Mosques for all
I am not Shia, but I think Shia Muslims also deserve mosques in their style (‘More mosques to be built in UAE this year,’ Gulf News, August 9). I am from Riyadh, I live in Abu Dhabi and I frequently come to Dubai. I feel that both Abu Dhabi and Dubai need more Shia mosques for Shia Muslims living there. I feel this would be a good idea even though mosques are for everyone, regardless of Sunni or Shia.
From Mr Sultan Bin Mustafa Al Wahab
Abu Dhabi
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Growing population
There is a mosque in the Al Taawun area, near Corniche Road, that has been under construction since 2010 and it seemed to have stopped completely in 2011. Kindly, first complete this mosque as the neighbourhood is getting populous with every passing month.
Currently, we have only one mosque in the whole Al Taawun area, behind the Sharjah Palace Hotel. Residents of the Corniche side of Al Taawun Street have to cross the highway for Salat, which is not only inconvenient but dangerous.
From Mr Mohammad Khalid
Sharjah
Website comment
Need for mosques
I currently reside in Al Nahda 1 on Etihad Road, just after Al Mulla Plaza, and there is no mosque in the area. Sama Residence, Al Sedrah Towers, Al Saheel Towers and the Bhavan Towers are among a few of the buildings in the area. We desperately need a mosque there.
The only one we can visit for now is the Al Ahli Club Mosque, which is small and also without a ladies area therefore I had to drive to another area during Ramadan with my family for prayers.
From Ms Adil
Dubai
Website comment
Missing prayers
There is a large demand for mosques to be built in Dubai Silicon Oasis and in areas like Jumeirah, Falcon city, Business Bay and in Downtown Dubai. Since there are so many Muslims living in these areas, we have to go far away for most Juma prayers and sometimes it gets missed.
From Ms Daniyal Ali Obaid
UAE
Facebook comment
Praying in open areas
I am living in the Dubai International City. There is only one small mosque near Dragon Mart and rest of them are portacabin, prefabricated, mosques. There are more than 10,000 people praying in open areas. I request to the authorities to build a grand mosque here.
From Mr Amanullah
Dubai
Website comment
Difficult in the summer
There are a total of two mosques in Al Nahda in Sharjah. The first one is next to the Juma Al Majid building, opposite to the Sahara Centre, and the second one is near to Etisalat. Considering the population of this area, two mosques are not enough.
On Fridays, Muslim brothers are finding it very difficult to perform Juma prayers, especially during the summer. I kindly request that the authorities build at least two more mosques in this area. May God bless us all.
From Mr Nasser K. M.
Sharjah
Website comment
Build internationally
Maybe the UAE should not only build mosques in their own country, but also start establishing and building them in cities or regions where there are few to none. There is much reward in establishing a place for prayer in a remote place that is in need of them.
Even if they built 500 mosques in remote areas in the world where Muslims reside, it would be a greater act than building 5000 mosques in the UAE alone.
From Mr Fares Edris
UAE
Facebook comment
Humanity and religion
Why don’t people understand that the airstrike on the Islamist militants is not always about religion, it can also be about humanity (‘US launches first airstrike on Islamist militants in Iraq: Pentagon,’ Gulf News, August 9). It’s not necessary if a Christian is doing wrong that every Christian is taking his side and same with Muslims and any other religion or sect. Unfortunately, people these days only serve their own personal interests.
From Ms Rabe’ei Dar
UAE
Website comment
Ending the murders
It seems that there is no pleasing everybody. People seem to be upset when the US doesn’t help, but also upset when they do. Nobody wants to see Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) continue slaughtering the people of Iraq and its neighbours. Maybe the Arab countries need to start looking inwards and help their own region. Have you seen what these people are doing to other humans? These militants are murdering innocent people in cold blood.
