What’s next?
I read that the recent killings in Syria were not meant to overthrow President Bashar Al Assad, but to spread fear and paranoia within his circle (‘Syrian rebels mean business’, Gulf News, July 21). What if they succeed in terrifying him and this leads to Al Assad stepping down or his regime defeated – what next? I understand why the Syrian people want to take Al Assad down but what is the plan after that? It seems to me that the people’s objective is to get rid of the regime. However, there doesn’t seem to be a next step. People keep dying on a daily basis and this isn’t stopping. I think there needs to be a plan so that the country will be able to function in case the regime is overthrown. If there is no plan then the country will be in a state of chaos and there will be a hurricane before the dust settles. From what I recall, the whole point behind this war is to help the people and give them the freedom they deserve – so let us aim for that.
From Mr Haitham Ali
Sharjah
More people dead
Reading the report about Iraq early in the morning was terrible (‘The deadliest Monday in Iraq in two years’, Gulf News, July 24). First of all the latest incident clearly shows the existence of political disparity among the Iraqi people. It again proves that Iraq is still far away from peace, and with this series of attacks it demonstrate that whatever is done in the past to improve the situation is simply thrown away. The report of the killing of more than 100 civilians is not something to read and then ignore. We must think about why this is happening to the Iraqi people when there is a government in place that is responsible for safeguarding its people. It could be that Iraq still lacks proper and effective measures to address situations of this nature – raising the point that they need to improve their defence capabilities. There cannot be any lapse in addressing this issue as lives are at cost. The escalation of a new cycle of violence is threatening the integrity of the state, which has been suffering from internal strife for years. This needs to be tackled wisely in an attempt to create a peaceful environment. The political groups in the country must come together to adopt a new strategy that gives a fresh breath of air to the long-suffering people of Iraq.
From Mr Ramachandran Nair
Oman
A special treat
I wrote a community report requesting for a better mosque in Dubai Silicon Oasis last year (‘Proper mosque needed’, Gulf News, April 8, 2011). I would like to inform you that we are blessed with a brand new mosque [pictured] in the area this Ramadan. I am sure the Gulf News report has made a big impact and the Silicon Oasis residents are very much pleased with the new mosque and its fantastic workmanship. It is a mosque worth taking a look at. I thank Gulf News for the report.
From Mr Shabir Zain Al Deen
Dubai
Who owns the road?
I hope that they do the same in the UAE (‘Taxis in Saudi Arabia can’t pick passengers on streets’, Gulf News, July 24). The drivers here think that the road is their property and that they can stop anywhere they want without giving a proper signal to warn other drivers.
From Mr Ahmad
Dubai
Use your head
This new rule is genius. Why is it only being introduced now? I don’t understand the logic behind a person stopping their car in the middle of the road to pick up or drop off someone, knowing that there is traffic behind them. Let’s say that they don’t care about the safety of others, but the fact that this might cause an accident should be enough for someone not to do it. I certainly wouldn’t want my car to be damaged because I was dropping someone off. I think if people use logic a little more often then such accidents wouldn’t happen.
From Ms Alia Samer
Abu Dhabi
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