World peace most important
It is very unfortunate that many people are working in an organised way to promote and deepen Islamophobia (‘Three Muslim students killed in US shooting’, Gulf News, February 12). When a killing is done by a Muslim, immediately it is associated with religion, extremism and terrorism. When killing is done by anyone else, it is not branded as such and not even a motive is explored immediately. World peace is most important. A human is a human first and then a practitioner of any religion. Extremism and hate of all forms should be eliminated in order to bring broader peace.
From Mr Nimar
Islamabad, Pakistan
Website comment
Bias news
I agree completely with Nimar’s comment on the promotion of Islamophobia. Why is it that when the attacker is Muslim, his name, age and ethnicity is brought up yet when somebody does something like this it is just ‘a man’? News reports have even mentioned that this man had many posts on his social media pages against Islam - speaking quite elaborately on his hate for the religion. Quite depressing how the Western media tries to brainwash people!
From Ms Marwah
Dubai
Website comment
Respecting beliefs
This is the right time to encourage religious harmony between all religions. We should remember that the first man and woman were Adam and Eve: they are the first parents of the whole human race. We all are brothers and sisters. We should always respect other religious beliefs and their culture.
From Mr Abdul Razack
Dubai
Website comment
Praising the courts
The unfortunate and tragic death of the four-year-old girl has been rightly dealt with by the court’s swift decision, and I think it is admirable (‘Nothing will bring our child back, says family of child killed in Dubai school bus accident,’ Gulf News, February 9). But of course, the loss to the family is irreparable.
Here, the Abu Dhabi Education Council’s (ADEC) participation and the legal authorities’ cooperation enabled the culprits to be jailed quickly. The court’s verdict on those accused of imprisonment deserve praise.
Let us hope all concerned departments take more vigil and care of our school children for a better tomorrow. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the parents.
From Mr M. K. Gunaseelan
Abu Dhabi
No more pain
I can recall the days of pain upon hearing about this news and still our hearts cry. Only God can give them strength to overcome the loss. We only pray that no child should face such a situation, and I don’t think any parents should face such trauma. May God keep us all safe.
From Mr Sharif Mohammad
Abu Dhabi
Website comment
Commendable action
No one can bring the child back. Our condolences go to the family of the child for the loss of their loved one. But the punishment meted out by the Abu Dhabi authorities to the school and the people involved in this negligence is justified and commendable.
From Mr Ahmad Hassan
Dubai
Website comment
Touched with pain
My heartfelt condolences to her family. Like her grandfather, I too am in tears whenever I see the school bus passing as I drive home from work. I think how the door was shut for her and how nothing was in her favour that day. I am so touched with this incident. I pray God gives the family the strength and courage to overcome these painful moments.
From Ms Maria Gonsalves
Dubai
Website comment
Blessing the family
It is so sad what happened to this precious child. May God be with her parents and family at this difficult time and bless them with the courage to bear the pain that they are all going through. As a mother, I feel the pain a lot. May God bless the child’s soul.
From Ms Nandusha
Dubai
Website comment
Road cowboys
Tailgating is a very clear sign of frustration or people who like to be bullies. These are the people that get a kick out of using their right foot and a trigger-happy finger on the headlight “button” (‘Power games people play in the left lane’, Gulf News, February 10). The worst thing is when one drives in the fast lane – not necessarily being slow – and one of the trigger happy road cowboys pushes from behind and doesn’t realise that there is quite a bit of traffic in the next lane and one cannot move over immediately. Generally the roads are relatively safe except when the “asphalt cowboys and lane owners” appear behind you.
Maybe heftier fines, cancelling driver’s licences and publically naming these reckless bullies would send out a stronger message to be mindful of other road users.
From Mr H. Peter
UAE
Speeders
When I read the article on tailgating, it reminds me of how very dangerous it is and how many accidents it causes. I get tailgated often in the far right lane while driving at the speed limit, and I used to change lanes, but sometimes I can’t or I think: “Why should I change lanes when I am driving as per the road speed limit?” That’s when people begin repeatedly flashing their lights. It increases my blood pressure and these scenarios can lead to accidents if people are changing lanes immediately. I feel it is better to implement a fine system for those speeding and tailgating.
From Mr Anilkumar Earath
UAE
Clear signage
The effects of globalisation come alive on UAE roads. Rules in each country vary and people drive on the left or right side. Most importantly, not everybody seems to know clearly what speed does that radar click at.
