YOUR obituary on the wonderful life of Bashir Maan (December 28), brings back to mind one of the finest and simplest ecumenical statements that I ever heard from one man and it came from him.

The occasion was some 40 years ago when I, as an elder, was involved with running the youth discussion group at Westerton Parish Church in Bearsden.

We had an ongoing programme of studying and learning about other faiths and sharing time with them by visiting their places of worship. This included inviting guest speakers from Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Sikh, Hindu, Jewish and many other cultures including Islam, which was why he was one of our special guests and oh, what an impression he made. He started off by saying: “You must be wondering what a Muslim is? Well first he has to be Jewish and then Christian and then he can be Muslim.”

This confounded our group initially, until he went into the history of Islam and showed how it had evolved from Christianity, just as Christianity had itself evolved from Judaism.

That was a lesson these young folks and I learned and remembered for life, as we realised that all of life’s civilised cultures had more in common than at difference and that love and understanding were central to all of us.

Ian Cooper, Bearsden.

NB: North British

IAN Gray (Letters, December 31) notes that members of the Scottish Enlightenment referred to themselves as "North Britons". This appellation would appear to have been widely used within Scotland by sundry commercial and business interests in the Victorian era. I have sepia-tinted studio photographs of family ancestors whereby it states taken by whomsoever in Arbroath, NB.

We have, for example, the North British Railway company, hotels similarly named as well as several industrial establishments. Into BR days we had a daily Glasgow Queen Street-Leeds service named The North Briton.

In addition to the above an eminent writer of the times referred to, Arthur Conan Doyle, in his novel The Lost World has one of the main characters noted as being born in Largs, NB, 1863.

John Macnab, Falkirk.

The bun fight

HAVING seen various references in The Herald recently to black bun (including from Maureen Sugden, Issue of the Day, December 31), I thought to get a treat for New Year. However, on asking a not-so-young assistant in a well-known Byres Road supermarket if they stocked it, I was met by a blank stare and asked how to spell it. Searching the internet uncovers only one place in Scotland where I could buy it. When did it go out of flavour and favour?

John Love, Glasgow G5.

Dire programming

EVERY year I think the BBC's Hogmanay programmes can’t get any worse but yet again it proved me wrong. Absolutely atrocious.

Michael Watson, Glasgow G73.

Sounds niffy?

GREAT amusement at Dr David Sutherland's comments on the bagpipes (Letters, December 31) Agree with him all the way. It reminds me of what Brendan Behan once said: "Thank god they don't smell the way they sound."

Hugh Steele, Cumbernauld.

PROMPTED by Dr David Sutherland’s antipathy to bagpipes, and in defence of this magnificent instrument, I suggest that one definition of a gentleman is someone who can play the bagpipes, but refrains from doing so indoors.

R Russell Smith, Kilbirnie.