Madam, - After receiving a barrage of criticism as a result of her statement on the relevance of the 1916 Rising, President McAleese has been subjected to further castigation for failure, in her speech in Saudi Arabia, to condemn the barbarity of fanatics in Islam in recent years.
She has also been severely censured for failing to criticise the lack of women's rights in the Islamic world.
Dealing with the latter first, was the President not more likely to encourage Islamic leaders to respond rather than to react to the challenge of change by showing her understanding of the feelings of Muslim people regarding the offending cartoons in the Danish newspaper - and then, as an unveiled woman in Western dress to indicate in a significant speech, delivered on a prestigious occasion, her desire to build bridges?
Had she chosen to condemn actions which we in the West find obnoxious, the positive effect of her presentation might have been neutralised.
Certainly, there would have been insufficient time, in striving for balance, for her to have outlined the way that Western imperialism in its various forms had impacted on Islamic feeling through many generations. Wisdom prevailed.
The Western world over centuries laid claim to all before it, first by conquest then by enforced control, often justifying itself by a view, once commonly held, that "the white man's burden" was to civilise the world. Little wonder that there has been a reaction!
If we are to build bridges before it is too late - and recall what Islam achieved between 622AD and 732AD - we will need more of Mary McAleese creating friendship, and less of Kevin Myers making criticisms.
Perhaps, nevertheless, we are particularly fortunate to have both of them. Let the latter keep checking the structure and strength of the pillars and the former continue to construct the bridges. - Yours, etc,
JOHN ROBB, Consensor, The New Ireland Group, Hopefield Avenue, Portrush, Co Antrim.