Letters - 26 September 2014
From barbarism or heroism to cherishing 'Quaker faith & practice'
Barbarity or heroism?
Everyone is deeply troubled by the rise of Islamic State, especially most Muslims in Britain, who will fear the reaction of some of our compatriots to the continuing barbarity they display.
I want to congratulate David Amos (19 September) for his challenging response to the crisis. The pressing of a button to send a drone to destroy a target, killing innocent people, too, including children is as barbaric, to me, as the cruel beheading of hostages. The button presser never faces the immediate consequences of his actions either. Sadly, neither do we. The horrendous results are shown on Al Jazeera never the BBC.
The Islamic State is the creation of the West. It is a reaction to the Iraq war and our hypocritical policy to the Islamic world. We support and sell arms to a country that conducts public beheadings and prevents women from working without their husband’s permission.
We need to campaign for an ethical foreign policy and an end to western military intervention in the Middle East. We also need to make links with the mainstream Muslim community to support them in confronting extremists and demonstrate that we and others are willing to join them in their critique of Britain’s foreign policy and the consequent killing of innocent Muslims in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere.
James Whiting
Elitism
David Bartlett (19 September) is scaremongering. The important figures in his letter are ‘thirty-six per cent of the Cabinet, thirty-three per cent of MPs… twenty-two per cent of the Shadow Cabinet are from independent schools.’ They are the ones who most have the freedom in their decision-making to affect our lives. Two-thirds of such important people are not from independent schools. Most of those with a higher percentage of independent school backgrounds, such as senior judges, are constrained by strict rules in their decision-making or have a junior position.
Elaine Miles
You need to login to read subscriber-only content and/or comment on articles.