THE origins of Islam was the title of the talk given to the Ross Luncheon Club last week by guest speaker Virginia Taylor, Hereford Conservatives Parliamentary Spokesman.

Speaking at Ross Conservative Club, she said: "Since the appalling events of September 11, I believe it is important to understand more about the history of the Moslem people and I have found that many other people feel the same."

Arab-Israeli conflict

In her talk, she started with the birth of Mohammed in 570 and traced the history of Islam through to the present day touching on the capture and fall of Jerusalem, the Crusades, the five- Peace Treaty between Saladin and Richard the Lionheart, the Ottoman empire and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism. She also spoke about the Arab-Israeli conflict which is at the heart of the current crisis.

She added: "Bringing matters closer to home, in the 1600's Moslem ships raided the Cornish and Irish coasts. But much earlier, in the 8th century, it is said that King Offa of Mercia had his coins minted with an inscription of the Koran, to show the commercial links with the Moslems in Spain, France and North Africa."

Turning to the recent evens in the US, Virginia said: "There is no doubt that a dreadful act was committed on September 11 during the terrorist attacks on the United States. Many Moslems throughout the world are moderate and peace loving. But those fundamentalists that support Osama bin Laden and his cohorts must be brought to justice.''

She added: "This is a war against terrorism and many Western countries are bringing in emergency powers to deal with terrorists and terrorist activities in their countries. At the same time, we must do all we can to help the innocent people in Afghanistan regain stability and peace."