Letters to the Editor

Once started, we had to go on but once we are clear again, if vaccination is safe, then it should be used.

If it prevents us and other countries exporting, then so be it!

The farm industry will have to adapt to a home-only market, which will also do away with the need for mass transportation and we shall buy locally-reared animals.

The current method is horrible and obscene, with thousands of healthy animals being slaughtered along with the diseased.

Bryan Russell, Heaton Crescent, Baildon.

SIR - Mr Khan (June 29) should realise that Marsha Singh alone cannot change the economic situation of Asian people in Bradford. Mr Singh was re-elected on the sole grounds that he had helped thousands of Asian people. The Labour Party have done more for the Asian community than people like Mr Khan would appreciate.

One of their first initiatives since coming into power in 1997 was to remove the discredited and unfair Primary Purpose Rule. This was a ruling brought in by the Conservatives, that kept thousands of husbands and wives apart.

This was an obvious concern for Asian, and particularly Pakistani Mirpuris, because the vast majority of us do bring partners from Pakistan. The number of marriage visas issued has increased ten-fold under Labour and Mr Singh has played a pivotal role in this. Mr Singh has done a lot for immigration to this city, and long may it continue.

Would Mr Khan consider standing as a parliamentary candidate at the next general election, possibly for the National Front Party? He certainly seems to have all the right credentials.

A Hussain, Abingdon Street, Bradford 8.

SIR - For years now, honest debate on the subject of race in Bradford has been stifled - so how refreshing it has been to read the recent T&A editorials, Jim Greenhalf's piece and the many letters you have published regarding the recent riots and Bradford's situation in general.

Has the penny finally dropped? The massive social and demographic experiment of multi-culturalism carried out in Bradford over the last 30 years or so clearly isn't working. An immigrant people, large numbers of whom have no desire to adopt the customs, values or language of its adoptive country, can only compound the problems of racial tension.

A Underwood, Bolton Lane, Bradford 2.

SIR - In last Saturday's T&A there was much about the appalling riots and many theories put forward. There is also a prominent headline "Bid to stop the rail vandals aged five".

I have heard how young children taunt the firefighters, ambulance men and police who they are stoning with "You can't touch us - we're young". Children are now brought up with no respect for authority unless responsible parents have managed to instil it.

Before the riots we had much older children damaging their school buses and trying to injure other people. Were they adequately dealt with?

Even in the animal world, the young are disciplined. Falling over backwards (as we say) is no solution to either racism of the maltreatment of children.

E Simpson, Manscombe Road, Allerton.

SIR - I lived at Royd House in Wilsden for 38 years. My husband George was the caretaker/gardener.

He was so proud of everything he did. The flower beds, the lawns, tennis Court, bowling green, everything was shipshape. The public rooms in the house were always well looked after.

We all loved Royd House as a home.

Last week my daughter and I were driving through Wilsden when we decided to take a look in the park. I could not believe what I saw. I just stood and wept.

The park is like a wilderness. The parks department should be ashamed of themselves for letting it get into such a state and the Council should also be ashamed for letting the house deteriorate so much.

The older people of Wilsden who remember must be absolutely shocked. So come on Bradford, let Wilsden see a nice park again.

Marjorie Cochrane, Myrtle Court, Bingley.

SIR - I have the utmost admiration for the courageous efforts of police officers who recently faced levels of violence unprecedented on the UK mainland. Police casualties could have been avoided if lessons had been learned from the 1995 riots and proper levels of visible policing had been introduced.

I wrote to the Police Authority and MPs in January of this year raising concerns at the lack of visible police patrols in Bradford and its communities.

In that letter I expressed serious concerns at the potential for serious disorder if the police strategy for Bradford failed to address the key issues: tackling young men effectively out of control who are running street drug markets, unprecedented levels of violence and street disorder, and no-go areas.

It has been the reluctance of those in positions of power and the media to challenge the lack of progress in Bradford that has contributed to the apathetic and complacent situation that finally led to these riots.

The key issues remain to be about having an effective policing strategy and adequate resources for the police of this city to regain control of the streets and provide the basic protection every citizen has a right to expect.

Les Vasey (Ex Div Commander Bradford Central), Temple Rhydding Drive, Baildon.

SIR - Throughout the last 100 years, children of immigrant Bradfordians have sometimes experienced tough times. Through good parental guidance, proactive integration and hard work, they have very rarely needed to resort to the sort of violence seen on July 7 in order to teach the rest of the local community a lesson.

It is easy to blame police, society etc. for out-of-control children, but most often it is a result of poor examples set by their parents.

What are the thugs' parents going to do to prevent them running amok again and ensure they start to add value to the larger community rather than destroying it?

Parents, you know what your sons are up to, so stop sticking your heads in the sand and accept a lot of the blame for putting Bradford on the world map for the most negative of reasons, then make the necessary positive changes.

S Briggs, Wakefield Road, Bradford.

SIR - In reply to the letter from P Bird of Nab Wood (July 14), I would like to say that I found it highly offensive that he called Salman Rushdie "a son of Islam".

Salman Rushdie is no Muslim, and if Mr Bird has read Satanic Verses, he would know that.

Mr D McKellen has based HIS opinions on the pure teachings of Islam, and is obviously well read. No-one should base their opinion of Islam on the actions of those who CLAIM to be its adherents. Rather they should go and study the life of Prophet Muhammed and the history of Islam.

