Regarding "Islamic extremist not investigated correctly", Guardian, February 22.

The author of the article, Richard Lyons has every right to report on the facts of his story, which was basically that a man by the name of Abdul Lateef "stirred up religious hatred at prayer meetings by making extremist statements" and that Sutton Council failed to look into the matter seriously.

There are extremists in every religion, Islam being no exception. However, why do extremists have to be associated with the religion they have deviated so far from? Abdul Lateef could have easily been referred to as simply an extremist.

Why attach Islam with his extremism when Islam does not even sanction the extreme views expressed by Abdul Lateef? People who commit crimes against society are extremists.

Should we start to look at the religious background of every criminal and label him/her as a "Christian rapist" or a "Jewish murderer"? The truth of the matter is that extremists do not belong to any religion, except their own personal selfish agendas.

Extremists do not know how to "turn the other cheek" or to "love thy neighbour". It is extremely unfair to allow extremists the honour of association with any one of the world's great religions when their actions clearly distinguish them as being nowhere near.

Please encourage your journalists to adopt a more open-minded and fair attitude when reporting on such sensitive issues, and use the power of language honestly and with integrity. Abdul Lateef is an extremist, but he is certainly not an "Islamic extremist".

SADAF SHAH Worcester Park