Sir, – I was surprised to see the photograph on your front page (April 5th) of the new Garda Reserve recruits holding aloft the Holy Bible. Is this really the image we wish to portray of the guardians of peace in this country? We are a multicultural society now and not a religious state. Our police force should be upholders of the law of the land and protectors of all members of society. This display is sending out the wrong message.
On the same subject, I am regularly puzzled by the presence of the Christian Bible on the tables at our polling stations during elections. Why not the Koran? The Old Testament? Any other document one can swear on if one is not affiliated to a religion? These trappings convey exclusion rather than inclusion and should no longer have a place in the secular functions of the State. Yours, etc,
HEATHER
ABRAHAMSON,
Roebuck Lawn,
Clonskeagh,
Dublin 14