Madam, - Reading Susan Hood's article "Church leaders reach out to those suffering in the Middle East" Rite and Reason, July 1st), I was disappointed and a little shocked that neither she nor the churchmen she interviewed saw fit to mention the chief reason for much Christian suffering in the region, namely the attacks on Christians and on churches by militant Muslim groups.
These attacks, many resulting in bloodshed and murder, have been calculated attempts to remove a non-Muslim presence from Gaza and the West Bank. The Christian population there has declined severely, whereas the community in Israel has increased steadily over the past 60 years. Other religious minorities in Israel - notably the Baha'is, a community persecuted or banned in all Muslim countries - have flourished. By ignoring this disparity, the article leaves the reader with a broad impression that Israel is to blame for all these problems.
How far from the truth that is. - Yours, etc,
Dr DENIS MacEOIN,
Jesmond,
Newcastle upon Tyne,
England.