US Troops in Iraq

It should surprise no one that George “Bush Sees Troops in Iraq Beyond His Presidency” (Sept. 15). The whole idea behind the occupation and the murder and mayhem that followed was, as your editorial “Enduring Relationship” pointed out, oil. Oil will be there in Iraq beyond Bush’s presidency. So will be American troops. They will be in Iran too, beyond his and many other presidencies, if Bush and his neocon cabal have their way. America will keep killing until it secures the natural resources of all weak nations.

That is the American way of life. George Bush is committed to preserve it, as he has promised the world, even if it means disposing of every man, woman and child that does not agree with him with “collateral damage”.

The targeted part of the world has a choice — either enjoy US-approved democracy as collaborators and sell your country, or resist the evil and pay the price — and go down with the knowledge that you were cut down when you tried to justify your birth as a human being.

The present bloodbath in Iraq is inhuman and cruel. But let us not forget that, but for it with all its cruelty, American colonizers would have been, by this time, in control of all our lands. For all their crimes, the Iraqi resistance has served the cause of human dignity by standing up to marauders.

Muhammad Asad, Dammam published 19 September 2007

Pollution in Argentina

I would like to make reference to the edition of Arab News of Sept. 14, 2007. In the last page of this edition, a map of the world was reproduced quoting the Blacksmith Institute as the source and indicating the World’s Worst Polluted Places. Among others, it quoted the Matanza-Riachuelo River of the Plata Basin in Argentina. We recognize that the Matanza-Riachuelo River has a high level of pollution and the federal, provincial and municipal authorities are working to clean up those regions.

But it should be pointed out that the polluted region includes an area of 250 square kilometers in comparison with the whole of Argentina which has a total surface of 3.5 million square kilometers. Therefore, for the reader, it can be interpreted that the whole of Argentina is one of the most polluted places in the world, which is unfair.

Enrique A. Paareja, Amabssador of Argentina, Riyadh published 19 September 2007

Ramadan Cannons

This refers to Shadiah Abdullah’s Dubhai story “Ramadan Cannon: Tradition Still Alive” (Sept. 14). Having lived in Riyadh and Jeddah for 20 years, I have now moved to a small rural town in Turkey. Like Dubai, Alacati fires a canon to announce sunset. It also continues with another tradition that started before people had alarm clocks. A drummer walks through the narrow cobbled streets loudly banging his drum to awaken people to eat before Fajr; at the end of Ramadan he visits the houses to collect his “fee” for the service he has provided. It is a shame that such traditions have not been carried on in many countries. They are part of history and should be continued.

Wendy Kirk, Alacati, Turkey published 19 September 2007

Ramadan Cannons [2]

The report reminded me of my days as a child, about 50 years ago, in a village in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Most people in the village, almost all farm workers, had no watches. They began their fast and broke it when prayer calls sounded from mosques. But, in the days before amplifiers became common in mosques, the call did not reach all. For them, the signal was the cannon that announced sunset and Fajr. The cannon sounds came from the “palace” of the Zamorin, the former kings of Malabar, about 15 kilometers away from our village. There were also smaller ones in other localities, carrying the sound for shorter distances. We had a clock in our house. But we did not follow the timings it showed for breaking the fast, but waited for the cannon. When it boomed, there arose the wild cheers of us children, screaming with joy at the prospect of taking our first drink of the day. All the clocks and watches around cannot give me a fraction of the joy that the Zamorin’s cannons gave us in those days.

Abdullah K.C., Riyadh published 19 September 2007

Ramadan Cannons [3]

Why did this practice stop in Jeddah? I remember it being a huge treat for my children to go and see the cannon being fired. I really miss it.

Sherry Nassif, Jeddah published 19 September 2007

Role Model for Young

It was heartening to read about Azim Premji’s rise to the rank of one of the world’s wealthiest men, with a fortune of $17 billion. However, I was unhappy to see a publication such as the Wall Street Journal carrying the irritating headline: “How a Muslim Billionaire Thrives in Hindu India” (Sept. 16). The WSJ should know that India’s constitution defines itself as a secular state and does not have a state religion. Premji himself has rightfully asserted that he has always seen himself as an Indian. It is unbecoming to attach a religious label to his entrepreneurial achievements. He employs people of different religions, communities and nationalities in his company and all his charities are multicultural. It may interest the WSJ that among professional circles in India, people see themselves as Indians, not as Hindus, Muslims, Christians or Parsees. In this global time and age, it is an anachronism for us to base our professional and personal relations purely on religion.

Premji had to abandon his studies in the US when his father passed away suddenly. His growth from a raw youth to one of the richest men in the world should inspire youngsters across the world. It is professionals such as he is who should be role models for youngsters, rather than gun-toting terrorists. Premji’s message to the young is: the laptop will take you further in life than a gun. If the youngsters in the Gulf combined the oil wealth of the region with the entrepreneurship of Premji, they would banish poverty and disease not only from the region, but from the entire planet.

Rajendra Aneja, Dubai published 19 September 2007

War Games vs. Politics

Over the weekend, the Indian Air Force conducted a massive “realistic war games” exercise along the entire western front (Pakistan), focusing on launching a simultaneous attacks on multiple high-value enemy (Pakistani) targets. The exercise, code named Abhyas, started on Sept. 10 in which a large number of fighter jets, attack helicopters, mid-air refuelers, transport aircraft and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) took part.

In contrast, Pakistan is busy fighting the American-made war and has put its army in a never-ending conflict. Instead of resolving the Afghanistan-Pakistan tribal issue, it has adopted, under American pressure, a suicidal path of taking on its own people. The result is soldiers being taken hostage and bomb blasts right in the nerve center of the army in Pakistan. India’s idea is to hit the adversary so hard and mobilize the army so fast that before the world can intervene or the enemy can respond, to give it a big blow to break the backbone of enemy and get a clear advantage.

India is busy conducting war games and our army is busy playing politics. Gen. Musharraf should open his eyes. The man who literally scared the Indians so much during the Agra summit has now become so weak that he cannot even dare to stand against the hypocrisy of an untrustworthy friend such as America. He has been taking steps under the Americans’ “Do-more” mantra which goes against Pakistan’s own interests. Musharraf should start a dialogue with the warring factions in the tribal area. He should not make deals with corrupt politicians. Instead, he should allow a fair and free election in the country and hand over the government to a civilian politician and then focus on increasing Pakistan’s military might which is in very bad shape now.

Shah Affan, Toronto, Canada published 19 September 2007