Under Muslim rule
SIR – Two letters (June 22) gave Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates as examples of Muslim countries friendly to Christians. However, in both countries Christians are denied citizenship, and conversion from Islam to Christianity is illegal – punishable in the UAE by death.
These countries are not as threatening to Christians as Somalia, Syria or Iran, but that is faint praise indeed. Their treatment of Christians falls well short of Britain’s treatment of its Muslim population. Iwan Price-evans
Croydon, Surrey
SIR – The best Muslim country for Christians used to be Syria. Before the civil war, it had a flourishing Christian community, often successful entrepreneurs of Armenian descent.
When I stayed in Damascus in 2008, the small hotel was Armenian-owned, and from it we could hear the marching band of the nearby Christian high school rehearsing noisily for the forthcoming Easter celebrations.
This easygoing situation was made possible by protection from Islamic extremists being afforded by the same regime that later destroyed its own country by a draconian response to peaceful demonstrations. What tragic foolishness. Roger White
Sherborne, Dorset