Multiculturalism in Canada

I do not wish to enter into a futile debate with Francis Andrew. From the published opinions I find that most of the readers of Arab News including me do not agree with his outdated right-wing views. It would appear that knowledgeable contributors like Corcoran, Paul and others are wisely withholding rebuttals so that the space is available for other readers to air their opinions on issues bigger than Andrew’s daily peeves.

I am an Afrikaner of Dutch origin who migrated to Canada in 1996 and can tell Andrew many things about white race supremacy, dominance, draconian laws and Christian values. Many of us had similar beliefs as Andrew during the dark periods in South Africa. We also considered the natives as “parasites” same as Andrew feels about the immigrants in Britain. Fortunately for the humanity, Nelson Mandela changed the mindset of the most ardent of the racists. Now I know that “apartheid” was wrong and much good could have been achieved by integration and multiculturalism.

Yes, integration and multiculturalism can coexist. Canada is a shining example and prides itself on being a mosaic and rich tapestry of different cultures. I certainly have learned a lot about different cultures since I moved to Canada and have enriched my understanding of other people around me.

Andrew is most welcome to call me a “liberal left-winger”. Late Pierre Trudeau, the greatest prime minister of Canada and now Barack Obama has been labeled the same by the losers. Politics aside, one can opt to stay aloof and thus ignorant but that will be a sad choice. Andrew can spend a bit of his time to “interconnect” with the natives and enrich his life in addition to writing letters, rebuttals and more nasty letters to newspapers on a daily basis.

Steve Deleede, Ottawa, Canada published 18 April 2009

Water crisis in Riyadh

The Hai-Al-Wizarat area behind Marriott Hotel in Riyadh is facing severe shortage of water. This started weeks ago and residents are suffering like anything. We request the authorities to intervene.

Mohammad, Riyadh published 18 April 2009

No end to bloodshed?

Each day we wake up to the news of a devastating terrorist attack in some parts of Pakistan. Is Pakistan going the way of Iraq? Each morning the media people ask political leaders the same question and the latter give the same answer. But this is not going to end the bloodshed.

Sadiq M. Contractor, Jeddah published 18 April 2009

Malayalam channels

Abdul Razak Kanyan should be grateful for missing his favorite Malayalam (this is a palindrome) channels as Indian politics has nothing to proffer. Living in the Middle East, I do not see a sense of connectivity with Indian politics, and Kanyan does not pay taxes to the Indian government to enjoy his channels and soaps. However, Kanyan has an option to subscribe to the paid news channels or follow up the latest trends in Indian politics on the Net. And no matter where a Keralite is located, he can never be far from his own. Keralites are an institution with their multitasking skills, literacy and their fluency in Arabic. They are hardworking, honest and stay together as a community. You are not missing much. Malayalis by themselves are mobile channels of communications.

Stephen B. Gomes, Dhahran published 18 April 2009

Enough is enough

With a new government in Israel, the world community must send a clear message that the Jewish state should accept a two-state solution to the Middle East problem. What the world wants is real peace, not Benjamin Netanyahu’s nonsense about “economic peace.”

The world community must pressure Israel to the extent of threatening a rupture in diplomatic relations if it continues to dilly-dally. This will not be easy, given Israel’s stranglehold on US administration, Congress and Senate.

This is how and why Israel has managed to defy world opinion for so long. It is about time to correct this and if the world unites they can do it. The American people also have a lot to answer for when they have such an external power controlling their destiny. The invasion of Iraq was for the benefit of Israel. And all these war cries against Iran are also at the behest of Israel.

Israel now controls an area twice the size it was granted under the UN partition plan. These lands must all be returned to Palestinians.

Zafar Raja, London, UK published 18 April 2009

Sabarmati incident

I support the call by an independent committee of senior national human rights activists in India for a full inquiry, preferably a judicial one by a judge of the high court, into the government handling of the beating up of 22 inmates of the Sabarmati Jail in Ahmedabad on March 25 this year. The inmates, most of them Muslim, who were on a hunger strike, were denied medical attention after a brutal attack on them by jail staff, which left at least three of them unconscious for so long as to start rumors in the city that they had died. They were subsequently denied access to counsel, their relatives were refused permission to meet them for three days, and then the Sabarmati police station failed to register an FIR as sought by relatives and counsel of the victims. The incident involves gross violations of the jail manual and human rights norms established by the courts and the NHRC. It only reinforces the image of Gujarat as a state where the human rights of religious minorities and weaker sections are not honored.

Even if the inmates were the accused in bomb blasts case as the police claim, the jail staff has not right to attack them. The human rights activists say the new jail superintendent has stopped long standing practices of taking ill and injured inmates to the civil hospital, provision of highly specialized medicine and curtailed other rights. This is what forced the prisoners to go on a highly publicized hunger strike.

Muhammad Bashiruddin, Ahmedabad, India published 18 April 2009

Good and bad news

The good news is that Iran is showing encouraging signs of its intention to resolve the nuclear row. As against this comes the bad news from North Korea. In a defiant response to a UN condemnation of its recent rocket launch, North Korea has said it will quit talks on its nuclear program. It has described the UN statement as an “unbearable insult” and has threatened to restore the disabled nuclear reactor while ordering the UN nuclear inspectors out.

North Korea has been going back and forth on its promises on its nuclear program. Persuading the North to dismantle its nuclear facilities and to return to six-party talks is impossible without China’s concerted pressure. Bush and Blair went to war with a country that did not have any plan to manufacture nuclear weapons but took no action against the North that did have one and made no secret of it.

In the meantime, we welcome President Ahmadinejad’s conciliatory speech in the Iranian city of Kerman. Iran’s readiness to forget the past and build a new relationship with the United States is something that will please many in the region. However, we believe, Israel and its supporters in the US will try everything in their means to sabotage any reconciliation between the two old enemies. We hope that the US president will not miss this golden opportunity to renew the good old friendship of both countries.

S.H. Moulana, Riyadh published 18 April 2009