COLUMNIST Peter Mullen’s latest outburst about extremism (Echo, Aug 24) is possibly merely an example of paranoia about Muslims, but I think that he goes too far and seems to be so one-sided.

It would be wrong were the state of Iran to be manufacturing nuclear weapons.

In fact, what needs to happen is the countries that possess them should pursue their obligations under the Non-Nuclear Proliferation Treaty to work towards their own abolition of the weapon.

Were there evidence that Iran had opened a nuclear power station and at the same time been covering up other activities I would be as critical of them as anyone else.

What I do notice is that Israel has the nuclear weapon, denies having it and the Western powers condone the denial. I believe that the idea is to quietly intimidate the Islamic world and then to deny them the opportunity to answer back.

Mr Mullen wants to see our Government shutting down mosques where “preachers of hate” operate. He must realise that if any government in this or any other country started to prevent worship by one religion it would not stop there. He would cry blue murder if churches were closed down.

Geoffrey Bulmer, Billingham.