Tunisia

The barbaric attacks on Tunisian beaches were so shocking and so horrendous. Terrorism has proved once again that it does not respect borders. Terrorists do not represent Islam, in the same way as the white supremacist who gunned down churchgoers in South Carolina, does not represent Christianity; and as Israelis who slaughtered over 2000 innocent civilians in Gaza last summer do not represent Judaism

Divine religions eschew violence and terror. They espouse compassion and tolerance. Equating an entire religion with terrorism would only deepen mistrust and discord at a time when communities need to stand shoulder to shoulder in the global fight against terror. Poverty, unemployment, hopelessness, corruption, mismanagement and economic, social and political disparities are rife among the youth, who constitute a significant majority in the Middle East and North Africa. Efforts should be intensified to address these root causes upon which terrorism feeds.

Munjed Farid Al Qutob (Dr)

Chartley Avenue

London