I EXPECT this will arouse the ire of some readers but I hope that The National is a broad church and can cope with dissent from the general party line.

It is extremely rare for me to be speaking up for any member of the Tory party – in fact I cannot ever remember doing so – but I have to question your headline news on Saturday that the SNP is demanding the resignation of a Tory councillor over remarks he made to the effect that he didn’t want to give planning permission for a mosque as “we can’t give more access to these people” (Call for Tory to resign over mosque row, May 19).

Perhaps Councillor Goldsack was somewhat intemperate in his remarks, given the nature of the times, but having read accounts of the affair it would seem that his claim not to be racist is perfectly reasonable.

Like many of the reports about ‘Islamophobia’ and racism, knee-jerk reactions like that of SNP member Councillor Shahid Farooq in my view only have a negative impact on community relations.

First, it appears Goldsack’s phrase “these people” was aimed at specific individuals rather than Muslims in general, as you report in the text.

Secondly, as a more general point, there is growing concern that whilst the majority of Muslim citizens are peace loving and happy to fit into Scottish society, there is an increasingly vocal minority who have been radicalised at mosques and who seek to impose their authoritarian views on others.

As a feminist I cannot ignore the way that women in some Muslim communities are increasingly losing freedoms they have by right in wider Scottish society.

I imagine that friends from the LGBT community might have similar concerns about their freedoms under militant Islam, which makes it rather ironic that Lucy Drummond in her letter in the same edition appears to be urging that community to support the Palestinian cause, when the reality for a gay person in Palestine would be active persecution.

Again, it should be stressed that many Muslims do not share these views, but the fact that they do not always speak out against them does not help to achieve acceptance of their desire to develop places of Islamic worship.

Many do, however, like Councillor Farooq, seem keen to present their co-religionists as victims, ironically often in an aggressive fashion.

Of course, overt racism against any societal group is unacceptable, but that does not mean that the tenets of that group are above any challenge.

Thirdly, there is a wider issue of how many specific places of worship, for any faith, we need in Scotland.

My friends in the Scottish Secular Society would claim that in reality we are a secular country – to be sure we have inherited many fine Christian church buildings from a time when Christianity dominated community life, but how far today should religious observance in general be a public as opposed to a private activity?

In developing a constitution for an independent Scotland this is surely an issue that should be considered, but in a spirit of constructive action rather than an attempt to silence legitimate dissent.

Dr Mary Brown

Banchory

IN reply to a couple of the website comments in Saturday’s paper about disallowing English “colonialists” the vote in indyref2 I would like to point out that in more than thirty year’s membership of the SNP I have known fellow members born in Canada, Ireland (both North and South), France and several Asian countries.

However, I am sure that the largest group of new Scots is composed of those born in England who work just as tirelessly as the rest of us for an independent Scotland. Would you also deny these people a vote?

Rachel Martin

Musselburgh

CHRIS Foster’s letter in Saturday’s paper re M&S and Scottish beers reminded me of a similar situation in my neck of the woods.

My favourite local in Balloch is part of the English-based Vintage Inns chain. They have five real ale beer pumps, two of which serve their signature beer – Doom Bar from Cornwall!

About a mile from the hotel is the multiple-award-winning Loch Lomond Brewery, and I’ve lost count of the number of English tourists who ask for the local beer only to be told that they don’t stock it!

I’ve been a regular visitor to York for nearly thirty years and, when there, I mostly seek out beers from Yorkshire breweries. I tried to contact Vintage Inns but didn’t even receive a reply.

I now share my custom with local pubs that do serve Loch Lomond beers – which are varied and excellent by the way!

Ian Baillie

Alexandria

I RECENTLY sent an email to all my MSPs at the behest of an organisation asking for scrutiny of the Brexit deal. The reply from both Tories Miles Briggs and Jeremy Balfour was identical:

“If your email relates to a nationally organised campaign on a current political issue where you have been asked to ‘Write to your MSP’ you are likely to find a response on my website at...”.

They went to state: “While I always welcome personal comments from constituents I am afraid that I have reached the conclusion that it is no longer possible for my staff to process individually the many thousands of identical or computer-generated ‘round-robins’ I receive every month.”My other list MSPs have not come to this conclusion and these men are being paid the same substantial salary to represent me.

I feel that the least they can do is answer my concerns.

Kathleen Byron

Edinburgh

JUST heard Alex Salmond talking to Pulitzer Prize journalist Chris Hedges stipulating he would not be employed today, because of his “take” on American politics.

Ronnie Imrie

Tarbolton