Abayas not mandatory for Saudi women
No more abayas in Saudi Arabia - when I read this news, I was taken aback (“Abaya: What women in Saudi Arabia think”, March 29, Gulf News). Not in a negative manner but in a pleasant way. The black outer wear is part of cultural tradition and less to do with religious wear. This is a fact but for the longest time, many have made it synonymous with a faith. What people, especially women choose to wear, is a matter of their choice. Yes, Islam has prescribed modest wear and that can be interpreted in as many ways. And now we have the concept of modest fashion coming to the fore, which shows the world is ready to evolve and assimilate. So this move by the Saudi authorities is a welcome decision, although it is unfortunate that in the very same report we have women who are voicing against it because of fear of indecency. We need to respect each other, especially as women. We need to support each other to grow and be empowered. Let us not pull each other down.
I look forward to many more such decisions that see positive growth for the women of Saudi Arabia, especially as they start driving this summer.
By Afra Ahmad
Abu Dhabi
No kitchen, no heat
So if you are not given benefits, do you have to kill a baby(“Maid sentenced to death for killing baby girl”, Gulf News, March 27)? All of us are working hard, but that does not mean that we have to do something bad. People who do such as crimes are sick and are dangerous for society.
From Ms Marya Yancu
UAE
Facebook comment
Parents share the blame
It’s time for parents to realise not to trust anyone with their children. It’s simply absurd. You can have a maid for your household chores but children are far more precious too be given away to just anyone or be ignored like that. The parents are also responsible to some extent for not realising that an eight-month-old baby is to be in the arms of its mother, not some foreign househelp.
From Mr Maarib Jillani
Sharjah
Facebook comment
A waste of time
An over-entitled, spoilt, lying brat very nearly ruined a teacher’s career (“Court throws out molestation charge against teacher”, Gulf News, March 28). In my country, that would result in a charge for the person for wasting the police’s time, at the very least, but it most probably would never have come to court in the first place.
From Ms Glenis Stevenson
UAE
Facebook comment
Should be fined and jailed
A cheat, Mark Zuckerberg has been making money by selling user data to third parties, putting them in a dangerous position as this could go into the hands of hackers and blackmailers (“Zuckerberg to testify before US Congress over data privacy scandal”, Gulf News, March 29). This cunning fellow is committing to treachery with the users. The US federal government must put him behind bars and impose fines on him that run into billions.
From Mr Raj Kumar Jalan
UAE
Facebook comment
No reuse and recycle?
Why can’t my younger sibling use my textbooks? They are as good as new, not because I haven’t studied, but because they have been well kept. I’m sure many other parents would be having the same issue. After all, this is also recycling and reusing things. Why do schools not agree to this and ask us to buy a whole bundle of books again, which not only is heavy for the child, but it is also makes a hole in the pocket. I understand new books appeal to us children, but environmentally it would be good to recycle.
From Mr Aribah Khan
Abu Dhabi
No progress from Independence
It’s sad and shocking that a father killed his daughter over a row that erupted because of an inter-caste marriage. People of Kerala are considered literate and this incident is an honour killing which is not common there. The boy belonged to the Dalit community and the girl to another community, which is considered to be of a lower caste in society. It’s unfortunate that untouchability on the basis of caste discrimination still exists in India. Even after 71 years of independence, India is still under the caste system. Still, people of a lower caste are not allowed to enter the houses and are not allowed to take water from wells in some places. The Indian constitution envisage equal rights to all citizens irrespective of caste, creed or religion and this incident is regrettable. Let the rule of law be enforced and the father be punished for this heinous crime.
From Mr Eappen Elias
Dubai
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