I have been wearing my hijab and my brother had his beard long before Al-Qaeda or the Taliban were heard of. I refuse to let terrorists set the agenda for my religious beliefs. I am happy, however, to have debate on whether beards and hijabs are a requirement within Islam, but such a discussion does not have anything to with terrorism. After all apart from a very few, most suicide bombers don't have beards, probably because they were trying to blend in. N. Khan, London
I just can't believe that people would entertain the possibility of Muslims abandoning the clothes they feel comfortable in or alter their appearance just because they share it with Osama Bin Laden.
Try telling the Sikh community that White belongs to the Taliban; White is seen as a symbol of purity and is often worn at funerals, hardly an advert for Al-Qaeda. We are all disturbed, angered, appalled by the London Bombing, in these uncertain times the Muslim community has made it clear it stands with the victims. The community has been providing information to the Police to root out the extremists and get rid of this problem. Let's continue to stand together. Naeem Sarfraz, Huddersfield
I am dismayed by the widely held misunderstanding in the UK that France banned only Muslims from wearing headscarves to school. In France, all public state schools are secular and all religious symbols, whether Muslim, Christian, Jewish, etc, are forbidden. Thus a child cannot wear a visible crucifix anymore than a Muslim girl can wear a visible headscarf. Catherine Forni, Roquebrune Cap Martin, France
Just as George Bush wearing a suit doesn't mean that all men who wear suits support his Government's foreign policy. We are fortunate to live in a society which allows for freedom of expression, one form of which is the freedom to dress as we wish (within reason). People have a right to wear beards and black hijabs, just as they have a right to wear a suit, jeans or, for that matter, Stetsons. That is one of the factors which distinguishes this country from a fascist dictatorship. Robert Cushen, London
It is important to draw the distinction between dress linked to the Islamic faith and dress linked to the culture of the country of origin of the wearer. As long as modesty is maintained, the dress code is irrelevant; a great deal of how Muslims dress is their view rather than the view of the Koran, however it is chosen to be interpreted. That said, our liberal democracy should allow a consenting adult to wear what they wish. Paul Beckett, London
As a beard-wearer, and a preferrer (for work, at least) of grey/black suits, albeit not a Muslim, I wonder whether Amir Taheri would grant me the right to dress and shave as I wish, or whether he would argue that I, too, must knuckle under to the terrorists, and wear (and dress, and, arguably, behave) only in the way that they prescribe, or that he prefers. Martin Samuel, London
By merely dropping the beards and the hijab the problem of terrorism is not going to be dispelled. In fact such measures may further inflame the resentment Muslims feel. Though I agree that the hijab is not an Islamic requirement it still does not negate the fact that terrorism does not come from hijabs but from perceived injustices; it is this veil that needs to be lifted. I am a Sikh who wears a turban and beard for all to see and am aware of prejudice and so feel simply telling Muslims just to change their outer appearance will not change the inner veil of hatred. Mandeep Singh Khalsa, Shanghai, China
It is unfortunate that Mr Taheri's comments vilify a large segment of law-abiding citizens in the West who choose - for personal, cultural, or religious reasons - to wear a particular dress and to look a particular way, without that affecting their identification with their host country in any way. Abu'l `Ula al-Hindi, Toronto, Canada
Amir Taheri's argument tars all Muslims with the brush of terrorism, and does nothing but further the wedge between Muslim and non-Muslim societies. The association of beards and the wearing of a hijab with terrorism is a Western association. It is a simple ethnic stereotype that adds nothing to the consideration of the problem of terrorism perpetrated by Muslim fundamentalists. Matthew Forbes, Melbourne, Victoria
I have always been of the belief that it is not externalities like clothing that make a person (or their respective beliefs) but how they walk in their faith on a day to day basis. Sharon Busuttil, Sydney, New South Wales
A political or ideological cause is strengthened considerably if it can be identified with a religious belief. Faith, especially among the more poverty-stricken or underdeveloped countries, is a powerful characteristic that is far more deep-rooted and enduring than even the most compelling of political movements - such as Communism. When using a peace-loving religion like Islam, a political terrorist such as Osama bin Laden needs to inject misinterpretation and distortion in order to encourage the violence that is so necessary if he and his followers are to be successful. It becomes incumbent upon the religious community concerned to vigorously identify and eliminate these corruptions of religious teaching and it is with this in mind that I agree with many of the points that Amir Taheri has made in his article. Keith Downer, London, England
I do not think any one has to cast aside anything, nor should any authority (as regrettably in France) have a right to compel one to do so. If somebody believes that wearing a hijab or beard helps them to be a better Muslim, then I don’t think that practice should be interfered with, as in my view that is a matter of personal and preference and freedom. Moreover, just by wearing a hijab or a beard does not make one a terrorist and such awareness should prevail. Salman Ahmed, Karachi, Pakistan
Like the multitude of open-minded citizens of Great Britain, I firmly believe in the old proverb "you can't judge a book by its cover". We are fortunate to live in a liberal democracy where freedom of expression naturally extends to the clothing and facial hair individuals choose to wear. I appreciate Amir Taheri's stance with regard to Islamist extremism. However, to suggest that Muslims alter their personal style choice would do little to pacify those folk who are troubled by matters of sartorial elegance and individual freedom. Finally, I am reminded of another proverb "live and let live". Mark Law, Middlesbrough, England
Amir Taheri's is an interesting and refreshing point of view. I always presumed that the wearing of this type of clothing was a prerequisite of practsing Islam. After all we have had the recent case of the schoolgirl who took her school to court over being denied a certain type of dress as she was being denied her human rights - a term which by its increasing usage is rendering the concept of human rights trivial. You can hardly compare being made to comply with school rules on appropriate dress with being tortured. Carole Tyrrell, London, England
Al-Qaeda does not have a monopoly on unusual forms of appearance - unusual in the UK, that is. Many people resident here continue to wear the clothing of their country of origin, and should not be identified as extremists because they do so. Some are actually Christians! Vincent Coles, London, England
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