Protect citizens, not party members!
Recently a minister in the government of India under Prime Minister Narender Modi has been accused of uttering abusive language against some citizens of the country in the parliament, which is considered sanctum sanctorum in a democracy (‘Modi refuses to fire minister for derogatory remark,’ Gulf News, December 6). This resulted in a lot of protests from the Opposition members and they halted the parliamentary offices from functioning normally.
They were justly demanding the resignation of the abusive minister. Subsequently, the minister apologised under pressure from her party members. However, this apology is not acceptable to the Opposition. Many members from the treasury benches are asking in unison that the matter be closed.
Thereafter, the Prime Minister also made a statement in the house that members should consider her apology as she is a first-timer in the parliament and comes from a rural background. However, this alibi appears absurd as first-timers are also in public life for a long time before they are elected and then chosen for a place in the cabinet considering their merits and capabilities. People coming from rural areas are not considered people who are enjoying a life of using abusive and vulgar language, which is a criminal offence and this statement casts aspersions on rural residents. I think it must have pained and shamed a lot of countrymen. If she is not resigning on her own, keeping in view her grave offence, I fail to understand what is stopping Modi from firing her as it not only becomes his moral duty, but he has a responsibility to all the citizens to safeguard their interests, not only members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
From Mr CeeJay
Dubai
Our lovely winters
With temperatures reaching in the upper 40s through most of the summer months, winter is a welcome break for most of us here in UAE (‘No winter blues in Dubai, just the sniffles,’ Gulf News, December 4). So we welcome it with all our hearts and take out our global summer gear - swim wear and camping gear to mention a few - and get out of our houses. So where are the blues? With all the holidays lined up starting with Eid all the way to New Year, we have more reasons to celebrate winter than most other cultures or communities! Colds, cough and flus shall be set aside as we enjoy the sun and the amazing weather, not to mention the beautiful rains!
From Ms Laxmi Nair
Dubai
Website comment
A noble gesture
The vigil planned for Ibolya Balazi Ryan, the American who was killed in the mall, is a noble initiative that society should support and show regardless of our origins (‘Vigil planned for slain American teacher,’ Gulf News, December 6). We are after all human beings that share a lot of mutual values that we have had to fight for to uphold through history. Ryan has crossed thousands of kilometres to contribute to the improvement of education delivered to Abu Dhabi children.
From Mr Mohammad Chadi
Doha, Qatar
Website comment
Still feel safe
Myself being a blond haired and green eyed American in the UAE, I feel just as safe as I did before this terrible murder. I am totally safe in public and on walks in my neighbourhood. The UAE police have succeeded in keeping expatriates and citizens remarkably safe and secure. This random incident of hate was unexpected and dealt with seriously and swiftly by the Abu Dhabi Police. God bless them and the UAE.
From Ms Elizabeth
Ras Al Khaimah
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Deepest sympathies
I’m deeply upset about the victim’s death. I hope the murderer will be jailed for what she has done. Children have lost their mother and my sympathies go out to them and their family. I salute the Abu Dhabi Police and other departments for handling the situation with such expertise. This case was not an easy task, as the murderer’s identity was hidden. In the end, hats off to everyone involved for handling this case so well.
From Mr Maheen Arshad Khan
Abu Dhabi
Website comment
Wanting amicable solutions
As a Muslim with a reasonable level of knowledge, when faced with contemporary issues, I always try to think what could be the best solution to that particular issue. I feel sad when I see people going to extremes in trying to justify their position, instead of focusing on finding an amicable solution. We see this now in the recently much debated issue about the Islamic veil system.
On one hand, those who advocate a total ban on the system, justify their viewpoint on security reasons, which sounds logical. On the other hand, those who advocate permitting the system, argue on the requirement of following the established principles of the Sharia. Why can’t both just try to understand each others’ viewpoint and address each other’s concerns?
Yes indeed, veils are an integral part of Islam, but covering the face is not compulsory. However, the best way of adopting the veil system was shown by the wives of the Prophet [PBUH] and they covered their faces as well. If any woman wishes to emulate them, it is absolutely fine. However, the genuine security concern needs to be addressed as well. The best solution is to make it compulsory for a woman who wishes to cover her face and also come out in public places, to come out along with at least one male member. In such a case, the male member becomes her identity in the public domain, which addresses the security issue as well. Otherwise, I think that women need to keep their face open.
From Mr Arish Ehsan
Dubai
Denying the right to drive
It is very unfortunate that we hear again that two women were detained by Saudi officials for driving (‘Rights group urges Riyadh to free two women held in driving case,’ Gulf News, December 4). The authorities agree that there is no law banning women driving in Saudi Arabia, but they are detained for just getting behind the wheel. Is it not a human rights violation? We should also note that the women in Saudi Arabia alone are deprived of this privilege, whereas all other Islamic countries in the world are allowing this. We hope they will end this discrimination against women very soon and release the two women without any further delay.
From Mr Salim Kumar V.K.
Dubai
Necessary awareness
Anyone who thinks this story is tarnishing India’s reputation, because it is about doctors who use bike pumps to inflate women’s abdomen for sterilisation, is incorrect (‘Bike pumps used to inflate women’s abdomen,’ Gulf News, December 6). What tarnishing? People need to be informed so that their sisters and wives do not end up getting a cycle pump in their abdomen.
From Mr Shariq
New Delhi, India
Website comment
Who cares?
The actress, Monica Bellucci, is about to be the oldest ever ‘Bond girl’ because she is 50 years old, but to this I say: who cares about her age (‘At 50, Monica Bellucci is oldest ever Bond girl,’ Gulf News, December 6)? She is still far more appealing than many 20 year olds! This mentality of ageism against women has to end. There are many countries that don’t see this as an issue, so why should we?
From Ms Jo P. S.
US
Facebook comment
I saw terrible things
As mentioned in the article, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar was a warlord of Afghanistan and had much support from Pakistan at various times (‘The eternal warrior,’ Gulf News, December 4). Pakistan was a main key holder behind the curtain to push these warlords to invade Afghanistan. What happened in Afghanistan people heard about, but they only saw a blink of it. I was one of the children there during those times, and I saw all that was happening. I saw thousands of rockets shot daily by this guy - all blind shots. How many people died? Nobody really knows. We are all sick of this person and his group.
From Mr Haseeb Ahmedi
UAE
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