From Mr Nick Williams
UAE
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Can’t blame women
In my opinion, it is absolutely wrong to blame women for sexual harassment and abuse (‘Saudi survey: ‘Flirtatious’ women to blame for sexual harassment,’ Gulf News, August 9). It is disgusting to hold women accountable for the behaviour of certain men who neither have any respect for them nor control over their desires.
It is illogical to bar women from smiling or laughing in public because, at the end of the day, we are all humans and should have these basic freedoms to express ourselves. Men should learn to control their urges instead of making it miserable for women.
From Ms Fatima Suhail
UAE
Facebook comment
Frowned upon
Anyone that says rape is a woman’s fault is not a human. Somewhere down the line, while most people’s brains evolved from these trains of thought, these people missed it. But we have learnt through skill and knowledge gained through generations that this is not right. These people aren’t pleasant and need to be frowned upon.
In my opinion, this is a backwards view. I’m completely against brutality towards women and children. I hope this world will change and learn to be a better place.
From Ms Iwona Marta
UAE
Facebook comment
Valley of tears
Gaza has become a veritable valley of tears to say the least. All the brutal wrath of the aggressive and belligerent Israel is used on the innocent civilians of Gaza, which has indeed made the place a sad valley of blood and tears. I am sure that Israel will be condemned by history.
I strongly feel that a total boycott of Israel is the need of the hour. But how is it possible with the US and the West standing against natural justice and God’s commands? Given the current round of atrocities, a substantial change in the US stance on Israel cannot be ruled out. The whole world is veering around the strong view that the US is unreasonable, illogical and stands against all norms of international law and natural justice.
From Thomas Matthew Parackel
Kerala, India
Intrusive questions
I am writing this letter to show my concerns regarding commuting in taxis. This is my usual method for commuting and I am extremely annoyed with the fact that taxi drivers tend to forget that they should focus on driving properly rather then talking to their customers.
I have come across many instances where the taxi driver has asked me personal questions regarding nationality or what we do generally. I, personally, find such conversations very awkward and tend to avoid any conversation with taxi drivers at all.
However, most taxi drivers are persistent. They try to make conversation with the customer, which I think is a cause for concern. Recently, an incident similar to the issue mentioned above happened with one of my friend. The taxi driver asked her several personal questions including whether she lives with her parents and whether she’s in school or working. At the end of her final stop, the taxi driver asked for her mobile number and name.
My point is, what can the authorities do to help with this problem?
When I sit in a taxi, all I want to do is get quickly to our destinations rather then get harassed by taxi drivers with millions of personal questions and irrelevant conversations.
I hope authorities can do something about this problem.
From Ms Sumera Malek
UAE
What progress looks like
During the month of Ramadan I noticed this particular issue and I have decided to pen down my thoughts. It is rightly said that the holy month is also known as the season of giving.
As a city, we have progressed by leaps and bounds. We have the biggest, the largest, the tallest and the best of everything! One day, I was in one of the above mentioned ‘superlative adjective’ malls and I was returning to my car, which was in the basement and I was literally running to it because I couldn’t take any more of the heat and suffocation in the basement and I couldn’t wait to get into my air conditioned car. As I got into my car and put the air conditioner on full blast, I noticed someone who would be craving this more than me: a cleaner in a green uniform, who was sweating in the heat but nevertheless gave it his all to earn those few dirhams and his daily bread.
That’s when I thought, if our malls are air conditioned to suit us, why can’t the basements and parking lots of these malls have some amenities like a cooling fans in order to keep these people away from the scorching heat – something that feels like a furnace? I drove towards the exit of the basement and handed over a refreshing packet of Laban to the worker who in turn gave me a thankful smile, which set me thinking: “We sure are one of the most advanced countries in the world. Having spent crores to establish ourselves as the biggest, largest and tallest is a huge feat, but the real feat would be to achieve thousands of thankful and satisfied smiles, rather than seeing the progress of the UAE on a graph only.”
From Ms Disha Dadlani
UAE
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