'Muslims in appeal for unity'

SIR - We are living in challenging times and ideologies of small minority are working towards causing splits within the majority of peace loving British community.

We are also blessed with wonderful and compassionate people of Worcester for showing support and also wonderful people from all parts of Great Britain.

Now is the time to bridge our communities making Britain stronger and more diverse. We all need to work together to fight hate and encourage unity.  We are all humans and part of the same creation, we may be different in colour, religion, race, sexual orientation, disability but we are all connected human beings.

Nothing can divide us and nothing will.

Mohammed Iqbal

Worcester Central Mosque

'Women in engineering'

SIR - Today, June 23, is International Women in Engineering Day.

The day focuses attention on the amazing careers in engineering and technical roles for girls, and allows us to celebrate the achievements of our outstanding women engineers.

This year’s special theme is #MenAsAllies - and quite right too.

As Conservative spokesman on Employment in the European Parliament I always make sure to spread the word about this important awareness day among MEPs and other opinion-formers.

Every year it makes more impact. In 2016 we saw UNESCO endorsing the event worldwide, a list of the Top 50 Women in Engineering published by The Daily Telegraph, more than 200 events in schools and more than 350 in companies and organisation. We estimate that many tens of thousands of girls, their parents and teachers were reached by this campaign.

So watch out for the hashtag #nwed2017 and let’s make this year even bigger.

Anthea McIntyre

Conservative MEP for the West Midlands.

'They are not fit to govern'

SIR - One thing that Election 2017 has confirmed is that the Tory party will put their party self interest above the interests of the country as a whole.

Firstly Cameron calls for a referendum because he is afraid of UKIP and sections of his own party.

He calls the referendum with no idea of what would happen if he lost the vote to stay in the EU because he thinks he will win. Wrong.

He falls on his sword and Theresa May is elected as a ‘safe pair of hands’ despite her disastrous record as a Home Secretary.

May inherits a 12 seat majority, but, despite saying she would not call an early election, she sees a weakness in the labour party that are up to 20 points behind and calls a snap election.

She says to enhance her credibility in Brexit talks but the real reason being the certainty of increasing her parties majority. The result is a lost majority and chaotic governance in prospect.

This is why the Tories are not fit to govern this country as their party and their billionaire donors interests come before the country as a whole.

Terry James

Drakes Broughton

'Sort out the money first'

SIR - Am I right in saying that the Worcester News ran a article prior to the election that Robin Walker said there was funding secured for the Worcestershire Hospital ?

So why after the election has he a wish list for more money. He also says he will continue to lobby for the £70 million for the Carrington Bridge project.

Would it not been prudent to secure this money before spending the millions to dual the (ring road) and putting local people through months and months of constant road works and delays.

Keith Sellwood

Worcester

'Terrorism has no religion'

SIR - It has proved difficult to let the ignorant fearmongering perpetrated upon my fellow readers by David Clark (Letters, 15 June) go unchallenged.

I am no longer a Christian, I respect the few Christians I know and, I hope, that respect is returned. I do not feel the need to challenge them about the loving nature of their religion.

However, I wonder why it is that David doesn’t mention atrocities carried out in the name of Christ?

  • The slaughter of over 200,000 Muslims in Bosnia;
  • 20 Hindus murdered between 1999 and 2001 for resisting forced conversion to Christianity;
  • Over 1,000 people murdered by the Anti-balaka in the Central African Republic;
  • Ethnic cleansing of Kuki tribes by the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland;
  • Massacres, abductions, mutilation, and torture performed by the Bible carrying Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda;
  • The murder, by Christian fundamentalists, of doctors and patients attending women’s health clinics across the USA.

The list goes on. The FBI have stated that America faces far greater threat from domestic terrorism than it does from foreign terrorists.

Even though we are talking about a small section of the Christian faith, is it at all possible that there is something fundamentally at fault with members of a religion that finds it easy to forgive criminal behaviours indiscriminately perpetrated against innocent men, women, and children in the name of Christ, yet have no issue finding fault with the same crimes committed in the name of Allah?

Or is it that, no matter what, members of any faith that commit terrible crimes in the name of their God cannot be called true believers?

In which case, we are no longer talking about Islamic or Christian terrorism, but simply terrorism, senseless acts of violence that should not be tolerated by anyone?

Robyn Norfolk

Worcester

'Trump was right on Paris'

SIR – Peter Nielsen’s letter on President Trump and the Paris Climate Accord (WN, Tuesday 13th June) was a smorgasbord of Green Domesday Cult effluent.

 For starters I refute his assertion President Trump is unfit for office. He has abided by many of his election pledges, including rescinding membership of the Accord.

He promised to do so, obtained his democratic mandate and honoured his obligation.   There are practical reasons for the USA to withdraw from the Accord. Climate scientist Bjørn Lomborg states that even if every nation in the world adheres to its climate change commitments by 2030, it would only reduce the world’s temperatures by 0.048°C by the end of this century.

However, it will be a boon to the big multi-nationals on corporate welfare with snouts in the green subsidy trough. Climate Change Business Journal calculated the annual cost to global taxpayers of the ‘warming’ industry is $1.5 trillion. Lots of vested interests in keeping those bucks coming in.

 I’ve lost count of the ‘tipping points’ we’ve passed already on our way to climate doom.

UK and USA CO2 emissions will continue to decline due to the introduction of more efficient technologies such as the growth of gas plants.

James Goad

UKIP Worcester

'Blame Post Office sell-off'

SIR - In response to Neil Sharpe’s letter in the Worcester News regarding his election day leaflet delivery, maybe his comments would be better directed at the Postal Service instead.

The MP purchased a service which said company then failed to achieve in your case. My leaflet arrived the day before polling.

I do not know who delivered mine but I do recollect a certain company being sold by the previous coalition and maybe there in lies the problem. Just a thought.

Jim Cameron

Worcester

'Election will be pivotal'

SIR - Here is the good news - This election result could be a pivotal moment in the way we organise society.

‘For the many not the few’ and ‘hope not fear’ are principles to guide us to a more generous, enlightened, fairer, inclusive and prosperous society.

Labour did not win but did show that people of all ages and creeds believe in a better future for this country!

Gary Fowles

Pershore