Letters to the Editor | 24 February 2007

Tolerance: for and against

From C. Vestey

Sir: John Gray argues that ‘relearning the habit of tolerance’ may allow us to reach a ‘modus vivendi’ with Islam (‘The best we can hope for is tolerance’, 17 February). He has learnt nothing from the events of the last 30 years. It was tolerance (and cowardice) that gave us the ‘covenant of security’ that allowed hard jihadi networks to bed down in and operate from the UK in total freedom. We already tolerate honour killings and forced marriage by backing away from a robust response for fear of ‘stigmatising’ Muslims. We tolerate the creeping introduction of civil sharia law and other parallel legal systems. We allow free speech to be threatened by violence and intimidation and we actively connive at self-censorship lest we end up like poor Theo Van Gogh. Tolerance, sir, is what got us into this situation. Our tolerance — and Islam’s inherent intolerance and need to conquer — are both the sources of Islam’s strength and our problems.