Smart services: So far, so good!
I absolutely love the services offered by the authorities (‘Government must go to people: Mohammad’, Gulf News, May 24). So far, I have only used the online services for the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) vehicle renewal, Emirates ID application and medical test application and they have been amazing experiences without any faults or delays. I was without the need for any follow ups or confusions. I have high respect for His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the entire smart government team.
From Ms Mosa
UAE
Website comment
Experiencing progress
In the 1980s, we use to take a day off from work to register our motor vehicles. Last week, it took us less than two hours. That’s the visible progress we experience in the emirate of Dubai.
From Mr Hussain Fahmy
UAE
Website comment
Obviously in dire need
It doesn’t matter whether the refugees are Bengali or Burmese Rohingya, no human being should be treated in this manner and the fact that these people have risked their lives to go on this journey means they are in dire need of aid (‘UN chief says save migrants, deal with cause of flight’, Gulf News, May 24). This is about humanity. Faith needs to be restored because any person who believes in God should fear his wrath!
From Ms Aisha Hayatullah
UAE
Facebook comment
Dehumanising each other
Why can’t these governments at least acknowledge that Muslims are humans too? Why can’t the world be considered as one place that we all must strive to live in peacefully? The Earth is a gift to each one of us, and we are blessed with beautiful surroundings. This call is for everyone.
From Ms Surbhi Kochar
UAE
Facebook comment
Butchering humanity
I think that Ms Surbhi Kocher is right, but only a specific religious portion is being targeted here, so it’s mandatory to mention it. Of course, they are human beings and it’s definitely humanity that is being butchered.
From Mr Ashraf Bugti
UAE
Facebook comment
Pariah being Muslim!
If a certain community is targeted, mentioning its name becomes mandatory. Moreover, Rohingya are pariah people because they are not considered to be citizens of Burma and are from a minority religion. In addition, I believe that following one’s religion means following the norms of humanity.
From Mr Mohammad Bakhtiar
Dubai
Facebook comment
A targeted demographic
Despite a large and peaceful global Muslim population accounting for one-sixth of the world’s numbers, many still think of us as terrorists or inclined to violence. Why does it seem like all over the world, only Muslims are being targeted? The international community is still silent about the cruel oppression of thousands of Rohingya Muslims, but when one extremist kills someone, the whole world comes together to blame Muslims.
From Mr Mohammad Kamran
UAE
Facebook comment
Against religious teachings
Iam Muslim, but I am really exhausted, hearing these kinds of classic outcries. Trust me, this mindset will never solve problems. Instead, it will only worsen the situation. We all should work harder to eradicate any kind of terrorism. No matter who is doing it, it’s against religious teachings.
From Mr Tio Nugroho
Dubai
Facebook comment
Myanmar’s responsibility
Boycott the United Nations (UN) if they cannot act against the Burmese military regime officially. These refugees are from Myanmar due to being denied citizenship, so the country’s authorities are mainly responsible for all this conflict.
Saharul Choudhury
Dubai
Facebook comment
Countries offering provisions
The good news is that Indonesia and Malaysia are taking in all the desperate people who are at sea, and for one year, they are providing everything for them, until the international community takes concrete measures for their repatriation. Thailand is still resisting taking them in. Keep praying for the desperate people in the Mediterranean Sea as well. May mercy dawn upon the nations surrounding these waters.
From Ms Furheen Qurieshi
UAE
Facebook comment
Is this what we are taught?
Reading the various responses by readers in Gulf News’ Facebook debate, one letter in particular stood out to me (‘Facebook debate: Does society need rules to know right from wrong?’, Gulf News, May 24). It is alarming that some people still hope for a fatwa against terrorist activities to be issued in this regard for the Muslim community, so that potential terrorists may come to their senses. Do we – as human beings who are inherently born with the ability to know right from wrong — need someone’s fatwa to put such values into practice? Love, compassion, patience and caring are a few of the many traits all animals and humans are born with, genetically. Such moral standards don’t necessarily have to be learnt from reading books.
The entire idea goes against the idea of Islam as a religion, which works on the premise that there is always a direct communication between the Creator and His creation. How can we blindly follow such a practice, which, instead of using our God-given intellect to decide what is appropriate and what is destructive, causes us to often go seek another individual’s opinion to confirm the validity for moral standards? To feel compassion and mercy towards fellow beings, we don’t need to go to an expert and check on the validity of such emotions. What is needed in our times is a serious and collective effort that prompts sincere soul searching. Pointing fingers at others for everything that goes wrong within a community will not help resolve the crisis that Muslims endure today.
From Mr V. I. Mohammad Sageer
UAE
Corruption governing TN
Being an Indian and reading the story about Jayalalithaa Jayaram — the ‘Iron lady of Tamil Nadu’ — was extremely embarrassing for me (‘Iron lady of Tamil Nadu looks to the future’, Gulf News, May 24). Jayalalithaa has surely gained her confidence over the court verdict in the disproportionate assets case and then attempted to follow the chief minister position for another term. Corruption cases are not something new to Jayalalithaa and her party during her decade-old political life. The key opposition political party in Tamil Nadu faced a similar test when their members were involved in the spectrum scam during the previous federal government.
At the same time, it is not a matter of Jayalalithaa winning in the forthcoming assembly election, but how politicians influence the legal system using unaccounted wealth and also the stimulus of the masses. It is my strong feeling that the lack of public awareness on corruption and illiteracy brings both the political parties in power in the state of Tamil Nadu. Only the educated young generation can bring change to the overall political concept.
From Mr Ramachandran Nair
Oman
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