Fatwa comes late

The fatwa issued by Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri condemning unequivocally all suicide bombers (your report, 3 March) is a welcome addition to the wise words of your columnist Azeem Ibrahim and occasional correspondent Dr Munjed Farid al Qutob.

But as it has also been welcomed by several other Islamic scholars, why did they not issue it publicly after 9/11; and how does it compare in authority to those other fatwas advocating a directly opposed interpretation of Islamic obligations?

JOHN BIRKETT

Horseleys Park,

St Andrews