Letters: Israel and London

Sir: The people of Israel are very sympathetic to the suffering of those killed and injured in the bombings in London, but this attitude has not been widely reciprocated.

Despite the temporary ceasefire, Palestinian suicide bombings are still being perpetrated in Israel, as in Netanya this week, killing three. Over the past five years, Israel has lost around 1,200 to terrorism; this is equivalent to 24 repetitions of the four bombings that took place in London last week. But with Israel's population of only six, compared to the UK's 60, million, to have the same impact this would have to be multiplied by 10, giving 240 days of such bombings. Could the British people survive such an onslaught?

We Israelis wonder why there has been such little sympathy for our suffering in the UK. Of course, if you blame the bombings on the poverty and "desperation" of the Palestinians, you can justify anything. But no cause can justify the malicious, random killing of civilians. Given that the London bombers were British-educated, relatively successful, middle-class people, neither of the former excuses work.

I was brought up in a slum in the Jewish East End of London. We were poor, deprived and frustrated, but none of us took a violent path against our fellow citizens. The murderer of Theo van Gogh in the Netherlands confessed that it was "conviction" that drove him to kill. Now that it has become clear that extremist Islamist ideology is the motivation of the London bombers, maybe the British people will become more sympathetic in their view towards terrorism against Israeli civilians.

PROFESSOR JACK COHEN

THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM

Muslims' duty to confront hatred

Sir: As a Pakistani Muslim studying in the UK I want to express my heartfelt anguish at the London bombings. There can be no justification for such terrible acts, especially not in Islam. These criminals don't even deserve to be called humans. The masterminds behind this act of terrorism should be brought to justice.

Moreover I am grateful to the UK government, which instead of alienating the peace-loving, hard-working majority of Muslims has expressed its intention of projecting the true peaceful voice of Muslims.

The Muslims living in the UK and elsewhere have a huge responsibility to confront and condemn any voice advocating terrorism, violence and hatred. Any cleric preaching hatred or any disillusioned teenager contemplating violence to make a political statement must not be tolerated. We must support efforts for bridge-building and community work. This is the least we can do in memory of the Londoners who were at the wrong place at the wrong time on that fateful day.

HARIS AZIZ

EXETER COLLEGE, OXFORD UNIVERSITY

Sir: What is this Muslim community that Blair and the media talk of? We are as diverse a religion as the Roman Catholic Church. When the IRA bombed London were Italian Catholics lectured on the "evil men" of their community?

We share a religion, but we come from different communities, one of the largest being from China and one of the newest being the Nation of Islam in the USA.

Poverty and hopelessness is a bigger recruiter of people willing to commit acts of desperation and violence than any religion. Perhaps we should be looking at the experience of being poor and of colour in England rather than at religion if we really want to understand why we have suicide bombers, and then perhaps we can stop more young men turning to murder.

CHERRY MOSTESHAR

OXFORD

No apology for seeking a motive

Sir: Colin Stewart (letter, 13 July) and other correspondents bemoan those who attempt to find the motive behind last week's terrible crime in London; in particular, many correspondents are angry that others posit the invasion of Iraq as a contributing factor. "A bunch of liberal apologists" would be a mild summary of the views that Colin and his fellow writers have of the more reasoned correspondents.

Well, wake up Colin. Due to fantastic police work and some good fortune, we now know who did it. That takes us some way further towards discovering the "controlling mind" behind this atrocity. But if we are to prevent further bombings, we need to know the "why" at least as much as the "who".

Just so there's absolutely no misunderstanding; I would very happily personally neutralise anyone directly involved with the bombing, providing it helped. But it won't. It won't deal with the threat, since the threat does not inhere in any individual, or group of individuals. The threat comes from a set of grievances, some just and some deluded, which can be passed from person to person. We have to understand how to remove the conditions required for such grievances to take hold.

So please can we have less mindless, feel-better, "no surrender" posturing from Blair, politicians, columnists, and any others who have anything to do with this debate. Those touched by last week's tragedy deserve a far far better quality of thought and leadership now.

BILL ROBINSON

LONDON W2

Delusions that lead to 'martyrdom'

Sir: The danger of fanaticism lies in its imperviousness to reason and departure from reality. When you utterly believe that paradise awaits you in an after-life; that your welcome in paradise will be so much more enthusiastic (extra virgins, perhaps) if you arrive with a record of devotion to, action on behalf of, your god, what is there to dissuade you from the path of martyrdom? It doesn't matter how rich or poor you are; paradise is a quantum jump in improvement.

That is why it is so terrifying. There's no reasoning with faith. There's no easy way of changing entrenched beliefs. No amount of security precautions and extra vigilance can combat the menace. Whilst opposing religious beliefs exist there will be irrational behaviour and war, of one kind or another, overt, covert: nuclear threat to small-time terrorism.

All we may hope for is the spread of an enlightenment: that human life is finite and more precious than any beguiling product of self-delusion to be found in "the undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveller returns".

ANTHONY PRESTON

ALDEBURGH, SUFFOLK

Pointless to debate with fanatics

Sir: John Bennett, when calling for an "intelligent televised debate" between "moderate" Muslims and "fundamentalists," misunderstands the relationship between these fundamentalists and the Islamic faith.

Like the Ku Klux Klan (probably their closest "Christian" equivalent), the fundamentalists have no interest in theological debate or winning their arguments through intellectual discourse. Their use of the Islam is as a vessel to hijack and then divert to serve their own prejudices. Like National Socialism, the movement relies on the fact that people who believe they are disenfranchised or oppressed tend towards demagoguery.

If the fundamentalist movement could justify itself through dialogue they would have no need for their violent tactics. Thus a debate would be pointless, rather we should examine why people are being drawn towards such dogmatic and hateful ideologies.

