I WAS a resident of Lancaster for more than 50 years, now working overseas, but I still retain weekly contact of Lancaster through your excellent web version of The Citizen.

I have lived or worked in many overseas countries, some of them in Asia. I can honestly state that I have always been treated with the utmost courtesy within these countries, some of these countries followed the Muslim faith.

It sickens me therefore to read and hear about the treatment that Mr Hussain is receiving from the local people, especially those in the Ryelands estate.

On one hand, to avoid the insults and retribution from those sad people, Mr Hussain should move to an area where he would receive better sympathy and understanding, but on the other hand, why should he? Unfortunately it will be too difficult to educate the intolerant and sick racists from the Ryelands and adjacent areas, therefore if Mr Hussain and family did leave the area, then it would be a blot on the people of Lancaster, as the message of racial intolerance would spread throughout the country. It is the responsibility of the schools and the good people of Lancaster to present a more favourable picture of what is really a wonderful city.

My heart goes out to Mal, he is trying to run a business in a free society, the shop surely is an integral part of the area. He cannot live forever under the protection and umbrella of the police force, but without their presence his life would be more intolerable.

Let us hope that sanity will prevail and that Mal can remain happily in our city.

Tony Booth

Palanga

Lithuania via e-mail

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.