Letter to the Editor: I refer to the letter from Phil Jones insinuating I broadcast cruel and ruthless views in my letter.
Mr Jones could perhaps check back on world history and let us know how many instances of benevolence, love and kindness have triumphed over violence and brute force except in mythology.
The map of the world today has been shaped by wars, invasions, plunder and enslavement.
Man is a competitive animal and the strong will always win over the weak.
The strong will also set the rules which the weak will follow.
The British of all people should look back at the worldwide empire they created mostly through trade, military power and clever politics.
Religion also played its part in past battles and subjugating those that were less able than the invading forces.
Pretending that all people have been created equal or that we need to re-write our history and culture to cover up past misdeeds is most idiotic.
Looking back in history Islamic hordes ravaged the world all through the centuries before European Powers did similar things.
The India Mr Jones refers to in his letter was never a nation state. India was and still is a subcontinent made up of many races, cultures and languages.
The India of today came out of Britain’s Empire. Even today the people are stratified along religions, castes, and economic classes.
Modi and his politics of Hinudtva are not dissimilar to the views of the Nazis in pre-World War Two Germany.
In fact Hitler sent missions to India in the 1930s to find out about the Aryan civilization that is the basis of today’s Hinduism.
Prior to the British takeover in the 18th and 19th centuries it was a subcontinent ravaged by Islamic hordes battling with local rulers and also amongst each other.
Much of today’s Muslims in South Asia were converted forcibly over the centuries. The option was to convert or disappear from earth.
Britain cleverly used some of these Muslim Nawabs to gain power over the population.
The story was not much different in the Americas where the Spanish and the Portuguese eliminated those that did not accept the Pope as their Saviour.
Guns and religion went hand in hand.
Being an atheist I believe everyone should have the freedom to believe in whatever God or religion he/she wants but also that religion should remain a personal matter and should not enter public discussion.
Reading through Mr Jones’ letter I have difficulty understanding what he is saying.
It is best Mr Jones writes about issues he feels strongly about rather than throw mud on others
Venk Shenoi, Blaisdon