Very helpful
I am a resident of the UAE and I never find that there is any ignorance towards human rights abuses (‘UAE slams ‘one-sided’ Amnesty report,’ Gulf News, November 20). In 2009, my passport was held by my sponsor. I complained verbally to the human rights section at the police station. They called immediately to the sponsor, and in the next hour I got my passport.
From Mr Suliman
Dubai
Website comment
Attempt to undermine
I read an article on the contents of Amnesty International’s report a few days ago, and I was furious at the way it portrayed the UAE. It is definitely a weak attempt to try and undermine stability here. The UAE is a haven and melting pot for so many nationalities, which is a testament to the admiration expatriates have towards the leadership and country. I have been here for almost eight years and would certainly not choose to live anywhere else at this point in time.
From Mr Karma
Dubai
Website comment
Open to cultures
It’s quite baseless when such allegations are made. I have been a resident of this country for almost a year now, and I have loved every minute of it. This country is probably more peaceful and safer than most developed countries! Sometimes I feel this country is much more open in terms of culture and atmosphere than most of the so-called open cultures in many other developed places.
From Mr Harin G.
Dubai
Website comment
Planning to stay
I am confident in the UAE’s treatment of residents, as I have been living here for the past seven years with my family. We are even not considering changing countries in the future. This is because of the multicultural environment; the transparency of law, the services it provides to its people living here, provides accountability. The report of Amnesty International as described by this newspaper is indeed politically motivated. I love the leadership of this country. The strength and leadership is attracting millions of people to visit, work and make it their second home.
From Mr Mohammad Qamar
Dubai
Website comment
Social efforts
No country in the world has put such a considerable effort in the social progress of its nation than the UAE. No country has contributed to the welfare and the wellbeing of the world like the UAE. Let them say whatever they want to say, they won’t change the facts.
From Mr Issam Awad
Abu Dhabi
Website comment
Children are the future
I would like to find out what precautionary measures and actions the authorities would implement with the release of this report on child abuse (‘Children are more likely to be abused in schools than home,’ Gulf News, November 20). Children are our future and they are a blank slate at this stage of their lives, so every person should have to take extra care while treating children, either at home or at school. Schools should not be considered a professional business.
From Mr Chandra Bhushan
Dubai
Facebook comment
People being exploited
In India there are a lot of controversial leaders like Baba Rampal – people who are wanted by police either for murder or any other criminal charges (‘Six dead after police storm India guru’s ashram,’ Gulf News, November 19). There are a lot of men and women of God all over India operating in ashrams in public. They do all sorts of illegal activities such as child slavery, sex trafficking and collecting wealth and property. We can see many politicians, celebrities and even educated people fall at their feet or hug these so-called men and women of God, to get comfort or relief. These people have superstitious beliefs that fortune or good things will come to their lives, but in fact their beliefs are often being exploited by corrupt people.
The Indian government should implement strict laws to control these types of ashrams, which I believe are a threat to the public and nation and that there needs to be immediate steps to close them down.
From Mr Eappen Elias
Dubai
A remarkable life
How often do we see someone who has worked for 72 years in one workplace? And what if we know that this person has served global historical dignitaries like Louis Mountbatten, the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma; Queen Elizabeth II; Emperor Showa of Japan; Mahatma Gandhi; Jawaharlal Nehru; Indira Gandhi and Richard Nixon? Well, Kerala born Kottarapattu Chattu Kuttan, who started working as the doorman at the iconic Galle Face Hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka has achieved this feat. He started working there at the tender age of 18 years and worked there until he died, last week at the age of 94. For some people, work is more than just paying the bills. Some people worship their jobs and devote their life to their work. The work gets truly honoured by their dedication towards duty. May his soul rest in peace. If the hotel had life, it would have cried too, for it would never be able to locate another Kuttan. I salute him and his passion for work.
From Mr Suhas Inamdar
Dubai
Father of freedom
South Africa’s Nelson Mandela, the father of freedom, had to overcome so many barriers and so many prejudices, misconceptions, lies and struggles before he liberated his country. Why is it so often that we have to wait for people to die before acknowledging their greatness? We should be helping people who do great things and address their concerns when they are alive. December 5, 2013 was one of the saddest days for us South Africans and it was a sad day for the world. Loved and respected all over the world, Mandela, the Nobel Prize laureate and first black president of South Africa, dedicated his life to serving humanity.
We thanked him for the sacrifices he made to give us freedom. He was a real fighter and even though death is inevitable for everyone, his was a great loss to the world. He was liked and respected globally, thanks to his idealism and commitment to peace. May his soul rest in peace.
From Mr Samaoen Osman
Cape Town, South Africa
Promote reading
I would like to voice my thoughts on the declining reading habits of the younger generation. The youth have lost the virtue of good reading in today’s society (‘Generation that does not read books or newspapers requires new content,’ Gulf News, November 19). Even though it enhances our vocabulary, writing skills and develops our knowledge, people consider it time consuming and have lost their reading habits due to the increasing use of modern technology. Reading clubs and book discussions also don’t seem to be given much interest. The visits to the library have also reduced.
Without reading, we cannot dream of a civilised community. Therefore, I request people to take some measures to increase their reading habits. These may include conducting read-a-thons and starting up more libraries.
From Ms Sreelakshmi Prakash
Dubai
Fans meeting authors
I also believe that in the present age of computers and social media, the importance of reading books for the development of children has been losing its prevalence. Events such as the Sharjah International Book Fair help reignite the passion of reading among children as well as adults. The mere fact that more than a million people turned up for the book fair is testimony to this fact. I had the opportunity to visit the fair this year and was able to interact with my favourite author, Dan Brown. I would like to thank the book fair organisers for giving us fans the opportunity to interact with our favourite authors. Initiatives such as this help remind children and adults about the fun of reading. Thus, these events could help children to do away with their tablets and mobile phones, and it could help them spend their time productively by reading
From Mr Karthik Satheesh Kumar
UAE
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