A chara, - John McGeorge states: "We live in a world of images; most Irish people perceive Asian immigrants from the Levant to the Philippines as industrious workers and high academic achievers and would, Islamic militants apart, welcome reasonable numbers of immigrants from that continent" (May 17th).
The phrase "Islamic militants apart" frustrates me for a number of reasons. I am Irish. All my family, on both sides generations back, are Irish. My great-grandfather fought for this country, and risked his life as many did for our freedom, to practise the religion of our choice under the government we chose.
Was my great-grandfather a Catholic militant? Of course he was. The present conflict in Northern Ireland is between the British government and countless groups of Christian militants, Protestant and Catholic.
Why is the religion of militants mentioned only when they are Muslim/Islamic? If you are going to mention the religion of a militant group, please be fair and do it across the board.
Better still, let us be totally fair, use our intelligence and realise that a militant is a militant, a rebel is a rebel, regardless of religion. - Is mise,
(Mrs) Gina Davis, Mountwood, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.