Rash and negligence

D espite controls put in place to control speeding by mini-buses, the drivers seem to ignore the fact that it is easy to speed, but very difficult to control such vehicles in case of an emergency (‘15-car pileup on Shaikh Zayed Road’, Gulf News , February 22). With the drivers themselves being so rash and negligent, it is up to the passengers to keep an eye on the drivers and warn them to drive carefully for their own safety since in the case of an accident they will be the unnecessary victims. Even with the existence of speed limits and controls, I have seen many mini-bus drivers race against other cars, drive in the fast lane and even tailgate. I think harsh fines on drivers will be the only way to control them. It might ensure safe roads and it could save a few lives in return. From Mr Joshua Dubai Website comment

Ticket efficiency

W e all have seen how full or how empty the Tennis Stadium has been, especially during the initial rounds when the world class players were playing during last week (‘Simona Halep reigns at Dubai Open’, Gulf News, February 22).

It is not easy for a ticket holder to watch the matches from 12 to 11pm. For example, after watching a couple of matches, I felt like going home to take some rest. My daughter was very keen to watch the remaining matches, but with the present tag system, only one person can enter the stadium. This is a typical example of wasting a ticket.

I don’t think any of the players will be happy to see empty stadiums. I hope the organisers will look into this matter. From Mr V. V. Sukumar Dubai

Hurting Islam

D aesh is not Islam, and I think they are here to destroy Islam (‘Recruitment from Europe drying up, say Daesh men’, Gulf News , February 23). A very wellplanned and indirect method of putting Islam to shame and create hate against Muslims. These terrorists cannot be humans, as humanity is disregarded and they kill everyone with no discrimination. These terrorists should be stopped, and it should be done immediately. From Mr Parvez Abu Dhabi Website comment

Spreading terror

T his is completely against what our Prophet [PBUH] taught us. How can this take place in any Islamic country? This is total madness meant to spread terror. No, absolutely no. This cannot be allowed to happen. What are the Muslim leaders doing to stop this? From Mr N. K. Ali Karachi, Pakistan Website comment

Medieval torture

T hey are destroying the beauty of Islam. Recently they burnt more people and it is forbidden to burn people dead or alive. It takes up to 12 minutes for the brain to die. This type of torture is medieval, and it was banned by Islam for the pain it causes. Islam forbids us from doing it to our enemies, let alone to other Muslims. It is also forbidden to flaunt the killing of enemies. It is a sin as per the teachings of the Prophet [PBUH]. These Daesh militants will see justice in the end. From Mr Hamdan Abu Dhabi Website comment

Why so widespread?

N ice job by the firefighters, but does this news require so much attention (‘From my balcony I was shocked to see the tower ablaze’, Gulf News , February 22)? From CNN, BBC and around the world, this story has hit the media everywhere. There were 10 people who died in the Musaffah fire and three are still critical. It’s sad how society has rated the value of life based on financial background. CNN, BBC and Euronews are not interested. From Mr Jameel Dubai Website comment

A trend among students

F acebook is a social networking site that allows users to create accounts and communicate with faraway relatives and friends. It is mainly designed for adults to connect themselves with folks and colleagues abroad and cherish old memories. This purpose of Facebook is not often applicable for students these days. Students find Facebook as a mode of socialisation. It is the way to communicate and make friends with unknown people. When I have asked, students said that they get great pleasure each time they log onto Facebook when they think of the opportunity to make friends worldwide. Students are well aware of the danger that lurks behind their misuse of the site, but they were unwilling to stop using it. There are many people who make Facebook accounts with false identities for many malevolent purposes. Time and again it is teenagers who are targeted for all this. This is because the adolescent age is a period of confusion and anxiety. Teens often tend to feel that they are right. These days we see cybercrimes going on all around us. Nevertheless, parents are not strict about their children’s internet usage. From Ms Parvathi Sreeraj Dubai

Reduce and recycle

I would like to share my simple ways of trying to reduce the carbon footprint of my family. I absolutely hate plastic, hence to avoid borrowing plastic bags while shopping for fruits and vegetables from our local vegetable vendor, I carry my own nylon bags. Not only are they reusable for a number of years, but also they are easy to wash and good for storing vegetables and fruits in them because they are very convenient and hygienic.

These bags have been bought in my home town of Mumbai and they cost very little. It is just about Dh2 for three bags and it is almost equal to a bottle of soda. Through this letter I would like to appeal to the municipality of Abu Dhabi to set up more collection centres around the city so as to encourage everyone to participate towards conserving and saving the environment from further damage. From Mr I. K. Full name withheld on request

The climate of global politics

T he brutal beheadings of Christians in Libya is an act of total insanity that is truly revolting. Never in recorded modern history has man gone so crazy in the name of religion. It seems as though the world’s major powers are preparing for war. Global politics is now within a system that is based on power and the uses of power for supremacy of one nation over the other. Power is the prime mover and it is also the goal towards which everything in the global strategic arena gravitates. In these conflict zones, we find that there exists geopolitical rivalry and that all the combatants are caught in a classical imperial web of intrigue and expansionism.

The conflicts raging in Iraq, Yemen, Ukraine and Libya reveal that low intensity warfare has become a global strategic reality. It is evident that a new doctrine or counter-insurgency war plans are now in progress in these war-torn regions. Outright warfare will envelop strategic regions in a fireball of immense proportions. Religious fervour is the firewood that will set the area ablaze. This is the new arc of insanity. The combatants will conduct a scorched earth policy that will decimate the region for many generations.

It is clearly evident that brutal war with no constraints is the ultimate referent of the grounding principle of modern day politics. It is the grounding principle that ensures the enemy can either be neutralised or defeated. It is the basis upon which the suspicion and fear rest. It is the defence behind which nation states continue existing and competing. We are still at a loss to find conflicts of interest serious enough between the various nations involved to warrant the sacrifices and miseries of the savage conflicts raging across the planet. From Mr Farouk Araie Johannesburg, South Africa

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