I USED to tell Irish jokes, until, believing I should say nothing behind someone's back that I wouldn't say to their face, I told one in the presence of an Irish friend. He was unamused.

He explained that in his job, he had an invisible barrier to overcome.

Though an expert in his field, it seemed to him as soon as others heard his accent they doubted his competence and knowledge. He felt Irish jokes contributed to a subconscious prejudice against "stupid" Irish people.

This is a roundabout response to Colin T Mortimer (HAS, July 16) and P Holmes (HAS, July 13). We should certainly defend our right to free speech, including the right to mock, insult and ridicule, but with this freedom comes the responsibility to be sensitive to the feelings of others.

There is no one more deserving of ridicule than the suicide bomber who indulges in the fantasy he will be rewarded in paradise for blowing himself to shreds and taking innocent bystanders with him.

This does not justify the gratuitous mockery of Islam itself.

In a world where many good Muslims feel blamed for a murderous minority, there is a need for understanding on all sides.

Pete Winstanley, Durham.