Islam promotes peace

The media these days often mentions the word ‘Islamic terrorism’. Islam is a religion that strongly denounces terrorism. Killing innocent human beings is forbidden in Islam so the media should stop using the word ‘Islamic terrorism’. I know very well that there are some ignorant people in the world who are spoiling the name of Islam but this does not mean that terrorism is related to Islam. In our religion it is said that if you kill one innocent human being then it is equivalent to killing the whole of humanity whereas if you save one human being it is equivalent to saving the whole of humanity. My humble request to media organisations all over the world would be to stop exploiting Islam. Recently, Anders Behring Breivik went on a rampage in Norway and killed many innocent people, but for this heinous crime no one would point fingers at his religion. Terrorism has no religion. ‘Islamic terror’ is an erroneous concept, which contradicts its message.
From Mr Abdul Azeem
London, UK

Economy down the drain

As an investor, I have watched the markets and my meagre funds slide at the mere whisper of downgrades and opinions expressed by financial wizards (“Global economy ‘more dangerous than ever’”, Gulf News, January 17). Billions are wiped off the world’s stock markets every time the euro is downgraded. My question is, isn’t it time that some entity assumed responsibility towards the investors? When we talk of economic crises affecting countries, we are really pointing towards the millions of people who have lost their savings.
From Ms Asha Gidwani
Dubai

Be safe

A firefighter rushing to save other people’s lives at high speed can endanger his own life because this two-wheeler does not offer the collective restraint of a vehicle with more than one personnel or the stability of a four-wheeled vehicle (“Sleek bikes to replace fire trucks as first-response vehicles in Dubai”, Gulf News, January 18). Therefore, it’s vital that our brave firefighters manning these bikes are trained to balance the call of duty with the sanctity of their own lives.
From Mr Syed Wajeed
Dubai

How many can fit?

There is no doubt that this is a very good initiative and I applaud Dubai Municipality for promoting this (“Public urged to leave their cars at home today”, Gulf News, January 18). Ever since Dubai Metro was introduced, it has reduced travel time tremendously. However, is our Metro equipped to cater to the public should everyone decide to use the Metro instead of their cars? I use the Metro in the evenings while going home and occasionally in the mornings getting to the office. I have always found the Metro to be packed to capacity, with the passengers practically breathing down each other’s neck.
From Ms Sonam
Dubai

After midnight

I think that the life of pedestrians in Dubai is much more terrible than traffic on the road. Thousands of people in Dubai work different shifts and many of them work night shifts. They depend on public transportation and experience a hard time when going to work or home, as there are no public buses or Metro services operating after midnight. Companies do not pay any night allowance. The authorities have to take this issue into consideration.
From Mr Nils
Dubai

Car-free day every day

The authorities should really think of introducing a Metro or fast train running from Ajman to Jebel Ali via Sharjah. Every day we can celebrate car-free day and save energy.
From Mr Prabhu
Dubai

Seeing all the emirates

I left my car at home and walked to my shop. It is just 15 minutes away. I hope there are fast trains connecting all the emirates so that I could see them. So far, I have only seen Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah due to a lack of public transport.
From Mr Amr
Sharjah

Life without cars

This is a very good initiative. If possible, this should be done frequently — maybe every Sunday. Or if you want to start slow, then you could make it at least once a month. I look forward to seeing this initiative taken up in Abu Dhabi. It will make this emirate more beautiful and pollution-free. Abu Dhabi has a very good bus network and a car-free day every week or month would make public transport more popular.
From Mr Roy
Abu Dhabi