I will finish with a verse from the Quran for the benefit of Mr Bird- "O mankind, We created you from a single pair of male and female, and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know each other, not that you may despise one another. Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of God is he who is most righteous."

I would like to take this opportunity to strongly condemn the rioters in Bradford and the rest of the UK.

N Ali, Rayner Avenue, Bradford

SIR - I welcomed Jim Greenhalf's article (T&A, July 11) as a landmark public statement about this city. At last we have had someone who is prepared to express what the vast majority of Bradford residents say in private.

Until now it has been taboo to even suggest that there could be undesirable elements within the Pakistani community in Bradford, let alone to acknowledge that many of the characteristics of the Pakistani community were incompatible with the development of a prosperous urban district in a western European country.

It is also right for Ann Cryer MP to ask how it can possibly be in the best interests of this city for many of its residents to be unable to speak English. For a start, how can they be educated?

There has been a lot of talk about rights but very little about civic duty. I would have thought that an ability and willingness to integrate was a basic civic duty to be expected from people seeking to make this city their home.

David Wilkins, PO Box 36, Bradford

SIR - There is a not unreasonable expectation that if the Pakistani community wish to make Bradford their home, they should be prepared to integrate and not necessarily on their own terms.

Before being told that I must learn about their culture, I want to see the Pakistanis making an effort to understand ours. Speaking English would be a good starter.

Phil Priestley, Smith Street, Fagley

SIR - Now that Lord Ouseley's findings are seen to be in line with Ray Honeyford's views, can we now expect an apology from all those who hounded this man (pictured) from the city some 15 years ago?

Ray and Anita Potter, Low Lane, Grassington.

SIR - I am a nine-year-old Asian girl and am very frightened of the riots these days. I'm also ashamed of the Asian teenagers. They were burning down their own things just for the fun.

But you mustn't think it's all down to Asians because it's not. I'm telling you this because my friends (who are not Asians) may read this.

I don't want people who get on together to stop doing so just because others are spoiling it for them.

At school teachers tell us we should be friends together.

On Monday I was feeling worried that people at school would say it was the Asians' fault. I would never do anything like that. I hope for the future that there are no more riots.

I hope that everyone who reads this will understand how children feel.

Zeenat Yasin, Windermere Road, Bradford 7.

SIR - In his report "Across the great divide", David Barnett wrote that white youths believe that the Asians own Subarus and Porsches and have flashy businesses.

Well, this is because our fathers, who came to this country 30 years ago, worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week, plus any extra hours available, just so that WE can live the sort of lifestyle they could not have.

We don't spend all our money on holidays and booze but on the right things. So why the jealousy?

Sohail Akram, Horton Park Avenue, Bradford.

SIR - As a resident of Bradford working abroad, I can tell you from my travels in Spain and in New England (USA) that the world is watching Bradford.

If we are truly to be a cultural city, then please let's show that our multi-cultural roots are founded in strong ground, free from hatred, and upon which our future generations can grow, regardless of race and belief.

Chris Nurse, Residencial Trapiche, Marbella, Spain.

SIR - I don't know how Amar Rachid (Letters, July 11) can say that Asians have not been given the right to education, work, to live where they want and have not been made a part of society.

Some schools do not let people in because they live too far away. However, schools like Tong Upper do not bother with this rule and more than half the pupils are Asian.

As for work, there are plenty of jobs around. But there are also a lot of whites out of work, so it's not just Asians. Some people from all backgrounds don't want to work and would rather live off the taxpayer.

While I understand people wanting to have good jobs, we all have to start somewhere and if we choose not to, then that is our own responsibility, not that of society.

If people did not walk around with these huge chips on their shoulders, then things would not have been as bad.

I feel that a minority of Asians, young and old, need to look at their roles in life and try to get on with other people instead of feeling sorry for themselves.

Bethany Price, Felcourt Drive, Holme Wood, Bradford.

SIR - In your reports of the Bradford District Race Review, it was disappointing that Lord Ouseley seems to have made little mention of the role of the private sector in tackling Bradford's problems. There are, after all, more publicly-quoted companies in the Leeds-Bradford area than in the whole of Scotland.

Business has a key role to play in creating the wealth that will relieve some of the deprivation that lies behind the events of last week.

Organisations such as Business in the Community, set up in the wake of the riots in Brixton and Toxteth, have the experience to harness the skills of the private sector to tackle some of the challenges of social deprivation.

Matthew Butler, Manor Road, Towersey, Oxon.

SIR - Many correspondents of Asian origin have expressed their support in your newspaper for the police to take more robust action against the criminal element in their communities.

The police should now be reassured of the support of the Asian community in bringing to justice those who participated in those disgraceful riots.

Only when the perpetrators of these riots are brought to justice, followed by lengthy custodial sentences, will the gangster element in society become aware that their disruptions will not be tolerated.

This requirement should apply to all communities, whether white or Asian.

Alec Suchi, Allerton Road, Allerton.

SIR - I bet the apology in the T&A from the Asian businessmen didn't mean a lot to Arthur and Jean Midgley who not only lost their business but also lost their home when Arthur's Bar was burnt to the ground.

The only things they had the time to save were their two cats and their dog.

All their belongings, memories and life were lost in the flames. No one else that night lost as much as that.

The letter on July 13 from N Khan ("We Pakistanis are right to fight back") was a knife in the back of all those who apologised and I feel he should be ashamed of his words and thoughts.

Jenny Sampson, Rossmore Drive, Allerton.