Karen Armstrong in her book, History of Islam, states that: "No religion in modern world is as feared and misunderstood as Islam. It haunts the popular Western imagination as an extreme faith, and promotes authoritarian government, female oppression, civil war and terrorism." Yet she defends the Islamic faith by stressing: "Islam redeemed Muslims from the political and social hell that existed in pre-Islamic Arabia....Islam preaches fair distribution of wealth, and creation of a society where the weak and the vulnerable are treated with respect." Islam means peace and surrender to Allah, and submission to His demand to behave with justice, equity and compassion towards others. Unfortunately, Islam has been misinterpreted and maligned by the militants. To the West Islam has become a dreaded cult. This has horrified the Muslim community, who grieve and want Islam back in its original form. In Pakistan, insurgents from Waziristan and Swat under Mehsud/Fazlullah, were on the rampage since half a decade. Suicide attacks on public processions led to the slaughter of hundreds of innocents, including the assassination of Benazir. Suicide bombings became a norm. Slitting throats of captives including foreigners, kidnapping and killing innocents, taking hostages, and by trampling underfoot writ of the state, these extremist turned Pakistan into a lawless jungle. The Newsweek cover story on October 29,2007 captioned The most dangerous nation in the world isn't Iraq. It is Pakistan, implied that Pakistan had become totally ungovernable. It wrote: "No country on earth, is more dangerous than Pakistan. Militants had spread beyond their tribal bases, and had the run of an unstable, nuclear armed nation." The carnage in Karachi, bombing of Marriott Hotel, suicide bombings, attacks in Lahore including bombing of FIA HQ's, Manawan Police Training Centre forced the government to order the army to do the needful to restore law and order in Swat/Malakand. The Pakistani nation could take it no more. It fully backed the armed forces to do the needful. Now the insurgents are on the run and out of 2 million IDP's half a million have returned home. However it is important to mention that the performance of the provincial administration is not up to the mark and there is a lack of dedicated leadership. As a final word, Islam must be restored as the 'great faith' as the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) preached. It really pains the educated Muslims, who feel that Islam has been highjacked by extremists. Further, let us try to mitigate the sufferings of people and nations being targeted by the terrorists. Because of terrorism, the people in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan have paid and are paying a very high price in life and property. In Pakistan, the government and the military has complete support of the people to rid the country from terrorism, violence, intolerance and extremism. The writer is a retired air marshal