Women can offer hope by standing up to the threat of terrorism in their own communities

SIR – In the wake of another attack on our way of life, this time in Manchester, it is time for the women of Britain to take a lead to stop the radicalisation of their sons, husbands and brothers.

I grew up in Belfast in the Seventies and served in the Ulster Defence Regiment, patrolling the streets and witnessing many of the brutal killings and bombs which turned a vibrant city into a ghost town.

One thing that helped to start the beginning of the peace process was the power of women such as Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan, who formed the Peace People. Best known for their large peace rallies, their real success was at the grassroots in the back streets of the towns and cities.

Women started to refuse to let their homes be used as meeting places for paramilitaries. They stopped leaving their back doors open as a means of escape for terrorists. They stopped their young sons going out at night and started informing on suspicious activity on their streets. This was on both sides of the community.

I saw for myself the strength of these mothers and grandmothers who, until they stood together, felt isolated in their own homes. It has made me wonder since about the silent power that lies behind the veil.

The women of Britain must join together. The peace process needs to be reactivated, perhaps beginning in Manchester. Alison Quayle

Reading , Berkshire

SIR – Many will now want vengeance, but if good people from all faiths are split by this attack then the killer has won. Let us go forward together and make the world a better place for doing so. Peter Booth

Hale, Cheshire

SIR – From the heart of the Islamic world, President Trump has delivered a respectful but potent message to the assembled heads of Muslim nations:

He said: “Religious leaders must make this absolutely clear. Barbarism will deliver you no glory – piety to evil will bring you no dignity. If you choose the path of terror, your life will be empty, your life will be brief and your soul will be fully condemned.”

The key phrase is: “Your soul will be fully condemned.” Suicide bombers and jihadists are uniquely motivated by the belief that their soul will be rewarded in an afterlife.

President Trump has had the courage to defy such archaic interpretations of the Koran. Western leaders are now free to distinguish between “Islam” and “Islamism”. Christine Mcnulty

Oxhey, Hertfordshire

SIR – I am not a Labour voter. However, the comments made by Baroness Jowell on Radio 4 yesterday, in the wake of the Manchester atrocity, struck me as the most thoughtful, articulate and intelligent I have heard from any politician, on any subject, for a long time. William Wilson

London SW3 SIR – Within hours of the events in Manchester, the city council here in south-west France had placed the French and British flags side-by-side at half-mast in the main square.

Thus, even at a time of political turmoil, the French still show that a degree of entente cordiale exists between our two nations. Ronald A Brass

Arcachon, Gironde, France

SIR – Dan Walker and Louise Minchin of the BBC’S Breakfast programme are to be commended for the compassion, sincerity and understanding that they showed following the devastating news from Manchester.

Louise spent hours talking to and offering comfort to witnesses and traumatised bystanders and Dan sat alone in the studio, keeping viewers informed without any hint of morbid thoughts or exaggeration. They gave a fine example of how such situations should be handled. Anita Farquharson

Woodford Green, Essex