ACCORDING to the article "We're not fanatics" (LET, August 12), it is 'police operations' which are unfairly tarnishing Islam.

This is nonsense. Any sensible person can see that it is Muslim terrorists creating carnage worldwide, extremist clerics spouting vitriol on our streets, and the sight of so-called British Muslims fighting our troops in Iraq and informing us there are hundreds more British Muslims prepared to follow them, that is bringing the religion into disrepute.

It is these fanatics who are solely responsible for creating hostility towards Islam. So, perhaps, instead of venting their spleen on the media, the police and ordinary people merely trying to get on with life under difficult circumstances, moderate Muslims could apportion blame and direct their anger towards the aforementioned of their brethren who they constantly claim are not representative of their faith.

VINCENT, Accrington (full name and address supplied).