Moderation

This refers to the letter, 'No values' (Dec 8) by Dr Irfan Zafar. The writer says: "A pair of shoes worth Rs one lakh were stolen from outside a mosque in Lahore during prayer time". I take a different view of this matter: we can blame the thief; but theft of shoes worth one lakh rupees serves the owner right – especially when worn to the mosque where they can tempt a desperately poor man.

In a country where the majority cannot even feed their children nor educate them, and seek the help of pirs and quacks when sick, the rich have no right to wear shoes worth one lakh rupees. We must teach our rich to dress simply and live moderately; moderation is one of the central principles in Islam. It's also noteworthy that temperance – that is, moderation – was considered a principal virtue by Socrates and other Athenian philosophers.

Usman Shah

Islamabad