We must not be quiet during injustice

We must not be quiet during injustice

After the 72 people were killed and 400 injured in the park suicide attack in Pakistan, these attacks have now become a daily routine for people (‘Easter bomb strikes at symbolic heart of Pakistan’, Gulf News, March 31). So much so that there is no more fear, but there is hatred. Hatred towards the inhumane, hatred towards the so-called “saviours of religion” when in fact it is they who stain all religions. These people can fill the minds of the people with fear, but their hearts in return will glow with double the pride and determination to help their fellow brothers and sisters who became the victims of inhumanity. Let us not remain quiet and fight against fear and injustice. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu said: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

From Ms Safa Saud

UAE

Priorities sorted

I can’t believe an Egyptian man hijacked an airplane just to deliver a letter to his ex-wife (‘EgyptAir live: hijacker is an ex-convict’, Gulf News, March 30). Could we say that he knows his priorities?

From Ms Sibi Joice

UAE

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A serious crime

Did the man’s ex-wife take him back (‘British man’s selfie with EgyptAir hijacker goes viral’, Gulf News, March 31)? I don’t think the hijacker will be smiling anytime soon from his jail cell. Somehow a “mentally unstable” plea won’t cut it, I don’t think! He looks pretty old and frail.

From Mr Iman Tawheed

UAE

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Laws go both ways!

I completely agree with this effort by police, but more crosswalks are needed as well (‘Jaywalkers using mobile phones targeted by police’, Gulf News, March 29). Drivers are also to follow rules when they see pedestrians trying to use crosswalks. I think that if we have more proper crosswalks in place, with proper flashing lights for the pedestrians, then there will be no excuse not to fine someone for not using crosswalks. We as drivers need to respect the pedestrian laws, too! It goes both ways!

From Ms Cecilia Zapata

Dubai

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Dangerous behaviour

This is a good thing since a lot of drivers are still seen using mobiles while driving and they don’t care about people crossing the street. I have witnessed a lot of this kind of behaviour, and it’s dangerous.

From Mr David Smith

UAE

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iPhones not as safe as we think

Finally the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) can break the security features of iPhone, which were developed over years of research and development (‘FBI hacks dead gunman’s iPhone, drops Apple suit’, Gulf News, March 29). If the FBI’s claims regarding the hacking are genuine, it tells us that there are more technology experts able to unlock these phones outside Apple. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, but what about accessing users’ data directly and indirectly by social media operators? Are they safe? Can hackers access that data and publish it? Accessing the private data is a victory for hackers and it’s of big disappointment for the program developers and affected persons.

From Mr Girish R. Edathitta

Dubai

Fines for infrastructure

India’s central government has asked the states to penalise people for open defecation. The Urban Development Minister has said that because this campaign is time bound, we are afraid whether it would be fully implemented by September 30, 2018.

Since the Swachh Bharat Mission has failed to have the desired effect, it is really a bold move by the central government. Now it is the duty of state governments to ensure implementation of the directives soon. Of course, the sanitation facility should have been implemented before coming up with such directives. We only hope that at least now onwards, it will not only help curb such habits, but will also give funds to construct toilets in the city as well as on highways, too!

From Ms Janaki Mahadevan

Mylapore, India

Children forget how to socialise

Nowadays, we see that with the growth of technology, even small children are using smartphones. A lot of games are available on phones and many children are always glued to the phone rather than engaging in any outdoor play. I have noticed these changes in many children whom I know personally. I always advise my children regarding the same and make sure that they give enough time to outdoor games as well. We notice that when we visit relatives and friends, the children are always busy playing games or chatting on the phone and they are not even bothered about who are coming and going in their house. Even the children hardly communicate to each other, they are all busy in their own worlds with their phones. In a way, we as parents, are responsible for such behaviour among children.

We give them the latest gadgets to play with, we spoil them by giving them the latest phones. We do not spend enough time with them and we do not educate them about the disadvantages of such gadgets or phones. We should explain to them about the advantages of outdoor games and, also, most importantly, to interact with people.

From Mr Ajeet Kumar Pillai

Dubai

Beastly carnage

The carnage which took place in Brussels, Belgium recently should be condemned by the world community and by the UN (‘Bombers prepared ‘satanic cocktail’, Gulf News, March 27). It was a slap in the face of humanity by a set of blood thirsty terrorists who want to annihilate humanity from the face of the Earth. Nations should join together and condemn the atrocity committed by these terrorists.

From Mr Thomas Matthew

Muvattupuzha, India

Unite against evil

Human life is precious. Therefore, please do not allow these terrorists to go on killing innocent people in these horrible sprees. The world has to unite to drive out such evil. Religion has nothing to do with it.

From Mr Sunny Joseph Mala

Kerala, India

Strict regulations

We hear about building fires or warehouse fires often, but why is there no strict action taken (‘Residents to get access to fire-hit Ajman tower on Thursday’, Gulf News, March 31)? The landlords or tenants are taking it so lightly. Why do they wait for an emergency to come and then they realise when it is too late.

I become so concerned after hearing about such incidents. Everyday there are fake alarms in my building and now we are all so used to it that if something were to happen, no one would take it seriously. The fire extinguishers provided by the building are often expired. No one has the courtesy to change them. Many lives and their losses could be saved if this is dealt with correctly. People are scared of fines. Please put a fine on these things.

From Ms Rabia Salim

UAE

I was so worried

My friends and I pass by that area after work. The minute I saw the fire in the building, it reminded me of my building, where we had a fire about seven months ago. I wished I was superwoman so that I could save all the people inside. I felt bad, and I even cried while I was driving, thinking about the children. I agree that buildings need to hire qualified watchmen and they should give them a proper training on how to maintain the building and how to deal with the tenants. We paid the rent, they must provide qualified staff.

From Ms Bless Lorenzo Buenafe

Dubai

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Safety concerns

In my building, if the alarm turns on, sometimes the watchman switches it off. They don’t even know how to use a fire extinguisher. That’s a huge problem.

From Ms Kamila Irfan

UAE

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Disturbing news

I just can’t understand how this happens with all the security in place. It’s really shocking that we are hearing this news and it’s scary.

From Ms Shireen Shaikh

Sharjah

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