PRADEEP JEYARATNAM

LONDON E14

Dismal record of government IT

Sir: Peter Walton is right (Letters, 28 June) that the Government's record of large-scale IT projects is dismal (although the small-scale ones that I have been involved in have been successful). The fundamental explanation for this state of affairs is indicated by an article on management consultants in the preceding day's paper ("The real power behind No 10"). It is the way that Civil Service management no longer trust their own IT staff but invariably trust private consultants - in which they follow the lead given by government ministers.

When I started work in government IT, nearly 20 years ago, we knew we were capable of producing top-quality systems, and did so. We provided expert advice - from a background of knowing both IT and government business - and it was generally heeded. Now, after years of derogation, many staff have left, morale is very low, management clearly has no interest in listening to its in-house experts, and remaining IT jobs are to be out-sourced. At least it will soon be completely clear that all "government" IT system failures are actually private sector ones!

MATTHEW WILDE

BRADFORD-ON-AVON, WILTSHIRE

Kennedy's invisible leadership style

Sir: I am glad that James Graham acknowledges that Charles Kennedy had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the anti-war march (letter, 14 July). However, I would question his assertion that "Charles's more nuanced approach ... has proven to be right". For many, Charles's approach has seemed so "nuanced" as to be almost invisible. Key opportunities to provide genuine opposition were fudged. Blair has never been held effectively to account.

Donnachadh McCarthy is not the only person to have resigned the party over Kennedy's leadership and his handling of the war: I did so myself in January 2004. My experience of Kennedy is of a man who became leader without quite knowing what to do once he got there. He has failed to articulate any clear vision for the party and, internally, is destroying the democratic structures of the party. The party's success during the elections was due more to the electorate's need for an anti-war party than to Charles's "nuanced" approach to issues.

SIOBHAN VITELLI

LONDON SW12

Mozambique: it's not just about aid

Sir: The headline of your lead story "The nation that proves aid works"(6 July) seemed to be contradicted by the sub-heading and report that followed, explaining that growth has come to Mozambique only after the end of years of civil war and Marxist misrule.

Aid often perpetuates these problems by propping up corrupt and incompetent governments and making the acquisition of political power the best route to secure wealth. If aid really did work then Ethiopia would now not be poorer than it was before it received large cash injections from Band Aid, Live Aid and Western governments.

Africa has all the resources it needs for development in its people and natural wealth; what it lacks is good governance to secure property rights and the rule of law so that its people can get on with building their own futures.

DR JOHN MEADOWCROFT

DEPUTY EDITORIAL DIRECTOR INSTITUTE OF ECONOMIC AFFAIRS LONDON SW1

Sir: I have lived in Mozambique three years, working in education. It seems fairly certain that GDP has, indeed, risen dramatically, but there is a mystery to explain. According to the United Nations Human Development Index, Mozambique was 157 out of 162 countries in 2001. In 2004, the latest for which we have figures, it was 171 out of 177. The UNHDI takes into account not only economic growth but also advances in education and health. Where is the new wealth going?

There is grotesque inequality in Mozambique. The rich clique who mainly live in Maputo and are able to avoid paying taxes are the real beneficiaries of the economic growth. Maputo has ten times the per capita income of some of the northern provinces, two of which saw their per capita income fall last year.

DONAL CONLON

MAPUTO, MOZAMBIQUE

Guantanamo camp must be shut down

Sir: The suspicion that prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib was "road tested" at Guantanamo Bay is certainly disturbing and only underlines the need for a full, independent investigation into all US detention and interrogation practices at Guantanamo, Bagram in Afghanistan, Abu Ghraib in Iraq and secret locations elsewhere (leading article, 15 July).

British residents are still being held without trial at Guantanamo, and one - Omar Deghayes - alleges that he has been sexually assaulted and blinded in one eye.

Guantanamo should now be shut down and all detainees either properly charged under US law in US courts or released.

STEPHEN BOWEN

CAMPAIGNS DIRECTOR AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL UK LONDON EC2

The geography of terror

Sir: Of course the use or non-use of the term "terrorism" is affected by geography (letter, 14 July). Action taken to instil terror at the opening of the invasion of Iraq was proudly described by the perpetrators as tactics of "Shock and Awe".

M P GILMER

ERITH, KENT

Anti-war movement

Sir: Stan Rosenthal believes the London bomb victims may be paying the price "for the anti-war movement's hate-creating propaganda" (letter, 15 July). If anything, the movement is more likely to have deterred other young Muslims from committing similar acts sooner. For by politically engaging young people from all walks of life and giving them a vocal yet peaceful outlet for their anger at Britain's less-noble foreign policies, the movement may well have snatched potential bombers away from the poisonous whisperings of the terrorist mentors.

ALAN GLYNN

CROYDON

Who mourns the Iraqis?

Sir: Stephen Parkin (letter, 13 July) is disingenuous when he asks what the British victims of the London bombings had done to deserve being murdered. Doubtless they had done no wrong at all, just like the tens of thousands of Iraqi men, women and children murdered by the criminal acts of Bush and Blair.

ANNIE MCSTRAVICK

PARIS

Sir: Two minutes silence for the dead of New York. Two minutes silence for the dead of London. Total silence on the dead of Iraq. It says it all.

PAUL TIMPERLEY

BRACKNELL, BERKSHIRE

Opportunistic advert

Sir: I was disgusted to see in 15 July's Independent, opposite the heartrending story of Anthony Fatayi-Williams and after extensive reporting of the dignified response of London to the bombings, a somewhat crass Ryanair advert featuring a picture of Churchill under the banner "London Fights Back". Cheap, gimmicky and opportunistic advertising one expects from Ryanair, an acceptance of such insensitivity one does not expect from The Independent.

ANDREW HOOPER

BRENTFORD