Meddling in affairs
Embassies being evacuated makes sense because, of course, nobody wants to live feeling that their life is constantly at risk or that they are being threatened (‘US evacuates staff as Yemen on edge of civil war’, Gulf News, March 22). On the other hand, I think that the US needs to stop interfering in other countries’ matters. I don’t have any issues with US citizens. The wider issue is due to something that the US sowed and is now reaping. It’s always the same tactic — blame others by calling them terrorist nations, sanction them and then talk about human rights.
With all due respect, I am not blaming any individuals, but most Americans often don’t have to face the consequences of being American. Nationals of Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen and Palestine feel the full weight of their nationality almost every day and I think that people need to open their eyes to this reality. If someone kills or gets killed, even large Western news corporations report about it differently. If the killer was from the West, the media would say that a ‘gunman’ killed so many people, but if a Muslim was involved in such activities, the headlines may be more along the lines of: “Muslim man killed...”. Biased reporting is a big problem, adding to the issue.
From Mr Erphan Rahat Khan
UAE
Facebook comment
Negative perceptions
People always want to blame the US for these conflicts, but that’s the first place everyone wants to go to when there is trouble. I am proud to be an American, so obviously this would be my country’s problem. The US welcomes everyone, especially if you are not living in a safe situation. But don’t blame the US for the world’s problems. I never said that the US was perfect. In fact, our government is far from perfect. But to say we are currently not trying to fix the mistakes we created is wrong. If I were to judge every nation on things they did 20 years ago that they thought was a good idea at the time, then I wouldn’t be very open-minded and I would be extremely ignorant. This article has to do with the US embassy leaving Yemen. What does the average American have to do with this article other than they want to leave Yemen for safety precautions? You can’t judge a whole country on the elected leaders.
The American media is terrible. That is something I can agree with Mr Erphan Rahat Khan about. Most Americans see the media as the be all, end all. This is what is being fed to us and this is, sadly, what a lot of Americans feel. Fortunately, I get to live in the Middle East and experience a different life. I see that Islam is a religion of peace. The first friend I made here is from Yemen. I fight so hard on social media to get others to also see Islam as a religion of peace, yet I come and read comments on posts such as these and see that people think of Americans as racists or bigots who dislike all Muslims. That’s just not true.
From Ms Patricia Cooksey
Al Ain
Facebook comment
Continuous waste
Water is one of the most precious resources in the world and although we know this, often people waste water unnecessarily (‘UAE may run out of groundwater by 2030’, Gulf News, March 22). Even if we educate and inform people not to waste water, they still continue with this excess usage. Schools, colleges and offices should conduct seminars to educate people regarding the wastage of water. Parents should cultivate a habit in children, of regulating the usage of water. Also, the authorities could fix the amount of water usage for each family, using meters in each home. Families also need to become aware of their water usage.
From Ms Sonia Antony
UAE
Website comment
Implement at home
Think about all the dish-washing liquid used in kitchens. It takes so much water to wash off the concentrated washing liquids, thus creating a lot of wasted water — much more than necessary. The same can be said of soap, used for bathing. We waste a lot of water to wash off excessive soap. Every drop of water is precious and necessary in this part of the world, where water is scarce when compared to other regions. We discuss many solutions, but forget to implement these at home.
From Mr Philip George
UAE
Facebook comment
An acceptable solution
Desalination is the solution to water shortage, because this issue is going to hit most parts of the world. The former secretary general of the United Nations, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, once said that the next World War will be fought over water. The UAE was quite intelligent to invest in desalination to such an extent. This will always be an acceptable and sustainable alternative — getting fresh water from salt water.
From Mr Tarek Mir
UAE
Facebook comment
Unacceptable actions
The Gulf News story about 142 people being killed in the mosque bombings in Yemen’s capital city of Sana’a was sad to read (‘142 dead in Yemen mosque triple suicide bombings’, Gulf News, March 21). The triple suicide bombings targeted by the Al Houthi militias around the city is condemned by the United Nations. The attack on a place of worship and civilians is unacceptable.
I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured.
From Mr K. Ragavan
Bengaluru, India
Happening for too long
Girls have indeed been paying the price for flawed upbringings for a very long time (‘Paying the price for a flawed upbringing’, Gulf News, March 21). How come no one made such a big deal of this issue earlier? Recent incidents of rape didn’t happen in just the past couple of years — they have been happening for decades. Indian parents that raise their children to think that women are nothing special, treat them unfairly by doing so, no matter what form of relation they are — mother, sister, daughter, niece, friend, teacher and, yes, even nuns in their 70s. If a teenage boy is facing the consequence of having this mind-set, he should understand why most males are being viewed this way. It is high time boys feel uncomfortable and realise they are being watched, like girls have felt over the years.
From Mr Nilofer Taher
UAE
Facebook comment
Strict action
I think that it is wrong to form an opinion based on people’s upbringing. The issue has got more to do with poor implementation of the law in India and a slack judicial approach. Rape cases get dragged on for years. At the same time, the law requires severity in action and stringent application.
From Mr Kumar Shastri
Secunderabad, India
Facebook comment
Choosing disciplinary measures
The article in Gulf News where a teacher blames tardiness on a cheap watch, made for an interesting read (‘Tardy teacher composes poem to explain delay’, Gulf News, March 22). The camaraderie between the employer and employee is worth emulating in every walk of life! The wittiness and daring of the teacher and the sense of humour displayed by the principal are worth applauding. This topic took me down memory lane, to my office days. Before coming to Dubai, I was working in various offices in Mumbai, India, as a secretary. One of the companies had a rule that if anyone came in late, even by 30 to 60 seconds, they had to go home! They were allowed to return after the lunch break and a half-day pay would be deducted. One time, I got caught entering late. My employer knew I was eight months pregnant, that I lived far away and that it was raining heavily. So he let me sit in the office. As soon as I sat at the desk, the whispering and false gossip from colleagues began. So, to be lenient also is a fault.
In the article, I think this is a debatable issue of discipline. If everybody came in late, the office’s decorum would be affected and there would be total chaos! It would not be fair on others who were always on time. Now, a story of contrast: In another office, where I worked as a receptionist, there was a grace period of 15 minutes. Most of the staff members would not enter the office until 9.14am and then rush into the office! They would stand in the corridor and smoke or chat, but not enter the office. They would like to enjoy that 14-minute grace period. This is another extreme case of taking advantage. I leave it to the readers’ judgement as to which of the above two disciplinary measures they would prefer. For me, I would like to obey the rules strictly.
From Ms Armaity Surendra Patel
Dubai
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