The two-step solution to the problem is very simple. Speed limits should clearly indicate the maximum speed at which the radar clicks. On Shaikh Zayed Road in Dubai the speed limit indicated is 100km/h, but the radar clicks at 120km/h. If the speed limit is indicated at 120km/h, the slower drivers will move out of the fast lane. Otherwise they think they must drive at 100km/h. Others who know that 120km/h is acceptable, try to get through, but cannot. This confusion causes irritation to all road users. Road signs are a must every kilometre stating, “Slower vehicles kindly keep to the right”. A lot of lives would be saved if every road user plays by the same rules.
From Mr Santosh Rodrigues
UAE
Road bullying
In my daily drive, it is a common occurrence to see people being bullied on the road through tailgating, flashing headlights and honking the horn. Whenever I am on the road, it is my greatest hope that everyone will drive responsibly and without fear of any untoward incidents. This happens almost every day and becomes much more scary when nighttime arrives.
From Mr Archie
Ras Al Khaimah
Website comment
Lane discipline
All these reader comments are complaining about tailgating, but it should be said that it often happens in the fast lane where the speeds are reaching 120km/hr. If one driver is travelling at around 80km/h in the leftmost lane when this lane is only meant for faster driving, it can be a serious source of trouble. Yet, in the fast lane, we often encounter slow-moving vehicles and when fast-moving vehicles approach them, they don’t even consider changing lanes, hence the tailgating! It’s a give-and-take situation on the road. Know about the lanes so that you won’t have to face such situations on the roads.
From Mr Haris Khan
Dubai
Website comment
Further action
I ask the authorities to have more undercover officers patrolling the roads. Reckless drivers tend to slow down when they see visible police cars. These drivers should be pulled over and asked to watch videos on the spot, of accidents caused by tailgating. Perhaps this can be done by equipping police cars with tablets that contain these videos. Just issuing fines will not deter all drivers.
From Mr Ahmad
Dubai
Website comment
More severe punishments
Tailgating is a usual story on the highway, more specifically on Thursdays in the afternoon. These motorists are seldom stopped until an accident happens. Severe punishments like fines and impounding of cars can alleviate this problem to a large extent.
From Mr Khurshid Qazi
Dubai
Website comment
True friendship
Friendship is the noblest relationship - especially if they are built on a foundation of love, affection, loyalty and dedication. It’s the most beautiful characteristic of human relations and they can remain so over a lifetime no matter how many years in between pass without seeing each other.
In this true friendship, a friend will be there in distress and be supportive of them in the days of adversity. I wrote a letter to Gulf News published on February 6 about the clash of the cultures in the UAE, and I am persistent in my search of the true meaning of friendship in a multicultural country where most of the people here are working or finding their interests before they head back to their countries. Do you believe in friendship these days or not?
From Mr Mohammad Al Hajeri
Al Ain
Make up your mind
Here we go - now we want to blame Barack Obama for not stepping in when the majority of the time everyone wants Obama and the US to mind their own business (‘Obama fails to take Daesh threat seriously’, Gulf News, February 10). I feel like people need to make up their mind on what they expect from the US and what their international role should be.
From Ms Patricia Cooksey
UAE
Facebook comment
Doing something
Obama on purpose stood aside in the hopes that the Middle East would solve this threat of Daesh themselves. It’s unbelievable that people are upset with Obama for “doing nothing” while if he had done something more, people would be upset, too.
Daesh will be beaten, there is no hope for evil, and I believe that goodness will always win. We can be sure that the beating will be done by the Gulf nations. They are capable and have the power.
From Ms Brigitte Tibet von Bulow
Abu Dhabi
Facebook comment
It’s complicated
I think that we are seeing such a wide range of opinion on whether US involvement should be more because this is a very controversial issue. People from around the world have very strong views on whether the US should have a bigger role in fighting militant groups like Daesh. Even in the US, citizens are not able to agree on this matter. The answer is that it’s complicated and that when it comes to political and military decisions, you will never please everyone.
From Ms Lili Maria
Dubai
Facebook comment
Help us park
I am originally German, but ever since I was 18 years old, I have lived in Dubai with my husband and seen the growth of the city. I have seen many reports on illegal parking throughout the years, and I understand the views of those people who are asking for punishment for offenders. But, if you are a motorist in Dubai, you can very quickly become part of this group of rule violators, because there are more and more cars every day, while space for parking has reduced. In my first few years in Dubai, I noticed that whenever there was no parking lot available, you could find a lot of empty land close by, where parking was possible. Nowadays, there are buildings everywhere, with limited parking spaces, and in many places, it is not possible to park without doing so in an illegal spot. Many shops do not have enough customers — not because of their service or that their goods are not of high quality — but only because there is not enough parking around. Even if you find a parking spot, you have to walk a long way sometimes. My appeal to the responsible authorities is to please help people reduce their parking stress. They do not want to do something that is illegal, but sometimes there isn’t any other option.
From Ms Ingrid Buddenberg
UAE
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