I always read with interest the articles by Ahmed Atif. In his ‘Does Islam need reform?’ he points out correctly the extremism in Islam but his view that the remedy needs only to be that Muslims follow the teachings of the Qoran is rather simplistic.

Why is it that Islam, a religion, so it is said, of peace and tolerance, produces so much barbarity? Perhaps it is because unlike other religions it has not developed over the last three to four centuries. The rhetoric of Islam that is referring to non-Muslim soldiers as ‘crusaders’, is redolent of a bygone age.

Islam, if it is to survive, must at leastacknowledge the modern world even if it disapproves of it.

In my view the scarcely believable medieval brutality of Islamic State is only Islam writ large. The ordinary Muslim – like Atif – obviously would not countenance such behaviour but his religion makes it possible.