Wrong, Friedman

8226; You are a great writer and do a lot of research before putting words down on paper 8216;...

8226; You are a great writer and do a lot of research before putting words down on paper 8216;Muslim problem, Muslim solution8217;, IE, July 9. But this time you got it wrong. If you check, there are innumerable pieces by Muslim scholars, thinkers and governments, denouncing Osama bin Laden and terrorism. Just for your record, check the statements made on the London bombing. Osama is a citizen of no country. You are right that Muslims need to continue denouncing this barbarism and delink Islam from the barbarians. But the other side of the picture is missing in your article. Is it only a Muslim problem? The Palestinian problem was created by the British. Traditional institutions in Muslim countries were eroded under colonisation. Disruption of the Chechen population by the Russians is well documented. It8217;s not completely a Muslim problem, Mr Friedman. And it cannot have a completely Muslim solution!

8212; Mirza Faisal Beg Houston

PM8217;s Oxford speech

8226; While I agree with the general thrust of the rose-tinted Raj editorial IE, July 11, I happened to be one of those who attended the prime minister8217;s speech at Oxford. It would only be fair for such critiques to take into account the whole speech. Singh very clearly stated towards the beginning that the Raj had been disastrous for India in economic terms. He quoted a Cambridge historian to make the point that while the sub-continent had growth rates comparable to Europe before the Raj, British rule subsequently resulted in India becoming one of the world8217;s poorest countries. Such pot-shots at the speech seem unnecessary to make what is otherwise a valid point.

8212; Dev Gangjee Oxford

8226; Thankfully the Express editorial has taken a more sensible approach this time than the irresponsible stance of giving unequivocal support to Advani8217;s comments on Jinnah!

8212; Swapan Sanjanwala Cincinnati

Clueless police

8226; It was shocking to read The Sunday Express expose in which your team could drive a vehicle right up to the spot where the terrorists had blasted their vehicle in the attack on the Shri Ram temple. The fact that a grenade just missed the temple shows how clueless the UP police were.

8212; Udita Agrawal Delhi

8226; Apropos of your story on our CRPF heroes fighting over the award money IE, July 11, it is a very shameful development. The reality is that there were two rings of security 8212; first, comprising the UP police and, second, the CRPF. It was the CRPF who saved the day. The UP chief minister is wrong to push the case of the UP police who did literally nothing.

8212; Bal Govind Bareilly

Seeing stars

8226; Jaithirth Rao8217;s article, 8216;Starring in life8217; IE, July 11, which argues that the science behind astrology is as ill-defined as 8216;e-psephology8217;, is logical Murli Manohar Joshi, please note. A fresh view has emerged on the role of the astrologer as family counsellor. All of us can relate to it. Take my story. My wife and I have lived happily for the last 15 years in an arranged marriage 8212; 13 years after our wedding, I found out our horoscopes did not match. Had we known it then we would not have got married! So much for the science behind astrology! However, it made my relatives happy and I guess that is what finally counts. Rao consistently brings a fresh, humorous perspective on everyday matters. I eagerly look forward to his next article.

8212; Prahlad D.N. On e-mail