Israel finally launched its ground offensive in Gaza after carpet bombing the strip indiscriminately, slaughtering hundreds of Palestinians. Many across the world have watched in horror as Israel continues to churn out lies while the gory pictures of its devastation are beamed around the world. Even the usually pro-Israeli elements within the global media have been unable to defend Israel this time as images of dead bodies piled outside the hospitals are shown by the relentless eye of the camera. The global response by the Ummah to the events of Gaza, though, is heartening. After centuries of silent decline, the Ummah has finally responded as one body. The outpouring of emotion in the demonstrations around the world show that although Muslims are dispersed around the world geographically, the massacre in Gaza has spiritually made them one. The treachery of the Muslim rulers has also reached a new watershed as their collaboration with the West is no longer a secret. The enlightenment of the masses about their rulers had begun 20 years ago with the first Gulf war, which made the American animosity and the complicity of the Muslim rulers evident to all. We have now reached a point where the fault lines between the rulers and the Ummah are wider than ever. Its time to throw the corrupt Muslim rulers in the dustbins of history. -ABDUL WAHEED JUTT, Lahore, via e-mail, January 4.