Many women do wear the veil for religious reasons

A reader says Muslim women have the option to wear a veil or not. Other subjects: dash cams, divorce and "green" mosques.

An Afghan woman browses the Burqa market in Kabul. EPA

The obsession with Muslim female clothing doesn't seem to ever end (Muslim women in Britain wear headscarves with pride, not to hide, August 23).

The article states that, to the majority of Muslim scholars, veiling is more to do with culture than religion. That is not only incorrect, it is disrespectful to those who do veil for religious reasons.

What the majority of Islamic scholars agree on is that veiling is a recommended act of worship, not a mandatory one.

All Muslim women who by their own will veil their faces do so in accordance with God’s word along with authentic narrations of the Prophet Mohammed, whose wives are said to have been veiled.

Examples of a cultural practice would be the abayas worn by Muslim women in the Gulf, or the blue burqa worn by Afghan women, the emphasis being on the colour of the garment.

Name withheld by request

Cameras in cars could help police

How many times have we all witnessed inconsiderate driving on UAE roads and wished we could report this to the police?

I believe we should be looking at the possibility of using dashboard cameras to supply the police with evidence of wrongdoing on the road.

These would run whenever you are driving. When you witness a case of poor driving, the video could be sent directly to the police over the internet.

Dash cams could have a dramatic effect at a low cost.

Brian Martin, Dubai

Britain must act against killers

The story Voice and other clues sought to trace journalist's killer (August 22) notes that the executioner of James Foley had a British accent.

It’s obvious that these people who leave the UK to join extremist groups have their own personal agendas and, more than likely, have criminal intentions.

Their claim that they are not allowed to practise their religion is a poor excuse.

If they have aspirations of helping humanity to build a better, more productive world, then the last thing on their mind would be fighting a war they don’t understand.

What is critical now for the UK is to prevent others from leaving and preventing those who have gone to fight from returning.

This is a matter of national security and in such cases the state has full authority to confiscate passports. They also have a responsibility to protect the wider EU community.

I hope the British government is working closely with other EU member states to share intelligence on potential threats.

Randall Mohammed, Dubai

I don’t think the UK government is strong enough to deal with these issues.

J Carter, Doha

Divorced women require support

I am writing about the editorial, Divorced mothers need more support (August 24).

These women need jobs as a way of supporting themselves, and access to childcare during work hours.

This would give them both a way of taking care of their children and a sense of worth.

DM Nobles, Abu Dhabi

Divorced women need support from society, they need empowerment and they need leadership training so they can manage.

Eman Hussein, US

As a widowed mother of two, I wish I received Dh6,000 every month (Divorced mothers hit out at low alimony payments that have families living on the breadline, August 22).

People must be grateful for what they get.

I Nikol, Dubai

Mosques should be sustainable

I applaud the sentiments in the story Muslims call for more mosques to be built in Ajman (August 21).

It’s essential that the government plays a lead role in building mosques, not simply to provide a place of worship but to ensure high building standards.

What comes to mind are sustainable “green mosques”. I hope that this trend will continue across the Emirates.

Name withheld by request

Penthouse may be seen as a challenge

It was interesting to read World's most expensive penthouse: Tour Oden in Monaco (August 21).

My hunch is that someone in Dubai will now feel that they just have to build a more expensive one.

John Paravalos, Dubai