But don’t trying telling that to an audience of American conservatives. The idea that Europe is about to be submerged by the Muslim hordes seems to be almost recieved wisdom over there. It is certainly a notion that has launched a great many books. There is “Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis” by Bat Ye’or; “While Europe Slept – How Radical Islam is Destroying the West from Within” by Bruce Bawer; “The Death of the West” by Pat Buchanan; and “The Cube and the Cathedral” by George Weigel.

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Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan’s north-west frontier province, is a depressing place to visit at the moment. Islamic militancy and violence are spilling over the border from Afghanistan. Suicide bombings used to be unknown in Peshawar. But there have been 16 since September. A bombing in January killed the local police chief, who had been cracking down on militants. Another bombing last week blew up a local hotel and killed about 24 people. This is following the pattern of Afghanistan itself. Suicide bombings did not happen there until 2005. Now they are a deadly, weekly occurrence in Afghanistan, and have spilled across the border into Pakistan.

The phrase "climate of fear" is a cliche. But it is an accurate description of the current mood in Peshawar. The American consultate - the last major western diplomatic representation in the city - is surrounded by Green-Zone style fortifications. Moderate Muslims are intimidated. Threats have been made to shops selling CDs, barbers who have the temerity to cut mens’ beards and to girls’ schools.

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What is the answer to the rise of fundamentalism across the Muslim world? For years Europeans and Americans thought they knew the antidote: secular democracy.

In the Islamic world, Turkey has been the shining example. Not only is the country a member of Nato; it has also been held up as proof that a country can be simultaneously Muslim, prosperous, secular and democratic. So what are we to make of events in Turkey now? Secularists have demonstrated in huge numbers because they are terrified by the prospect of the indirect election of a mildly Islamist president, and the army has hinted that it may stage a coup to protect the secular character of the state. Secularism and democracy seem to be at war.

The paradoxes do not stop there. American neo-conservatives hoped that the invasion of Iraq would create a new bulwark of pro-western democracy in the Islamic world. But while the US has failed in this aim, it has managed to inflict grave damage on its strategic relationship with its most important partner in the Muslim world: Turkey.

The remainder of Gideon’s weekly column can be read here (FT.com subscription required).

For any of you still harbouring the illusion that life might be fun under an Islamist regime, may I draw your attention to this dismal little tale from Somalia. Last weekend, a cinema in a small town in central Somalia put on a broadcast of the Manchester United-Chelsea match, live from Manchester. The fact that amidst the poverty and danger of modern Somalia, people are still watching live football from England is – to my mind - moving testimony to (among other things) the indomitable spirit of man, the true meaning of globalisation and the worldwide appeal of Premiership football. But the local Islamist government did not see things that way. They moved in and arrested all the fans, some of them as young as ten years old, and held them in prison.

Somalia’s Islamists are causing great concern in the west at the moment, where many fear that they are linked to al-Qaeda. But if so, the Islamic Courts Union might consider adopting a more tolerant attitude to soccer. For is there some evidence that Osama bin Laden is, in fact, a football fan himself. A book published in 2001 suggested that during a period living in London, he developed a strong affinity for Arsenal football club – and was a regular at the Clock End at Highbury.

Meanwhile, I am pleased to note that the backlash against the Baker report has already started – even though the report itself is not due to be published until next week. But I cannot see why anyone would be terribly surprised if Baker et al failed to come up with some brilliant new solution to the problems of Iraq. I was struck when Baker-mania was at its height, about a month ago, that the same phrase kept coming up in conversations I had about what the great man might recommend – “There are no new ideas.”  And, frankly, if there were any new ideas, Baker and Co. would not be the types you would expect to stumble across them. Without doubt, the Baker commission is full of intelligent, experienced and committed people. But they are also Washington insiders par excellence. “Thinking outside the box” is not their style.