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Letters: Now for the next round of Islamist revenge

These letters appear in the February 3 edition of The Independent

Independent Voices
Tuesday 03 February 2015 09:52 GMT
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Isis has apparently been driven out of Kobani by the relentless air strikes carried out by the West and its allies, in support of the Kurdish Peshmerga. In the process most of Kobani appears to have been razed to the ground. Countless civilians have been killed in the fighting.

How many of Kobani’s citizens will blame the destruction on Isis and how many on the West? How many of those who have lost close relatives in the battle and particularly in the air strikes will blame their deaths on Isis and how many on the West? If only a tiny proportion of those who have been bombed out of house and home holds the West responsible, this will fuel more terrorism for years to come.

The situation is not dissimilar to what happened to Fallujah in Iraq during the Second Gulf War. The Sunni militias were driven out by the Americans, but that city is now once again one of the centres of the Sunni-led Isis in Iraq.

Meanwhile, Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, apparently promised to “take revenge” on the killers of the two Japanese hostages. That makes him no better than the terrorists of Isis, who, however unreasonably, believe they are “taking revenge” for the deaths inflicted on Muslims by Western invaders.

Julius Marstrand
Cheltenham

Brendan O’Brien is right (letter, 2 February). We have to end our sanctions on Syria and pursue an unambiguous campaign against Isis while their reign of terror hasn’t yet spread to the wider world.

We should hold our noses and make a pact with Assad, perhaps remembering what Churchill said when faced with making a similar deal with Stalin: “If Hitler invaded hell I would make at least a favourable reference to the devil in the House of Commons.”

Stuart Russell
Cirencester

The initiative by the Muslim Council of Britain to open the doors of some mosques to the public appears to be positive in the present climate. But it is mere symbolism, whereas what is needed are policy shifts of substance.

In his letter to 1,000 mosque leaders two weeks ago, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles asks how faith in Islam can be part of British identity.

The likelihood is that for a majority of imams, the two are, in fact, irreconcilable – this would certainly be the case for Saudi-funded mosques and those inspired by Deobandism, with its roots in South Asia.

Indeed, they have been singularly hostile to being part of a British identity and integrating into mainstream society.

We know that the meaning of the name of the Nigerian jihadist group Boko Haram is “Western education is sinful”.

In a similar manner for many mosque leaders, Western lifestyle is sinful.

What would be of substance and positive is a commitment to values that embrace freedom of expression and the adherence to universal laws, rather than demanding separate rights and exemptions to the law of the land that has hitherto been the case by Muslim leaders.

Dr Rumy Hasan
Senior Lecturer, Science and Technology Policy Research
University of Sussex
Brighton

Blame game won’t cut dropout rate

The Local Government Association’s spin on the latest figures on 16- to 18-year-old “dropout rates” (“Dropout generation failed by colleges”, 2 February) is unfortunate at a time of increased pressure on public finances. Taken in isolation, the LGA’s claims are pure scaremongering and risk further confusing the public within an area of the education system which is poorly understood.

Council leaders do not have the monopoly on wanting the best for our young people. The thousands of teachers who get up every morning to go to work in our further education colleges would see the suggestion that they do not work in the interests of students as something of an insult. The reasons why some young people do not complete the programmes they enrol on are complex, and at times insurmountable – to suggest they are down to pure greed on the part of schools and colleges is disingenuous.

The headline figures from the LGA ignore the remarkable progress that has been made in reducing dropout rates since local authorities were last in charge of post-16 education. An Ofsted/Audit Commission report from 1993 highlighted that “typically, between 30 and 40 per cent of students starting on a course do not succeed”. Compared to today’s 10 per cent, that would suggest that local authorities are perhaps not best placed to be launching criticism.

The greatest successes in improving 16 to 19 participation have come when professionals – from schools, colleges, universities, employers and, yes, local authorities – have collaborated to provide co-ordinated local action and high-quality provision for all young people. This can only be achieved through genuine partnership working, not by seeking to turn the clock back 21 years. The kind of blame game indulged in by the LGA is unhelpful in the extreme.

At a systemic level, more does need to be done to improve the profile and prestige of our vocational education system and to ensure that young people, while at school, receive the right kind of careers advice and guidance.

But, on the ground, there is little to be gained from headline-grabbing sensationalism which seeks to place blame rather than to find constructive ways forward for the good of our young people, in an equal partnership of all key organisations.

Dr Lynne Sedgmore
Executive Director, 157 Group, London SW8

Stop protecting tax avoiders

Stefano Pessina clearly embraces the maxim “Fill your Boots” (“Boots boss branded a ‘disgrace’ for attack on Miliband”, 2 February). He is not the first highly skilled tax avoider to break cover and this does make one wonder whether a degree of insecurity is developing among this species.

They seem to merit a degree of protection from governments that would make other endangered species weep. Take them off the protected list, as it is becoming apparent that they are flourishing to such an extent that they are becoming a threat to society.

We are now expected to embrace the prospect of austerity for the foreseeable future while watching a section of society get richer on tax-avoidance schemes. Any party asking for our support in the forthcoming election must present a programme to tackle these malignant avoidance schemes before the slogan for the next election becomes: “You are all in it together, so get an accountant.”

John Dillon
Birmingham

Stefano Pessina says a Labour government would be a catastrophe for Britain. What will really be a catastrophe for Britain is if the next government does not stamp out tax avoidance by the super-rich and big business.

If this is not done in an orderly way the super-poor with nothing left to lose will surely bring the house down, having had their dress rehearsal in August 2011.

Giles du Boulay
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire

Life in the jungle of civvy-street

I have great sympathy for the colonel who describes civilian life as like “going out into a jungle” when veterans leave the armed forces (Charity Appeal, 2 February). Some of us who have never served in the forces find life under the present government is like living in the jungle. It must be incredibly difficult for those who have served their country to come back to this mess.

Richard Smith
Bungay, Suffolk

Once again, churches hamper progress

So once again on the eve of a major medical breakthrough in dealing with the misery caused by illnesses, in this case mitochondrial disease, which can kill babies, we have the completely predictable negative reaction of both the Church of England and the Catholic Church.

I do hope that MPs when they vote on the issue will think, like me, that it is axiomatic that medical research challenged by these two religious organisations always turns out to decrease the suffering of many people and has to be supported.

Brian S Everitt
Professor Emeritus
King’s College, London

Midnight mystery

Dan Richards writes (letter, 27 January) that he has received a medical appointment for 12pm and wishes to know whether he should go at noon or midnight. He should definitely go at midnight. Glad I could help.

David Rose
Sutton Coldfield
West Midlands

Those pesky native peoples

I found it fascinating to read Donald J MacCleod’s account (letters, 16 January) of how “Every inch of land in the Highlands and Islands was stolen from the ethnic population”. In which area of the native people of Canada’s land did his ancestors settle in 1851?

Anne Martin
Oban, Argyll

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