In all due respect, the remarks made by Robert Kilroy-Silk were not applauded by the majority of the British press or by British people as Yamin Zakaria suggests in the letter One rule for Kilroy-Silk, another for Mahathir .

Yes, it is true that some elements of the British press pander to racist stereotypes, by using codewords which they then attack, such as 'political correctness' and 'the loony left' to express their racist attitudes. But please do not assume that this is all there is to British press or popular opinion.

Indeed popular opinion was such that the BBC is forced to suspend Kilroy-Silk's day-time chat show while they are conducting an investigation into the affair. Furthermore his article has been sent to the Crown Prosecution Service to see whether it contravenes Britain's laws against racial discrimination and whether it falls within the term "inciting racial hatred", both of which are crimes in the UK (Editor's note: Kilroy-Silk has since resigned as presenter of the BBC programme).

I suggest therefore that there is not "one rule for Kilroy-Silk, another for Mahathir". In a country that seeks to remove institutional and personal racism, there are also new laws that aim to prevent religious discrimination as well. Britain has a long way to go, Kilroy-Silk's comments are a symbol of that, it has to overcome fear, ignorance, poverty and many other obstacles but at least the problems are recognised and being tackled.

I am not trying to paint the UK as a shining example of racial tolerance and multiculturalism, there are many faults, not least that Kilroy-Silk's article was printed in the first place, but I simply argue that not all white-westerners are Islamophobic or so easily confined to stereotypes.

I whole-heartedly agree with Yamin Zakaria's comment that "Those who control the mass media, clearly have disproportionate power and influence on the society. Therefore, they have a responsibility to assure a balanced opinion. Particular care has to be taken in protecting minority communities and those who do not have a representative voice in the media."

The Parekh report, conducted by the Runnymede Foundation in 2000 suggests many ways in which this can be done and was widely accepted by different media and governmental groups in the UK.

So what relevance to Malaysia? Simply that all stereotypes, whether religious, racial or gender should not be tolerated; that all forms of religious discrimination and racism should not be tolerated and that a contextually appropriate solution is found for Malaysia's different citizens.

Simply that, Malaysia's media should also bear the responsibility to ensure that minority communities in Malaysia are fairly depicted, whether they are political, religious or ethnic communities.

I point Yamin Zakaria to the daily newspapers in Malaysia and ask do they live up to the standards that are rightly demanded in the letter? Finally, perhaps a read of Farish Noor's column in malaysiakini ' A naked look at racial politics ', will remind that there are always at least two sides to every story.