Maybe open it to all?

Readers say Sharjah's Sajaya Ladies Club can help foster relations between Emiratis and expatriates. Other topics: Delta chief's remarks, ISIL, the 'guardian angel' for immigrants, soft drinks

Readers say Sharjah's Sajaya Young Ladies Club could help foster relations between Emiratis and other nationalities. Anna Nielsen for The National

The Sajaya Young Ladies Club in Sharjah is a great idea (Sharjah Centre fosters potential, February 20). Perhaps the facility should be available for all young ladies, not just Emiratis? Mixing of various nationalities is surely a good thing.

Samantha Attfield, Abu Dhabi

Delta chief’s caustic remarks mask the truth

With regard to your editorial on the Delta Air Lines chief executive Richard Anderson's comments about Gulf airlines (Aviation spat crosses the line into abuse, February 20), my wife and I recently had the misfortune of flying Delta from John F Kennedy Airport in the New York, sitting in what passed for their business class on a rather old MD80, listening to their flight attendants chatting about shopping trips during the taxi rather than focusing on pre-flight safety procedures.

The service after take off was equally uninterested and lacklustre. I did provide some honest, but far from complimentary, feedback on the Delta website after the trip, to which I did not receive any response.

Looking out of the window, I saw a new Emirates A380 behind us, and the wide gap between the two levels of service on offer was clear.

Ron Mcguire, US

Mr Anderson’s comments show how desperate US airlines are getting. They’re far behind Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways and most European airlines in terms of service.

Derek Magill, US

Mr Anderson’s comments are in poor taste. Etihad Airways and Emirates are far ahead of other airlines due to their level of service and modern, more efficient aircraft.

Alison Hamilton Thornton, Dubai

Can we defeat ISIL militarily?

People across the world have one view – that ISIL can be eliminated if there is enough military cooperation between countries. Your editorial Libya needs global help to stop ISIL (February 18) does not reflect a different view. But can a terrorist organisation that has such huge following all over the world be eliminated with military might?

Perhaps not, if we look at the examples of Al Qaeda. That’s because many of these terrorists live among us, so you cannot identify all of them.

The only defence for countries against them is to step up vigilance and take harsh measures against those who sympathise with extremist ideologies. There are other harsh measures that should be taken against these people. There are no other alternatives.

Mohammed Youssef, Dubai

A guardian angel for immigrants

The article The 'guardian angel' guiding migrants after perilous crossing (February 19) is a masterpiece.

In a world full of bloodshed and where humans have been living in appalling conditions, the “guardian angel” Nawal Soufi is doing a fantastic job. She reinforces the belief that God exists in different forms.

Benazir, Dubai

I know how dire the refugee situation is, but how can Europe cope with thousands of people from a different world, who do not have passports or any legitimate proof of identity? How can Europe provide for all those people?

I appreciate what Ms Soufi is doing to help poor people to migrate to Italy, but we must also think about the consequences of our actions.

Brigitte von Bulow, Abu Dhabi

Don’t give soft drinks to kids

I refer to the news report Tooth decay is on the increase, Dubai dental survey finds (February 19).

I am sorry to say that a large number of parents encourage their children to drink soft drinks.

They are not only harmful for your teeth, but for your health in general. These beverages are addictive. So it’s best to keep children away from them.

Abeer Hassan, Abu Dhabi