I refer to the piece by Laiq Ahmed Atif entitled ‘Demystifying the veil’ (September 14). In his offensive and patronising opinion on women wearing a veil, he says: “By electing to safeguard herself and her virtues, a woman protects society from social evils such as adultery, spread of disease, children born out of wedlock, rape and divorce.”

I would like to remind him that men participate in all of the above too, yet, he makes no mention of the importance of self-control and decency where men are concerned.

The blame rests solely with women (of course), who are evil temptresses, as was the common and convenient belief promoted thousands of years ago in a society firmly dominated by men (and still practised in certain parts of the world).

Wearing a veil does not prevent rape. Rape happens as a tool of violence against women and a weapon of war.

A rapist will take a veiled and an unveiled woman for his purposes.

The correspondent also states that the veil forms a physical barrier against harassment.

Harassment, which, one would suppose, is carried out by men (rather than women) towards women.

Once again, it is only the woman’s responsibility to make sure she makes herself invisible to try to prevent this happening.

If the correspondent truly has women’s welfare at heart, he should be speaking out about the following women and young girls forced into arranged marriages; women being denied an education and a job; women being denied the right to drive and walk around unaccompanied; recognition that intra-marital rape exists; recognition that female genital mutilation is wrong; abolition of public stoning/beheading/whipping of women on whom rape has been committed but which is called adultery in their society; and many other horrors that go on in the name of faith.