Islamic links are strong in southern Spain

Links between the Muslim world and Spain are clear at the Alhambra in Granada. (Sean Gallup / Getty Images)

Although Sholto Byrnes's opinion article, Europe must discover and celebrate its Muslim past (November 18), is very lucid, one must take into consideration that Europe is a continent divided into north and south.

The Iberian Peninsula is a unique melting pot of religions. Judaism, Christianity and Islam have all made their presence felt there in the past, and they continue to do so today.

Muslims and Christians have coexisted for centuries and there is mutual respect, especially in the southern part where the old Andalus kingdom was predominant.

The conversions that are referred to in the article were often only in writing; many people continued to practise their original religion. Many names can be traced back centuries, and ancestors can be identified by their religious origin. And, to this day, there is no discrimination.

Name withheld by request

Muslim nations aren’t to blame

The attack on Paris (France must know who its enemy is, November 16) is a tragedy that may repeat itself if the world does not unite against ISIL and other terrorist organisations.

It is a horror situation that nobody should have to experience. The innocent people who came under attack while in public places did not deserve to die. They lost their lives for no reason.

As much as I sympathise with all Parisians and condemn the cowardly attacks on civilians, I worry for the Muslim countries that are facing hatred from those in the West who hold Muslims accountable for these acts of terrorism and violence.

These people in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Yemen and many other countries that have been battered by war and terror attacks are victims themselves. They should not be held responsible for the present situation in Europe.

The fact that they are, I believe, is more tragic than anything else.

Fatima Suhail, Sharjah

How to tackle water shortage

The story, A shocking way to make fresh water could be the UAE's answer to desalination (November 17), got me thinking about the sustainability of our water supply.

On the demand side, it would seem that the only option is to increase prices. On the generation side, it is paramount to stop further depletion of the Al Ain aquifer and replace the wells with a reasonable alternative.

Atmospheric water generation (AWG) has been making very promising progress and there are now commercial units on the market that can provide up to 380,000 litres per day in clean drinking water from the humidity in the air.

This may be a good solution for the coastal parts of the UAE, where more than 80 per cent of the population lives. The underlying process is very simple and widely known from commercial dehumidifiers.

An AWG unit is not more complex to operate than a split air-conditioning unit and it can be run on solar power, which is ideal for the decentralised production of drinking water.

The discussed MIT technology requires advanced sensoric and electrical equipment for proper operation. This will be years away. Name withheld by request

Desalination plants could be powered using solar energy, reducing the need for fossil ­fuels. But it is just as important to conserve water.

Randall Mohammed, Dubai

Why do we still see water running down the roads in Jumeirah from people washing cars? How wasteful.

Victoria Maybury, Dubai

Syrian solution is very simple

I refer to Robert Mason's opinion article, Five steps to solve the ongoing Syrian crisis (November 18). Bashar Al Assad is the problem. Why is he still there?

Brigitte von Bulow, Abu Dhabi

The solution is not so simple. It was said that getting rid of Muammar Qaddafi and Saddam Hussein would solve problems in their countries – and look what happened.

It might be exactly the same if Mr Assad is removed.

Arthur Hutchinson, Philippines

Smartphone tops its rivals

John Everington's review, Xperia Z5 smartphone worth buying only if you are a Sony fan (November 17), is very poor.

The Z5 has a lot of improvements over the Z3+. The price is still below its direct competitors and it offers much more than the Samsung S6 or iPhone 6s.

B Yusuf, Dubai