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Deep feelings have been stirred across the world by the terrible events of Tuesday 11 September 2001. Many people will seek inspiration from religion. Some will do so in earnest, others in order to justify questionable actions, or to avoid 'putting on their thinking caps', as Studs Terkel suggests. One of many thinking caps I have had to put on in these agonising days is that of trying to imagine how religious beliefs in the Islamic and Christian worlds tie in with what has happened and to different people's understanding of those awful events. The excerpts I have chosen are all short.

I am not a religious man. I certainly do not quote from holy scriptures to affront, nor to prove a point, but in an honest effort to understand one small part of the conflict. Nor do I agree with every single word in the excerpts or, rather, with what it seems to mean to me.

I just have a simple question: how do you think the following excerpts from the Koran and the Bible would be interpreted if you were (a) George Bush or Tony Blair, (b) a Taliban supporter in Afghanistan, (c) the New York family whose wife and mother never got home from work on 11th September, (d) the Palestinian family father whose house was blown to pieces yesterday (16 September 2001) by Israeli forces? For these four different individuals, who would the 'thee', 'thou', 'they' and 'them' be in the extracts from the Koran? And who would the 'sheep' and 'goats' be in the quotes from the Bible? And who do you think our four different humans think are the rich, the priest, the Levite, the Samaritan and 'your enemy'?

Excerpts from the Koran are taken from Arthur J Arberry's 1964 translation (Oxford University Press) and I apologise to Muslims for not providing quotations in the original Arabic. Bible quotations are from The Authorised Version.

1: Mercy of God...

It was by some mercy of God that thou wast
gentle to them; hadst thou been harsh
and hard of heart, they would have scattered
from about thee. So pardon them, and pray
forgiveness for them, and take counsel with them
in the affair...

Woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep... But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you... And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

How shall it be, when they are visited
by an affliction for what their own hands
have forwarded, they then come to thee
swearing by God, 'We sought only kindness and conciliation'?
Those — God knows what is in their hearts;
so turn away from them, and admonish them,
and say to them penetrating words about themselves...

If, when they wronged themselves... they had prayed forgiveness
for them, they would have found God turns, All-compassionate.

And before him [God] shall be gathered all nations and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left... Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, 'Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked and ye clothed me: I was sick and ye visited me: I was in prison and ye came unto me.'

Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, 'Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?' And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, 'Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me'.

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, 'Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not'.

Then shall they also answer him, saying, 'Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?' Then shall he answer them, saying, 'Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me'. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

... We created man in trouble.
What? Does he think none has power over him,
saying 'I have consumed wealth abundant'?
What? Does he think none has seen him?

The freeing of a slave,
or giving food upon a day of hunger
to an orphan near of kin
or a needy man in misery;
then that he become of those who believe
and counsel each other to be steadfast,
and counsel each other to be merciful.

... but you honour not the orphan,
and you urge not the feeding of the needy,
and you devour the inheritance greedily,
and you love wealth with an ardent love...

... When the earth is ground to powder,...
and Gehenna is brought out, upon that day
man will remember; and how shall the Reminder be for him?

Hast thou seen him who cries lies to the Doom?
That is he who repulses the orphan
and urges not the feeding of the needy.

So woe to those that pray
and are heedless of their prayers,
to those who make display
and refuse charity.

... a certain lawyer stood up and asked him, saying 'Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?'... 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart... and thy neighbour as thyself'. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus 'And who is my neighbour?'

And Jesus answering said: 'A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him and departed leaving him half dead. And by chance there came a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion. And he went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence and gave them to the host, and said "Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee". Which now of these three thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among thieves?'