Learning Arabic made easy
I read a letter to the editor today by Mr Amar Diwakar complaining that not all the “It’s Arabic” words are rooted in Arabic and that the words can be traced farther back to other languages (‘Letters: February 6, 2013,’ Gulf News, February 6). This seemed a big concern for him. However, as a new resident to the UAE, I have found this column interesting. It actually inspired me to learn Arabic. I also noticed that many words sound similar to English, which makes it easier to learn. When I was taught English, my teachers didn’t inform us about the origin of the words, be it Arabic, Sanskrit, Greek or any other. My teacher taught me English as the world knows it today. Any column or section that encourages its readers to learn more about the culture they are living in, is of value. It brings people together. I’m learning Arabic and it makes me happy. So, thank you Gulf News for such a wonderful addition to my stay in this country. I look forward to learning more Arabic words.
From Ms Mary Mercer
Dubai
Commendable
I truly enjoy reading Gulf News. It’s very structured and all its sections together cover every aspect of life. The new column “Its Arabic” that gives one word every day, which is used in Arabic or is originated from Arabic is wonderful. I really enjoy reading it. I have Arabic as one of my subjects and I love the language. I want to thank Gulf News for this amazing column. Gulf News always comes up with something innovative and interesting. I truly appreciate it!
From Ms Arushi Madan
Sharjah
Regrettable
This has reference to Mr Amar Diwakar’s letter and the editor’s note on the same subject. I used to read with interest the ‘It’s Arabic’ column but was put off by what Mr Diwakar has explained and stopped reading it. The explanation regarding limited space is a flimsy excuse, made worse by the comment: “No man is an island”. It is regrettable to see this kind of an attitude from a respectable newspaper.
From Mr Hamid Ziyaee
UAE
Separate tills
There is a problem - supermarkets do have a separate area for pork but they use the same carts and counter for billing for all products (‘Tough penalties for flouting rules on pork sales,’ Gulf News, February 5). This problem could be easily be sorted by having separate tills for pork products, so that only people who need to buy have to visit it. I think the survey officers should also be held responsible because they must make sure that there are no violations. They don’t have to wait for someone to complain.
From Mr Rafi
Dubai
Website comment
Inform before serving
Serious action needs to be taken. Two years ago, I was invited for a corporate event at a restaurant where they were serving pork and without informing anyone. I had an intuition though, so I asked before eating. The chef confirmed that the meat they were serving was pork. There was no way that one could trace that there was pork, unless they asked.
From Ms Lamia
Dubai
Website comment
Lack of values
It is the failure of societal norms that leads men to commit crimes against children, especially their own sons and daughters (‘Father investigated for son’s torture in Saudi Arabia,’ Gulf News, February 6). The law makers and religious leaders must focus on the dignity of children and women besides launching mass awareness programmes. The greatest task of leaders of the modern society is to develop people with basic human values.
From Dr Raju M Mathew
Al Ain
Website comment
Horrendous
First of all I praise the boy’s grandfather for bringing forth the cruelty of his own son to the concerned authorities. Secondly, it’s unbelievable that after being tortured by his parents, being a child, he still loves his parents and doesn’t want them to be punished. Tears rolled down my eyes when I read this. They are cruel parents of a lovely child. These parents don’t deserve anything. Imagine if they were tortured the same way they tortured their son. Even that punishment isn’t enough. Such parents must suffer all their lives.
From Mr Jaffar
Sharjah
Website comment
Unbelievable
How is it possible to be so inhuman to your own child? I’m just a reader, but I felt the pain of the child while reading this article. I have tears in my eyes. I fail to understand, how could the parents do that? Do they have any emotions? Terribly sad! Even the 9-year-old boy has enough humanity to love his parents and not want them to be punished. I pray for a speedy recovery of the boy. I hope he has a happy and healthy life ahead.
From Ms Nadira
Abu Dhabi
Website comment
Why have children?
Why do people like these bear children in the first place when they cannot act human with them? They don’t deserve to be parents. My heart cries for this little boy who has been suffering for long. I can’t imagine that there might be more children out there who are going through such torture in silence. I pray for all of them. If they are any such children in our neighbourhood, we can help them by being alert and observing changes in their behaviour.
From A Reader
Dubai
Website comment
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