<p>The depravity of terrorists knows no limits. We can only shed tears of sorrow for hapless victims. The innocents and the powerless have always been pawns in wider proxy wars, with no light at the end of the tunnel. Havent we been here before? Drone attacks in Pakistan, aerial bombardments, home demolitions, extra-judicial killings, detention in the occupied Palestinian territories, rocket attacks and stabbings in Israel, barrel bomb attacks in Syria, suicide attacks in New York, Nairobi, Beirut, London, Paris, and airliner explosions over Sinai and eastern Ukraine. Terror has no religion, race or ethnicity  it is politics that creates fertile grounds for terrorism. Violence begets violence. It is time to address the root causes that nourish terror, namely: poverty, unemployment, Islamophobia, antisemitism, racism, food insecurity, religious void, social injustices, occupations and wars.<br /><strong>Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob</strong><br /><em>London</em></p> <p> One lesson from the Paris atrocities is the need for proper border and other immigration controls. It is clear that in the current circumstances, the Schengen vision of a borderless Europe is not simply dead but deadly (<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/14/paris-attacks-european-leaders-link-terror-threats-to-immigration">Report, 14 November</a>).</p> <aside class="element element-rich-link element--thumbnail"> <p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/14/paris-attacks-european-leaders-link-terror-threats-to-immigration">Paris attacks: European leaders link terror threats to immigration</a> </p> </aside>  <p>Another lesson is to remind us that the first duty of the state is provide security for its people. That duty falls firmly on the individual European states and not on the Brussels bureaucracy, which is both legally and psychologically incapable of protecting us. A key part of that duty is to vet all people entering their territory to filter out those with hostile intent. Our own security will have to take priority in our dealings with the wave of migrants from the Middle East and Africa. It follows from this that the refugee convention will have to be qualified, so that a state can refuse asylum to any person who does not share its core values. It should be for each state to decide democratically what its values are.</p> <p>Among our core values are: the broad equality of the sexes, public justice, toleration of homosexuals, democracy, freedom to change and reject religion, a spirit of inquiry and freedom of speech. All these stand at odds with the terrorists Salafi world view that has its roots in Saudi Arabia.<br /><strong>Otto Inglis</strong><br /><em>Edinburgh</em></p> <p> After the terror-instilling events in Paris, it is tempting to retaliate with a counter-attack, preferably of much greater magnitude. History tells us that does not resolve anything. The jihadi at the receiving end will embrace the escalating violence. Their casualties will be revered as martyrs.</p> <p>Another response would be to push for higher degrees of security. It is clear that our enemies are the militant Muslims who want to carry out their jihad. It is a folly to attempt to stop all jihadi, or stop them planning attacks. It would be much more cost-effective to limit their access to weapons by placing more controls on the trade of weapons.</p> <p>Our governments should also consider stopping drone attacks. Reports from our security services clearly indicate that drone warfare has not reduced the threat. Moreover, imagine if foreign powers were to send drones to Britain and kill our people on our streets  would we let that pass?<br /><strong>John Highfield </strong><br />London</p> <aside class="element element-rich-link element--thumbnail"> <p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2015/nov/15/paris-attacker-named-investigation-continues-live-updates">Paris attacks: police hunt 'dangerous' suspect and brother of Isis attacker  live updates</a> </p> </aside>  <p> The Paris attacks demonstrate that we desperately need a new journalism to cover the circumstances in which the world now finds itself  and this includes attitudes towards killings. Throughout the day prior to the attacks, the BBC and the rest of the media put out celebratory coverage of the western bombing of the Syrian city of Raqqa, as it was presumed that Mohammed Emwazi was among the many victims (<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/nov/13/us-officials-reasonably-certain-that-raqqa-strike-killed-mohammed-emwazi">Reports</a>, 14 November).</p> <p>This follows months of bombings and so-called targeted assassinations. Killing is horrible. Racist flip-flopping on the horror/acceptance of killing according to ethnic identity of the victims does little for the credibility of the west. Global anti-western violence is now a mass movement. Unless we get honest coverage, acknowledging the real grievances and crimes of empire that are fuelling recruitment, then the situation will simply continue to escalate. <br /><strong>Dr Gavin Lewis</strong><br /><em>Manchester</em></p> <p> In the same way as progressive people rightly expose the ideology behind Natos destruction of countries such as Iraq and Libya, we should also respond to and expose an ideology that enables men to butcher people like animals. In July and October, Isis also slaughtered leftwing demonstrators in Turkey. They are the manifestation of the far right and the British left should have them in their sights. We should not allow them to hide behind a religion, pretend that they are somehow responding to Francois Hollandes support for fellow jihadi in Syria, or provide any other yes, but equivocation.<br /><strong>Peter McKenna</strong><br /><em>Liverpool </em></p> <p><strong><em> Join the debate  email </em></strong><a href="mailto:guardian.letters@theguardian.com"><strong><em>guardian.letters@theguardian.com</em></strong></a></p>