Food for thought
Germany is a highly industrialised country. In such a country, many will think its people lead luxurious lives. When we arrived in Hamburg, my colleagues and I walked into a restaurant and we noticed that a lot of tables were empty.
There was a table where a young couple were having their meal. There were only two dishes and two cans of beverage on the table. I wondered if such a simple meal could suffice. There were some old women seated at another table. When a dish is served, the waiter would distribute the food for them, and they would finish every bit of the food on their plates.
Since we were hungry, our colleague ordered more food for us. When we were done with our meal, there was still about one third of unconsumed food on the table. When we were leaving the restaurant, the old women spoke to us in English, we understood that they were unhappy about us wasting so much food.
“We paid for our food, it is none of your business how much food we leave behind,” my colleague told them.
They were furious. One of them immediately whipped out her mobile phone and made a call to someone. A short while later, a man in a uniform from the social security organisation arrived. Upon knowing what the dispute was, he issued us a fine for 50 Euros. We all kept quiet.
The officer told us in a stern voice: “Order what you can consume, money is yours but resources belong to the society. There are many others in the world who are facing shortages of resources. You have no reason to waste resources.”
The mindset of the people in this country put all of us to shame. We really need to reflect on this. We are from a country that is not very rich in resources. It seems that sometimes, to save face, we order a large quantity and waste food when we give others a treat.
The lesson is - think seriously about changing your bad habits.
From Mr Rahul M.
UAE
Iftar etiquette
I wanted to share my experience of iftar. With all the information available with regards to the significance of Ramadan and the do’s and don’ts, imagine my surprise when I arrived at an iftar in a hotel to find a couple eating already. It wasn’t time to break the fast and all around other diners were waiting for the call to prayer. However, these two people were oblivious and carried on eating. There was no attempt by the staff to stop the individuals in question.
Having broken my fast, I went in search of a prayer room, which is a tale for another day for hotels in Dubai – women also fast and would like the opportunity to pray as well. Please try and accommodate them by providing a separate room.
When I raised the issue of the couple eating before the call to prayer with the hotel manager, the person’s response was that the restaurant has a licence, so people can eat. In my opinion, this is fair enough if it had been breakfast or lunch, but this was specifically iftar.
It seemed to escape the manager’s comprehension that an iftar is being provided and it would have been better to show some sensitivity and ask non-Muslim diners to refrain from eating before the call to prayer. Overall, I was disappointed with how this issue was handled. At other iftars that I have been to, all diners have waited until the call for prayer before eating. If a restaurant cannot follow this then it shouldn’t offer an iftar.
From Ms Imrana
Dubai
Full name withheld by request
Be a human
Not only do I feel pain, but I also feel shame when I look at how the lives of the boys who went to the beach to play hide and seek ended (‘UN chief Ban urges Israel to spare civilians in Gaza,’ Gulf News, July 19).
We have progressed in science and technology but we seem to have regressed in humanity to the point that we shouldn’t even be called humans.
To understand the pain of others and to stand for their cause doesn’t need us to follow any particular religion. Being a human is enough.
We shouldn’t keep our eyes and ears closed. In the end, the children of Gaza, the fishermen and many more Palestinians are paying the price.
Let us stand together to show that we are humans first.
From Mr Syed Emad Al Deen
Dubai
Seeing the forest for the trees
While the painful memories of the Israeli aggressions of 2008 and 2012 are still fresh in minds, Israel is writing another chapter of barbarism and brutality against innocent Palestinian civilians. Raining bombs have already killed hundreds in just a few days, flattening homes and displacing thousands of civilians. They do it in the name of the right of self defence under international law.
In the face of mounting Palestinian casualty, the ineffective international efforts to reign in a defiant aggressor has aggravated the sense of frustration among all the peace-loving people of the world, especially Muslims. The scenario has the potential to further infuriate and radicalise a lot of Muslims who might start looking to extremist forces as a solution.
From Mr Muneer Ahmad
UAE
Evil acts
Recently all the news that has been appearing in the newspaper has really made me sad. The clashes that are happening around the world indicate that there is no value for human life. Weapons of mass destruction manufactured by various countries are gradually converting our world into a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment.
When fighting breaks out between two communities or countries, it’s the poor innocent people and children who are affected. It’s high time that world organisations, like the United Nations should step forward and take strong measures to stop all these evil acts.
From Mr Richie P. Thomas
Al Ain
Atrocities in Gaza
The entire world stands aghast at the growing atrocities by the imperialist regime of Israel over innocent civilians in Gaza. The deafening silence by the world community is rather shameful and reprehensive.
The champions of world human rights, the US and the United Nations (UN), have astoundingly posed an unjustifiable stance by weighing in on their sympathies towards Israel.
They have become oblivious to the harrowing philosophy of collective punishment and targeting of civilians in the name of retaliation.
A cease-fire is an essential need of the hour to stop the carnage. More importantly, though such moratoriums have been in place previously, they have only been good momentarily. Solely because none of the mediating parties who put in place any such moratoriums succeed in addressing the heart of the issue – a resolution towards a two state solution (the Road Map). Moreover, it is clearly evident that the only successful mediation ever possible in the Middle East conflict is with Hamas being brought to the table, actively. Negotiations with the Fatah political party are futile and insignificant as they are not the concerned party in the conflict. The US and UN should realise that by neglecting Hamas in any of the peace process mediations or conferences, a viable negotiation process is bound to fail.
From Mr Bilal Farooq
UAE
Women and children victims
No reason and law can justify killing of innocent women and children. Due to world silence, things are going from bad to worse in Gaza and children are the biggest target of Israeli brutalities. So many children have lost their lives in Gaza after Israel launched air strikes against civilian populations.
Twenty four women have also lost their lives in Israeli air strikes. The most tragic incident was when four children, who were playing football near the beach, were targeted by the Israeli Navy. Several international media journalists who stayed in a nearby hotel filmed the horrific scene of the killing of the innocent children.
Several hundred thousand people have been forced to leave their homes after Israeli warnings. Unfortunately, instead of condemning Israeli war crimes against innocent women and children, the international community is sitting silent and doing nothing to stop the killing.
From Mr Khawaja Omar Farooq
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Editors’ note: Is there a news report that you feel strongly about? Something that has to be addressed in the community and requires resolution? Email us on readers@ gulfnews.com. You can also post a comment on our Facebook page or tweet us @GNReaders.