Muslims and Sikhs
I am a Muslim with a lot of respect for Sikhs (‘Fanatics raise their heads under Modi,’ Gulf News, July 28, 2014). It should be more understood that a human being is a human being. I hate it when people have negative things to say to stir up angst between Sikhs and Muslims.
I think it is easier for Sikhs to maintain the portrayal for their community because their population is not that much in comparison. There are more than 300 million Muslims in India and 1.6 billion all over the world. One cannot judge us through the actions of a group of a few hundred or thousand people.
Muslims don’t want any fight or war with our Sikh brothers!
From Mr Mohammad Hamzah
UAE
Nobody can shake India’s harmony
I see a tendency by the media and some of the columnists to make a mountain out of a molehill over the incidents in India in the past few weeks. This is not at all surprising given the right wing tag the party in power carries, and as a consequence anything happening anywhere is instantly correlated.
Incidents of minor or local nature are given communal colour and completely blown out of proportions. Take for example the comment on Indian tennis player, Sania Mirza. India is still a democratic country and everyone is entitled to one’s own views. So where is the problem when someone says Mirza should not be given the title of brand ambassador?
Why is it that the journalist chose to ignore the comment of Congress party leader, which was the same as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader? These are views of individuals and do not merit any attention. To link all these to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is nothing but absurd and irresponsible journalism. On the other hand, the way the media and journalists hype up minor and isolated incidents only provokes people, who are otherwise quiet and unperturbed, to indulge in acts of violence and vitiate the atmosphere further.
I think it is time that the media concentrate on larger issues affecting the country rather than covering petty incidents and portraying them from a communal perspective. Communal harmony in India is so strong that it cannot be weakened by anybody.
From Mr G. Srinivasan
UAE
Invest in economy not conflict
Looks like most of us are losing our trust in the political scenario of India. Why don’t they work on uplifting the economy instead of creating communal religious conflicts with their worthless remarks? The name of Bombay was changed to Mumbai, and now I think they plan to change India into a Hindu nation. What are they going to gain by this? I can foresee only communal conflicts. My advice would be instead to invest time, efforts and resources in developing the country.
From Mr Ahmad Teher
Dubai
Website comment
Killing is commonplace
Where is the world heading towards? Everywhere there is war, riots and fights. Killings, murders and scores injured. Bad governance, foreign policies and governments trying to save their power by supporting more communal riots, hand in hand with police departments that are supposed to be maintaining law and order.
I think we are living in a phase where there is a lack in mutual respect and value for each other’s lives. Killings have become commonplace, and it’s a big shame.
From Mr Abdullah
Abu Dhabi
Website comment
Do not interfere in India
We Indians are proud of what we are. We respect every human and we do not interfere in any other country’s internal matters. We are peace-loving people.
The article is biased and is giving the wrong message. This is not the real picture of what happened. We Indians have the ability to reconcile our own problems. I ask the world not to interfere in our internal matters.
From Mr Joyveer Ashoke Dutt
Dubai
Facebook comment
Distractions
Why are riots happening so frequently these days? They are engineered by the radicals. It is their short cut to power in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. I also think it is a distraction from their failures in the face of tall promises.
From Mr Asif Ahmad Laskar
Fujairah
Facebook comment
Too much corruption
Why rejoice in reaching the one hundredth million in the population (‘Philippines’ 100 millionth child born to Manila resident,’ Gulf News, July 28)? May God bless this child, but we need to be focusing on the rampant corruption that affects millions of the impoverished and struggling people in the country’s population.
I wish that the government knew how to utilise such a huge population for the betterment of the Filipino people and the country. Sadly, our government is lost and knows nothing on what to do!
From Mr Luis Serrano
UAE
Facebook comment
Harsh Eid climate
The climate was harsh for Eid (‘Hot and hazy weather for Eid,’ Gulf News, July 28). It was too sunny and for many the heat was almost unbearable during the month of Ramadan as well. Yet, when it comes to the purpose of fasting, the Muslims perform their duties without hesitation despite the challenges of summer. Thus, Eid would obviously be a respite for them.
But Eid is also a time for everybody in this country to be together with their families and enjoy the festivities around the country. Thanks to the colourful celebration put up by the authorities in the UAE, not many would actually find the Eid holidays boring.
We are fortunate in this country, where a diverse global community live together. Every year, Eid is not just the end of fast for Muslims, but also a time for everybody to relish the fun, joy and spirit of the occasion.
From Ms Maria Vincent
Dubai
Hard workers
Good to see that there is someone who thinks of people who sacrifice their joy for the joyous Eid day of others (‘‘Eid or no Eid, I have to be on duty’: say UAE workers,’ Gulf News, July 30). As we know taxi drivers work hard, sometimes a minimum 12 hours daily. Unfortunately, I believe that they are not granted any over time or extra amount, as referred to in the article, because they don’t have basic salaries. They only work on a daily basis. If somebody is sick, he will get no salary of the whole day.
My humble request to the authorities is to formulate new rules for sponsoring taxi drivers with a minimum basic salary in order to make them safe in case of accidents.
From Mr Ahmad
Dubai
Website comment
Stuck in cyberspace
I think we have all been living in cyberspace for the past decade (‘Greetings via social media are impersonal, residents say,’ Gulf News, July 28). There has been a radical change in the way we adapt to the technology around us.
In this revolution, our thumb has sacrificed the lion’s share. Through the statistics provided by a survey I was reading, researchers claimed that in our routine, our thumb is greatly exercised in prodding the buttons of the mobiles used these days.
We, without rhyme or reason, are passionately following this dangerously addictive technology - social networking sites, especially because they have adapted themselves in various ways on our mobiles and have further drawn us into their clutches.
Everyone in our sights has been obsessed with these inane mobile phones. Though they connect us with our dear ones all around the world, they have a number of issues and have enormously affected our health.
It is self-subversion to let technology hold us in its claws. It is time for us to lace on our shoes and get ready to jump into the real world.
From Ms Jahnavi Thota
UAE
Need for education
What is happening in Gaza is ironic. Even hospitals and schools are being shelled! You know the problem is that they might have sophisticated weapons, but then the minds of the Israeli government are absolutely unsophisticated and dated. They still have the ancient belief that they own the whole of Palestine.
Until there is a time that people on the land are educated enough to understand that we are all equal, no amount of aid will ever be enough, because they will keep doing the same thing!
From Mr Bagoas Juvie Gonzales Galutan
Dubai
Facebook comment
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