Sir, - As an Irishman who has lived both in Italy and in Islamic countries, I feel obliged to express my abhorrence at the remarks of the Italian Prime Minister, Mr Silvio Berlusconi, regarding the "superiority" of Western civilisation over that of Islamic societies.
Mr Berlusconi obviously has a very selective memory when it comes to the history of our respective cultures.
Centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire in the West, while petty Christian kingdoms were busy squabbling between themselves, science and learning flourished in Cordoba, the capital of Moorish Spain. While in Christendom, Jews were persecuted and crusades were mounted against "Saracen infidels", in Muslim Iberia, practitioners of the three Abrahamic faiths lived side by side in relative peace.
In post-Reformation Europe, while the inter-Christian wars of religion raged, the only place where ambassadors and envoys from Roman Catholic and Protestant countries could meet and discuss differences in peace was in Ottoman Istanbul.
There are many aspects of European and Western heritage of which we can be proud: the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and medical and scientific breakthroughs. We have helped to shed light on the origins of our planet and humanity and we have reached out for the stars. But before we congratulate ourselves on our intellectual and cultural "superiority", let us reflect on the Inquisitions, the conquistadors, the slave trade, the gulags and Hiroshima. Auschwitz was not built and manned by Muslims.
Mr Berlusconi may well see himself as some modern-day Charles Martel, keeping Europe safe from the infidel hordes. I believe, however, that we must not allow the current crisis to be viewed as a clash of civilisations. If we have learned anything from our history, we must avoid being lowered to using base stereotypes.
Either we take this chance to look at and celebrate our common humanity, or we shall forever be living in the Dark Ages. I believe the great Mahatma Gandhi put it best when, upon being asked for his view on Western civilisation, he replied: "I think it would be a good idea". - Yours, etc.,
Gavin Doyle, Corr Castle, Sutton, Dublin 13.