Letter: The blame for ancient hatreds
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The blame for ancient hatreds
Sir: Innocence and guilt are characteristics of the actions of individuals, and John Norman is wrong to apply them to whole societies (letters, 17 August). Medieval Muslims and Christians who acted in accordance with the norms of their respective religions were innocent, but we should recognise that the Christian norm of religious intolerance was further from modern ideas than was Islamic acceptance of other religions' right to exist.
On the other hand, modern Western leaders are guilty of acting contrary to their norms in turning or attempting to turn most Muslim countries into vassal states of the West and in preferring compliant despots to more representative Islamic governments.
P J STEWART
E-mail: philip.stewart@plant-sciences.oxford.ac.uk
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments