ES Views: We must not let terrorists deny our right to worship

My prayers go out to all those affected by Monday’s cowardly terror attack in Finsbury Park, targeting people at their place of worship. In my years working with mosques and Islamic centres across the country, I have come to understand the vulnerabilities that can exist around all religious institutions.

We will be reaching out to places of worship in the days ahead, as well as working closely with the authorities to ensure their protective security. As the Prime Minister stated, the freedom to worship is a precious right in this country which we must all defend.

The hallmark of extremists of all types is that they see ordinary men, women and children as targets in their attempts to whip up fear and mistrust. We must come together to ensure that they do not succeed in destroying our communal bonds.

No one should ever feel threatened because of their faith. There must be a concerted effort from us all to eradicate terrorism and hate crimes from our society — and ensure that people from all communities feel safe and protected.
​Shaukat Warraich, CEO, Faith Associates

Nabila Ramdani says irrational bigots blame the world’s problems on one of the three great monotheistic religions [“Mosque attack is the consequence of hate talk and populist rhetoric”, Comment, June 19]. I share her view but I suggest the root cause lies in the very concept of theistic faith.

Its conflicting certainties have troubled humankind throughout history, resulting in countless acts of terror. Furthermore, the central claims of theism should always be viewed with scepticism because there is no firm evidence to support them. Mis-education is rife within schools, so when will we, as a society, choose to equip new generations with the knowledge they require and nothing that distorts or divides?

Diversity can be a wonderful thing — but the perpetuation of misunderstanding is not.
A Webb

On the day of the Finsbury Park terror attack on Muslims who had just finished prayers during Ramadan, my neighbour, who is also fasting, knocked on my door and offered me food that his wife had cooked. In this confused and twisted time, I found this to be an elegant gesture.

My son’s most beloved childminder ate not one morsel of food or drank one sip of water on the hottest day of the year while gently caring for several robust and enthusiastic toddlers. Her motivation? To remember those less fortunate than herself.

As the late MP Jo Cox said: “We are far more united than the things that divide us.”
Nina Polli

Tower regulations shouldn't be rushed

Despite the fact that there are major fire-safety concerns after the Grenfell Tower disaster, the planning committee of the borough of Camden has allowed developers proposing a massive tower at Swiss Cottage to take another step forward [“Revealed: the number of housing blocks needing urgent fire checks”, June 20].

The proposed tower has 24 storeys and only one fire-safe escape route, while Camden has 13 tower blocks which it claims are of a different design. Are they guaranteed to be safe from fire?

Rather than approving yet another tower block, Camden council, at the very least, should have postponed this decision until it knows what changes might be needed after Grenfell.

In the near future, we may even have different regulations for such developments, so it would make sense to reconsider.
David Reed

Corbyn offers hope not tired old politics

Tim Montgomerie says Jeremy Corbyn must not be allowed to become Prime Minister and says his views on tax, state power and defence “would enfeeble this country” [Comment, June 19]. Yet he describes others such as Theresa May as tired and threadbare.

Many recognise that Corbyn gives hope rather than participating in the same tired politics and lack of caring exemplified, perhaps, by the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire.

There needs to be a new way of thinking. Merely saying “enough is enough” is no longer good enough.
​Gavin Robinson

Rejecting this pay deal is madness

Did I really read in your article that Aslef has turned down a pay offer of £75,000 to settle its dispute with Southern rail [June 19]?

With so much tragedy in the news the train drivers should show some humanity to their long-suffering passengers — many of whom will be just about managing — and accept this generous deal on the table.
Stan Labovitch

Care home must not be shut down

I am very concerned about the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) reports into poor care at Haringey council’s Osborne Grove nursing home and the local Labour cabinet’s stance that the home should close.

Poor standards of care should never be tolerated and it is disturbing that several inspection reports have found the care to be inadequate. Equally disturbing is the fact that despite the council’s attempts to make improvements, the most recent report found problems with basic care such as ensuring residents are eating and drinking enough.

These issues should have been discovered earlier than the CQC inspection in December. This would have allowed a structured response to have been implemented as issues arose. Those who use Osborne Grove are now in a vulnerable position as Haringey council does not have an alternative nursing home to send people to.

I hope every effort will be made to bring in improvements so that closure is not the only option.
​Cllr Pippa Connor, Muswell Hill ward, Haringey council (Lib-Dem)

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Our Under-21s are doing us proud

How often when watching an England game has it been billed as a “must-win” game and the team have failed to do just that? I for one can recall many occasions, so it was refreshing to see our Under-21 side come back from the brink to beat Slovakia 2-1.

We have reasons to be hopeful that this England team can go far in the U-21 European Championships. The mature performances from Jordan Pickford, Tammy Abraham and Nathan Redmond show that they are willing to dig in when the odds are against them. I couldn’t imagine the senior team doing the same.

Now top of the group and facing bottom of the table Poland in the final group game, I have a good feeling that Aidy Boothroyd’s team can bring some pride to English football.
David Clarke

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