A transformed America
grew up reading stories about former US President Abraham Lincoln and his speech on how “democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people” and it always intrigued me (‘Defiant Trump ignores chorus of revulsion’, Gulf News, December 10). Whenever I felt down, reading through quotes of former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt on human strength helped me pass through another tough day. I always believe in the ultimate goodness of human beings – a perfect world.
With dreams of ultimate social and economic freedom, ‘The American dream’ of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. has inspired me in many ways. Like me, there are thousands who are in awe of the US as a symbol of liberty and emancipation from all social shackles. However, now I regretfully say that America has failed us. It has failed to keep its own promise and its own dream. Today, when I look at America, I see a country full of confusion, contradiction and despair. The war that started in the name of freedom has imprisoned the basic human rights of Muslims in Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt, Syria and where not. The country that created many refugees in the first place may now be denying them a home. Many Muslims who have lived in the US for generations are now living in absolute terror of being labelled as terrorists. I am sorry to say that today, I see a bleak future for my own daughter in a place like America, where tomorrow does not hold the bright future we all once thought it did. From Ms Fareeha Sultana UAE
Increasing hatred
It’s a product of the US’ own system of scrutiny. Every other person entering the US initially gets a background check. They want it to be more difficult for terrorists to enter the country and they have right to take action to do so, but Donald Trump’s idea to ban Muslims, as a community, will increase hatred amongst people against the US. From Mr Mohammad Omar Qureshi UAE Facebook comment
Freedom of movement
F irstly, you can’t tarnish everyone with the same brush, as much as that might make life easier sometimes. And secondly, it doesn’t stop extremists from attacking Americans who wish to travel the world. You could only ban them from entering the country if you then banned Americans from leaving, too. From Ms Rebekah Long UAE Facebook comment
Living in harmony
I support Muslims around the world. I live in a Muslim nation and we are coexisting in peace and harmony. There
are even large Christian churches in many Muslim lands. From Mr Simon Ras Mbogo Dubai Facebook comment
Kind people
W hat was the reason behind [Trump] saying such a thing? I have many Muslim friends in my home country and even abroad. They are kind and loving friends. From Ms Dandan Ello Salmiya, Kuwait Facebook comment
Spread peace
T rump shouldn’t be taken seriously because he doesn’t represent the entire US. Some Americans even see him as a clown. US President Barack Obama has already spoken out and defended Muslims. Let us all spread peace among people from all races and religions. From Ms Minn Chin UAE Facebook comment
No place in the region
A s an expatriate, I’m disgusted by Trump’s attitude and wish to back Muslims by not allowing him or his business in Islamic countries. If it’s not good enough for him to have Muslims in the US, then it’s good that the Landmark Group got rid of his products. From Ms Judith Cooke Welling UAE Facebook comment
A cruel man
T rump has proved he has extremist views, and seems to be a rude and arrogant man. He has also made racist statements. From Ms Asiya Al Edroos UAE Facebook comment
Falling from pedestal
I have been watching Trump since childhood, and always thought he was a good example of how one can become a billionaire and be famous. Frankly speaking, I was very fond of him, but the remarks he has made towards Muslims, despite having all the resources to know better, are unacceptable. We need to try to open our eyes and see what is really going on here. From Mr Ali Raza UAE Facebook comment
Save our cities
W orld leaders came together in Paris to hammer out a deal to halt climate change last week. Any sustainable solution will necessitate profound changes in the way we generate energy. Is it enough if we conveniently left the resolution to transitioning the global energy system from fossil fuel to clean renewable energy?
Individual choices may seem like an infinitesimal measure in the problematic sea of climate change, yet it is better late than never. Turning off the lights or choosing to use public transport instead of a car is the least we can do to save our cities. The crises we are facing should fuel efforts to start building better cities with public transportation and shared utility infrastructure. If the city’s design is a collective construct, then a feeling of responsibility rests on the shoulder of every urban citizen. From Ms Pranitha Menon Dubai
Games delaying progress
It’s a shame that the Indian parliament was stalled by the opposition party last week (‘Sonia, Rahul accuse BJP of vendetta’, Gulf News, December 9).
This was mainly due to the allegation made by the ruling party members when they summoned both Congress party president Sonia Gandhi and her son to court. Congress members claimed this was part of a political vendetta on the part of the ruling party, so they stalled the proceedings of parliament. This may affect the passing of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill. The BJP had a discussion with Congress on this issue. In the present scenario, will the GST bill be amended? Let’s wait and watch. From Mr K. Ragavan Bengaluru, India
More feminine leadership
I f you want to take an organisation to the next level, a strategy to consider, apart from the traditional approach, is to bring feminine leadership to the table. When I say ‘feminine leadership’, I don’t mean to exclude men, but to utilise feminine qualities, which dwell within both genders. Gender does not decide if you will be masculine or feminine in nature and history has many great examples of women leaders who had aggressive and masculine approaches in political and business management.
Men also have feminine qualities, like empathy, trust, collaborative inclinations and communication skills. It is similar to the Chinese philosophy of yin and yang, which shows how opposite forces are complementary, interconnected and interdependent when working together. From Mr Ali Al Aradi Manama, Bahrain
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