Sir: Hundreds of fellow Muslims and countrymen, especially from the Shia sect, have fallen prey to violent sectarian violence. These heinous crimes do not seem to be ending anytime soon. This hatred is nurtured and nourished by none other than our religious figures. Irony mocks us when these people call for an end to the oppression of Muslims in the rest of the world. Recently, the chief of Jamat-e-Islami condemned the persecution of Burmese Muslims and cast doubts over the OIC’s role and effectiveness. It would not have been totally out of line, had the leader called for the immediate stoppage of Shia killings throughout the country and urged the ‘good’ Taliban to give up butchering innocent citizens in the name of faith. Shia Muslims make around a fifth of our population and as we fail to protect them against discrimination and brutality, the goal of giving equal rights to minorities is still far away. Incessant atrocities committed against our own people fail to grab our attention, yet we are very passionate to rescue our ‘brothers’ elsewhere. Before raising our voices for everyone around, we need to put our own house in order. SHAFIQ AHMED ODHANO United Kingdom