Destroying history
It is extremely disgraceful to read the rampage on the treasures that are several centuries old in Iraq (‘FLooted artefacts turn up in London art houses’, Gulf News, March 2). The act was a shame for the new generation. It was almost a similar situation in Afghanistan during the time of the Taliban ruling. The attack included one of the oldest Buddhist statues, which was the tallest in size, placed in the country. It could be the same scenario in countries like Libya, Syria, Yemen and other places that have been under the grip of civil wars and conflicts for several years.
These incidents clearly prove that terrorism is not only destroying the human resources of the present day, but also heavily targeting the beliefs of the past. It is essential to safeguard The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) listed sites, which were helping the new generation to understand the life and living of different civilisations.
There is an urgent need of action by the international community and archaeologists to halt the advancement of terror activities affecting these ancient cultures. They can never be replaced with any fresh sculpture of today.
From Mr Ramachandran Nair
Oman
Exciting matches this year
Nerves were high with the results of the Cricket World Cup games between the associate member teams, Ireland versus the UAE and Afghanistan versus Scotland (‘Scotland fined for slow over rate’, Gulf News, February 28). They should have given a warning signal to all cricketing nations that they cannot be taken for granted. This should also open the blinders of the International Cricket Council (ICC), who is keen on pruning the teams for the next World Cup to 10. I feel it is time that the ICC tries to spread its net and catch promising teams of associate members to participate in the ICC tournaments.
Kudos to the Afghanistan team for their victory against the highly-rated Scotland team. Hats off to Samiullah Shenwari, who played a valiant knock of 96. Definitely, he deserved a century to boot the victory. At the same time, credit should also go to the bowlers, especially Shapoor Zadran, who restricted the Scottish team to a meagre 210.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Kumara Sangakkara, who scored a ton on his 400th One Day International (ODI). It is really unfortunate that such a talented player has decided to quit the ODI format! We wish him the best.
From Mr N. Mahadevan
Dubai
Racism in Canada
The attitude of the Canadian Judge Eliana Marengo insisting that a Muslim woman must remove her headscarf before hearing her case is an act of crass religious intolerance (‘Quebec judge denies woman hearing until hijab removed’, Gulf News, February 28). Governments should tackle increased religious intolerance by promoting discussion both within religious groups and by ensuring that women and political leaders are involved in the talks. Freedom of religion is the mother of all human rights and all human rights are universal and interconnected. In our globalising world, certain religions or believers feel more and more threatened than ever before. Acknowledging and allowing religious diversity is a necessary component of religious freedom and religious tolerance.
The Quebecois reluctance to tolerate religious symbols is disturbing. The resurgence of this kind of thinking poses a profound threat to liberal societies, which are based on ideas of liberty and equality.
Every path to God is a personal experience and a private journey. No one path is inherently superior, as all paths to God are valid and useful.
The challenge facing politics and religions of mankind are to contemplate with hearts filled with the spirit of compassion and desire for truth, the plight of humanity. We need to ask ourselves whether we can put aside our differences in a great spirit of mutual forbearance in order to enable us to work together for the advancement of religious understanding and political stability.
From Mr Farouk Araie
Johannesburg, South Africa
Don’t rely on others
Even with family around, it’s not better to ignore mental health issues, as everyone leads busy lives and your family won’t necessary have time to help (‘Why you should not ignore mental health’, Gulf News, February 28). Everyone is busy with their own work and many come home late, they eat and sleep, and the next day they are doing the same routine.
From Ms Anupriya D. Budhwani
UAE
Facebook comment
Needs to be dealt with
This story is very true. Mental health issues cannot be neglected. Not dealing with these types of sicknesses can lead to other biological and psychological problems.
From Ms Masuma Arshad
Dubai
Facebook comment
Social media is effective
The Off the cuff musings that social media isn’t always a bad thing made for good reading (‘Social media the great equaliser’, Gulf News, February 27). Thanks to social media, waiting for someone is no longer a pain, but a pleasure and at times it feels as if the waiting is interrupted all too soon, especially if one is at a dental clinic! The trigger for birthday reminders is effectively and efficiently delegated while the credit and gratitude for having remembered and wished one well is retained.
Social media is also easy on the wallet. It facilitates networking as widely as one wishes to at practically no cost! However, the time and cost gradually increases as we get sucked into our own web. Too much of a good thing tends to be bad and the same holds true for social media. The beauty of social media is its amenability to actively participate on a selective basis. Posting comments on Facebook or responding to a WhatsApp message is not mandatory, but based on inclination and time. As long as we remember that we are still the master in this relationship and we make social media work for us rather than vice versa, the rewards will exceed the time investment. Otherwise, there is a danger of being consumed by social media, which is not free but comes with a big hidden cost!
From Ms Jaya Mahalingam
Dubai
Mathematics and modern technology
I have been teaching mathematics for the past 26 years (‘Math minus the feeling of sheer panic’, Gulf News, February 28). I completely agree with the comments given by Dr Abdul Salam Jarrah. I believe that without the calculator’s use, teaching mathematics is just wasting the time of the students.
Actually, mathematics is training the mind with the rapid pace of technological development, and it is difficult to foresee the mathematical knowledge that students will need during their lifetime. Therefore, it is essential that students are equipped with a solid base of mathematical knowledge, related skills and attitudes to enable them to adapt as their needs arise. It is the need of the hour for the existing curricula to integrate Graphic Display Calculators (GDC) from grade nine through to grade 12 and at university levels. Calculator usage is one of the best integrations of the existing technology and it is a crucial requirement of the modern world.
From Dr Abdur Rehman Jami
UAE
Set free by technology
There’s always a starting point, like a seed and the one seed of technology with the most things emerging from it is the transistor. The transistor led to the microchip and that led to the incredible amount of intelligence we have in the palm of our hand today. Every bit of technology we have in our computers, smartphones and tablets is all thanks to the transistor. The iPhone isn’t just another form of entertainment. It changed productivity. It changed our habits.
The transistor brought us to a unique point, shifting our technological progress from hardware to software. Software let us move at a faster pace than ever. You can add all the changes to your work and push it out to millions of people almost instantly and virtually for free. Our proof is the internet. Nobody could have imagined typing something and everyone in the world being able to see it instantly. The internet really is the biggest innovation in history. It’s more important than the computer, even more important than the transistor. The internet came and everything became for everyone. We were set free.
From Mr Ron Lowe
Nevada City, USA
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