Amid the outcry against President Donald Trump’s immigration ban on seven Muslim countries (US refugee ban: Trump decried for ‘stomping on’ American values, theguardian.com, 28 January), typically no mention is being made of the fact that the United States is a major participant in the terrible wars in five of them: Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. As such, potent issues of religious discrimination and humanitarianism aside, the US has a major responsibility to ameliorate the effects of the wars on civilians by taking in refugees from those countries, obviously with careful vetting of each applicant. It is also interesting that Saudi Arabia, the source of much Islamist extremism, is not included in the list of “banned” countries.

In addition, while Trump was right to highlight the persecution of Christians in Syria and Iraq, he neglected to mention that in these countries Christians did not face such persecution under leaders that the US actively worked to topple, Saddam Hussein and Bashar al-Assad. That extreme persecution of Christians, as well as of millions of moderate Muslims, began when extremist Muslim terror groups took control of large parts of the two formerly secular oases in the Middle East.

It’s worth noting that during the election campaign Trump strongly criticised the destructive impact of recent US involvement in the Iraq, Libya and Syria wars, but has not repeated those criticisms since his election.

Salim Lone

Princeton, New Jersey, United States

• It is mortifying that the prime minister was photographed hand in hand on Holocaust Memorial Day (The new special relationship, 28 January) with a US president who, later that day, signed an executive order placing an immediate ban on immigrants from seven Muslim majority countries and all refugees entering the US. These measures are a barbaric attack on Muslims in the US, from the countries which are now banned and on all Muslims around the world, stamping upon all principles of liberty and civil rights and undermining the value system on which all our democracies are based.

As UK Greens we are ashamed that the highest elected official of our country visited the US during this time and then spectacularly failed to take a serious stand against such hatred. We call upon our prime minister to condemn the order in the strongest terms. Half-baked statements simply aren’t good enough. All who value human rights must stand up against this alarming act, the rise in hatred it represents and these clear stirrings towards fascism.

Caroline Lucas MP and Jonathan Bartley Co-leaders, Green party, Jenny Jones House of Lords, Molly Scott-Cato MEP, Sian Berry and Caroline Russell London assembly members, Ousman Noor Campaigns coordinator, London Green party

• Theresa May’s response to Trump’s decision to close the door on migrants – that the US was responsible for its own refugee policy – was craven. What next? An equivocal stance on waterboarding? An offer to send British bricklayers to America to help build a wall to keep Mexicans out? An “it’s none of our business” approach to the possible moving of the American embassy in Israel? Winston Churchill – whose bust was used in the Trump/May Oval Office photo opportunity, presumably to symbolise the continuing strength of the special relationship – would have told Mrs May that you should never cozy up to bullies. Appeasement doesn’t work. It only strengthens the bully and, ultimately, humiliates the appeaser.

Malcolm Brown

London

• One of Machiavelli’s lesser-known dicta is that the Prince should not make an alliance with anyone stronger than himself. Failure to heed this was the root cause of Britain’s problems with its relationship with the US throughout the whole of the last century. The situation continues.

John Bald

Linton, Cambridgeshire

• Trump’s executive order to ban entry of Muslims from seven countries has inevitable consequences for the governance of international sport. As long as the US bans entry of individual athletes and teams from the affected nations, the US must itself be suspended from competition. This applies to Fifa, the International Olympic Committee, the International Association of Athletics Federations and others.

To allow the US to continue to participate in competitions that it would prevent others from taking part in, even if only potentially, is fundamentally incompatible with the principles of fair play. The ruling bodies of all international sporting associations of which the US is a member must take a clear stand against the injury to other members.

Dr Murray Simpson

School of Education and Social Work, University of Dundee

• We are told that the checks and balances of Congress will stop Trump – obviously not. He will continue to sign edicts and there is nothing the US citizens can do about it. Apparently.

Bella D’Arcy Reed

Little Totham, Essex

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