Roger Horsfield made a number of good points in his letter of May 8. Firstly it is so much easier to enter into conflict when you think in terms of 'us and them' – when you actually meet individuals, they are pretty much like you, with similar hopes and fears.
Secondly, it is good to see that his rescuers behaved with self-sacrifice to put his welfare ahead of their own goals – a decision that I hope that any hill-walker would make, but sadly there are still many who pass by on the other side.
Thirdly and perhaps most importantly he makes the point that his rescuers are living in a foreign land, with a foreign religion – yet they are still able to practice their faith and beliefs without persecution. Sadly, if Mr Horfield was to move to Afghanistan under the Taliban, he would find that it is illegal to practice any religion other than Islam and that any female members of his family would not be entitled to an education or even the most basic of human rights.
Please bear in mind that there are many native Afghans who do not wish to live under Sharia law. We have the privilege of living in a democratic society – sadly they do not. (It may be worth noting that his rescuers were all male and henceforth were not affected in any directly detrimental way by Sharia law, there may well have been different opinions expressed if they were women.) – K. Jarvis, Chepstow.