Sir - I write concerning the opposing views of the Rector of St Aldates and the Bishop of Oxford on the question of the Muslim call to prayer.

First, my own experience of this call, on a visit to the Middle East, was that it was highly penetrating and intrusive, and not the sort of thing I would wish to be subjected to, either in my own home or anywhere else. I, therefore, come down on the side of the Rector of St Aldates in this matter. Second, Christian leaders shouldn't in my view attempt to be all things to all men thereby causing everyone to wonder just what they do believe; instead, let them stick to proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ, which is the bedrock of Christian faith.

Maurice Smithson, Oxford