LETTER: After the death of Rabin

From Mr Nicolas Walter

Sir: Shaikh Mohammad (Letters, 7 November) rightly calls for fair reporting of various forms of terrorism, whether by states or groups or individuals, but he wrongly calls for such reporting not to condemn any religion. Surely religious terrorism is as bad as any other, and indeed worse in that it invokes divine sanction for human violence, whether by or against the powers- that-be.

Justifications of, and precedents for, such terrorism appear in the scriptures and traditions of all the major religions (Jewish and Christian, Muslim and Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh), are invoked by the spokesmen of every variety of fanaticism and fundamentalism, and have always been one of the reasons for condemning all religion.

Yours faithfully,

Nicolas Walter

Rationalist Press Association

London, N1

7 November