Wrong to treat IS as criminals

Sir, – The horror expressed by many at Rory Stewart MP’S comment that the only way of dealing with British Islamic State fighters in Syria will be “in almost every case, to kill them” reveals a complete lack of understanding of the nature of self-styled Islamic State and the war in which it is engaged.

When an ideological movement is utterly defeated, as the Nazis were in 1945, it becomes possible to treat them as mere criminals.

Similarly, where a terrorist movement such as the IRA or ETA has a limited objective and limited territorial scope, it can be treated as a criminal problem.

By contrast, Islamic State is part of a global Sunni Islamist movement.

The fall of Raqqa and the likely retaking of all the territory held by IS are only a setbacks.

In essence, progressive opinion is asking us to treat the brutal soldiers of an undefeated enemy in foreign lands as criminal suspects.

This is clearly absurd – they are still at war with us.

The desire to treat IS fighters as merely criminals is just the latest expression of the pacifism so rightly criticised by George Orwell during the Second World War. He pointed out that a pacifist who undermines the fight against evil is contributing to their victory. Otto Inglis. 6 Inveralmond Grove, Edinburgh.