Letter: Dealing with Iraq

Sir: The 1997 "Islamophobia Report" of the Runnymede Trust read in part: "At the time of the 1991 Gulf War, West Yorkshire police noted a 100-per-cent increase in racist attacks in Bradford, and a 58-per-cent increase in West Yorkshire as a whole."

The pattern has been repeated at every conflict since. It does not seem to matter to racists that Britons whose families originate in south Asia (or even Iraq) have no connection with the ruling clique in Iraq. In fact some of those attacked in Bradford were Hindus, and not Muslims. Already, three UK mosques have been attacked in the last two days.

We hope journalists, as well as extremists among British Muslims and elsewhere, will not inflame people of violence to attack Asians, especially Muslims, in this country.

Dr RICHARD STONE

Chair Runnymede Commission

Rabbi ABRAHAM LEVY

Maimonides Foundation

KHAWAR QURESHI

Imam Dr ABDULJALIL SAJID

Calamus Foundation

London W1