A day after al Qaeda's Sept. 11 mastermind made his first appearance in a U.S. military court, Pakistanis were divided between admiration and revulsion for their countryman, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
"He deserves to be hanged," spat Mazhar Awais, an observant Muslim who runs a pharmacy in the northwestern city of Peshawar.
"Islam doesn't allow the killing of innocent people. If you're against the U.S. government, it doesn't mean kill Americans."
Many Pakistanis believe al Qaeda and its cohorts have brought dishonour on Islam by killing civilians and fellow Muslims.
But anti-American sentiment runs deep in Pakistan, where President Pervez Musharraf is often cursed for caving in to pressure to join a "war on terrorism" many Pakistanis see as America's, not theirs.
Mohammed, widely known by his initials KSM, has no shortage of admirers.
"What's happening in Guantanamo Bay? What's happening in Iraq and Afghanistan? We believe the U.S. is an aggressor and he's a hero," said Syed Sajjad Ali Shah, a retired government school principal in Peshawar.
Mohammed is on trial with four al Qaeda comrades for conspiring to murder civilians in the 2001 attacks.
They also face 2,973 counts on murder, one for each person killed when hijacked passenger planes slammed into the World Trade Centre, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field.
On his first appearance, Mohammed asserted his right to act as his own attorney, declared his wish to be a martyr, and chanted an Islamic verse in Arabic, before pausing to cheerfully translate its meaning into English.
His bravado resonated among Pakistanis looking for a hero to stand up against U.S. hegemony and Muslim rulers dependent on American support.
"He's a beacon of light for Muslims. It's the time to say no to the U.S. and the West. Otherwise history won't forgive us," said Dr. Tariq bin Wahab in the southern central city of Multan.
"We have to get rid of U.S. agents like General Musharraf who have sold our country for his vested interests."
Others were sickened by Mohammed's posturing in court.
"He's a killer; he's not a martyr," said Sameena Gul, a human rights activist in Islamabad.
Mobeen Ansari, a college student in Karachi, struck a similar note.
"I think he's a criminal and the 9/11 incident has just caused hatred," he said.
More dispassionately, some saw the U.S. military trial becoming a public relations disaster for Washington, as few people will believe it could be fair.
"He's been charged (with) a global terror act, so they should hold a global level trial. It cannot be a military trial," said Muhammad Akram, a 45-year-old lawyer in the southern city of Karachi.
Others clung to conspiracy theories that the events of Sept. 11 had nothing to do with Muslims or Pakistanis.
"I don't think this was done (by anyone) from our part of the world," said Nosheen Razzak, a radio jockey, from Karachi.
"I don't think it was done by Muslims." (Additional reporting by Asim Tanveer, Aftab Borka and Sahar Ahmed; Writing by Simon Cameron-Moore; Editing by Jerry Norton)
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