Bush Is Coming

The mafia in the White House had not only run out of ideas but also phrases. Look at George Bush telling Osama Bin Laden, “America will find you,” and looking around, expecting the world to be impressed with his bravery and performance.

He made the same statement five years ago. In the time since then he has destroyed two countries and killed tens of thousands of people who had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks. None of the dead in Afghanistan or Iraq had anything to do with those plane hijackers than Barbara Bush had. Still they died in their homes and shops, smashed into nothing as bunker busters and daisy cutters tore into their mountains and fields. Bush killed with the clear knowledge that they were innocent and were dying for the crime of having no weapons they could defend themselves with.

In Iraq they died because their county has oil. In Afghanistan they died because it was in their country that America had paid Bin Laden and the mujahadeen to wage an American jihad against the Soviet Union. Look at the injustice of this. America never asked the Afghans if they wanted Bin Laden there. He was just settled there with all the money he needed, all the weapons his caves hold and with all the jihadists American money could buy. And then Bush leveled Afghanistan to find him.

After killing so many innocent people, Bush still has the meanness to tell the Afghans that he was coming for them again.

Saleem Abdullah, Dammam, published 22 September 2006

Women at Haram

It was gratifying to read the report “Women Welcome Rejection of Haram Prayer Proposal” (Sept. 12). Having spoken out against the original proposal in Arab News, I now add my voice to those of the many Muslim women and men who are thankful that the proposal to move the women’s prayer area away from the Kaaba has been rejected. We are pleased at the news that now women will have even more space allocated for their use within the Haram. I thank those who took this wise decision, and all those who encouraged them in this step to make women feel welcome at Allah’s House.

Jamila Hakam, Jeddah, published 22 September 2006

Women at Haram - 2

Our religion gave equal rights to both sexes in all matters, but our men took them away. The West always attacks the religion of Islam on the ground of women’s rights. Let this act of religious leaders show what Islam’s real approach is to our mothers and sisters.

Rafeequzzaman, Toronto, Canada, published 22 September 2006

Women at Haram - 3

Frankly, I do not think it is going to happen. My belief is that the statement came to calm the storm of protest that embarrassed the officials when the chauvinistic decision attracted the attention of the outside world. Now that the issue has been forgotten, the officials will do nothing about it. The only benefit I foresee is that women may not lose their present area in the Mataf.

Zainab, Jeddah, published 22 September 2006

Water Shortage

It was good to hear that the Kingdom was to invest SR262 billion in the oil and gas sectors. Considering the anticipated increase in demand and prices, it is a wise investment. But what about the other liquid we need, like water? People, even Saudis, can’t drink oil or wash their clothes with it. The same amount should be spent in setting up new desalination plants to end the chronic water shortage in major Saudi cities.

Nausherwan Erkin, Riyadh, published 22 September 2006

Violence in Protests

I believe that Pope Benedict’s comments on Islam and the Prophet were bigoted and came from an ignorant mind. I also believe that the Arab perception that there are Christians who see them as a people to conquer is not inaccurate. Hence I can appreciate the Muslim anger around the world.

However, if protests are to give us all — Christians, Muslims and all others — a better world, Muslims should be judicious in the way they register their protest. Violence, as in the case of the Danish cartoons, just hardens the hearts of Westerners and widens the distance between our religions and cultures.

If your protest is to make us all understand and empathize with you, please learn from Gandhi who threw off the yoke of imperialism to make India a great nation, or from Martin Luther King who changed a corrupt and malevolent system — without one act of violence.

If all Arabs held silent sit-ins to protest war or America or the pope, the Western world would look much differently on the Middle East. Look at Lebanon. We in America saw the civilians and children who were left homeless by the bombings. The images of these nonviolent citizens made much of the world look critically at the situation. In fact, Jewish leaders in New York protested against Israel while holding Lebanon’s flags.

Please realize that there are enlightened Christians who seek to not conquer but to befriend our Muslim brothers who are attacked and vilified. But when there is violence, it gets more attention than the cause at the root of it.

Ian M., United States, published 22 September 2006

Violence in Protests - 2

Maybe the pope was wrong on his view of Islam and Prophet Muhammad; I think he was. However, we in this part of the world judge Islam by what we see today. Whatever its history, the Islam we see today is a massive source of violence motivated by religion — against everyone, including Muslims. This ever-present violence in any “Islamic activity” has wiped any other notion of Islam out of normal minds.

That is why, while conscious of the hurt in Muslim minds, I tend to agree with much of what the pope said—about present-day Muslims.

Charles, United Kingdom, published 22 September 2006

Bush Is Coming - 2

Bush is not hunting for Bin Laden. He is faithful to the Zionist agenda. He has millions of Jewish Americans breathing down his neck, and he has to do what they tell him to.

Maureen, United States, published 22 September 2006

Battered Maids

The report “Battered Maid’s Sponsor Apologetic of Wife’s Behavior” (Sept. 12) prompts me to say once again that if Saudi women decided to get off their seats and do some house chores themselves, it would go a long way in solving many problems, not the least being putting some sense of responsibility into kids. But we do not live in Alice’s wonderland, do we? So, let us not look for the impossible. How about a centralized bureau of domestic workers where the maids would be registered? They should open bank accounts and the sponsor should pay the salary directly into the account. These accounts should be monitored and any misdemeanor on the part of the sponsor should be promptly dealt with. The woman in this present case was not paid for six months. That happened in a land where the Prophet (pbuh) said that a worker should be paid his wages before his sweat dries.

Feralli, Jeddah, published 22 September 2006

An Expat Problem

Congratulations on starting a new page in Arab News for the Malayali community. Now let me draw your attention to one important problem, Indian expatriates, especially the Malayali community, face in the Kingdom — higher education for their children.

The vast majority of the Indian expatriates in the Gulf are contract workers and belong to the lower income group; they should not be included in the NRI category because their financial position is not the same as the NRIs from other countries, especially from the US and other rich Western nations. We all know the NRIs in these countries are well placed socially and/or economically. They can afford to send their children to the best universities in those countries.

This is something Indians here can only dream of. One solution would be for the Indian authorities (both federal and state governments) to work hand in hand with Saudi authorities to have branches of Indian universities/higher learning institutions in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Education Ministry should look into this matter seriously and provide all assistance to solve this problem.

K. Bhaskaran, Alkhobar, published 22 September 2006

MILF Homeland

It is disappointing to learn that the negotiations between the government of the Philippines and the MILF over the future of Mindanao have not produced any positive result. It is a sad situation. The Muslim-populated area of Mindanao is abundant in natural resources such as natural gas, lumber, oil and petroleum. It has a hydroelectric power plant that supplies 90 percent of total electricity in the island of Mindanao. It is also a highly popular tourist center because of its extremely good climate and environment. The land is fertile and is suitable for any kind of crop. In spite of all these, because of the war, it has become the poorest area in the Philippines. We, Bangsamoro people, have lived through more than three decades of war and are tired of it all. We want to develop our homeland for our young generation. We want to build it like our neighbors have and live in peace. We want peace and not war. We can achieve lasting peace only through diplomacy.

We hope the government will approach the issue with sincerity and a commitment to end the bloodshed in he country.

Abubacar Solaiman, Madinah, published 22 September 2006