The bragging youth

This refers to the article, “Bragging about sex and respecting social norms” (Oct.27).

I believe that the judgment passed on the bragging youth is correct. This should serve as a warning to all youngsters in Saudi Arabia who think like him. I have lived in Saudi Arabia all my life, but now I am pursuing my studies overseas. There is not a day when I wake up and thank Allah and my parents for bringing me up in Saudi Arabia. This country has taught me to respect women and treat them with respect.

However, I believe that the TV channels should not be criticized as much because they have helped bring this behavior to light. There is nothing new in the behavior of this youth. Many young men talk like this among their friends, which is disturbing and disgusting.

Bringing one of them to justice would have opened the eyes of many people and made others who want to do something like this think twice.

Asim Bukhari, By e-mail, published 30 October 2009

Sir Syed Day

This refers to the report, “AMU alumni mark Sir Syed Day” (Oct. 27).

Muslims of the subcontinent fell into despair after the failure of the mutiny of 1857. It was at this critical juncture Sir Syed Ahmad Khan appeared on the scene to give a new hope and sense of direction to the Muslims. His weapon was education.

In 1875, Sir Syed founded the Muhammadan Anglo Oriental College in Aligarh and patterned the college after Oxford and Cambridge universities that he had visited on a trip to England. What he had in his mind was a college in tune with the British education system but without compromising the Islamic values. The university gave rise to a new educated class of Muslims who would serve as a catalyst for change among the Muslims of India.

The revolution the Aligarh Muslim University brought in the lives of the Muslims of the subcontinent is part of Indian history.

Asad Khan, By e-mail, published 30 October 2009

Defeat Taleban

Whether it is an attack on a market place in Peshawar (Oct. 28), thronged by women and children or it is an attack on army headquarters or educational institutions including the recent one on the Islamic University in Islamabad, all should lead to one conclusion/ resolve and that is we have to fight back and defeat the Taleban. There is no time for the blame game, to blame the US or the army for helping create these destructive forces in the first place. Time has come for the Pakistan government, army and general public to declare an all-out war on the forces that are bent upon turning Pakistan into Iraq or Afghanistan. Most important, the army needs to desist from treating some as good Taleban as against bad Taleban, some to be preserved for future use while others to be destroyed as they have challenged their creators. Double game is not going to help anyone anymore in the region.

The most important front on which Taleban need to be confronted and defeated is ideological. While most of the mosques and madrasas are under the active control of religious and sectarian groups, no sustainable progress can be made unless these groups stop providing open or coveted material, political and ideological support to the Taleban.

Masood Khan, Jubail, published 30 October 2009

Useful role

It is good that you publish articles and reports highlighting the failures of administration and exposing the loopholes in the system, corruption in government departments. You also draw the readers’ attention to the lack of facilities in colleges and schools. I am sure this would force government departments to improve their performance and root out corruption. Such reports should motivate people to approach the authorities with suggestions for improvement. This may also encourage them to voice their grievances through newspaper columns.

Dr. Syed Nehal Ahmad, By e-mail, published 30 October 2009

Overstayers

This refers to the report, “NSHR worried over plight of overstayers” (Oct. 29).

We know overstaying is illegal and the presence of a large number of young men and women without jobs is a threat to social order. Some of them may fall into the hands of anti-social elements. At the same time, we should view the problem with compassion. Poverty or unemployment or both back home might have forced them to migrate. Most of them would have stayed back if they could provide basic needs to their families. So the government and the Islamic Ummah should find a way of helping them without encouraging more people to use the Haj or Umrah to get into Saudi Arabia and stay here illegally.

Rafi Aminola, By e-mail, published 30 October 2009

Fake parts

This is in response to the report, “Fake parts main cause of accidents” (Oct. 29).

One solution to the problem may be for the government to open separate outlets from which we can purchase genuine parts. Now every shop has two types of spare parts (Japan and China). This is the case even if you go to a shop that sells genuine spare parts. An ordinary customer will not be able to tell the fake from the original. There should be some special shops from where everyone can get the original parts easily and quickly.

Mohammed R. Nawaz Khan, By e-mail, published 30 October 2009

Blair should not be EU president

I am a British expatriate on a short assignment in the Kingdom. I could not agree more with your editorial and the article by Mark Steel (Oct. 29) regarding the possible appointment of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to the post of EU president. But the background to this is deeper than you have exposed. During his period as prime minister, when he ruled through a small and closed clique, reducing both the houses of Parliament to little more than a talking shop, making political appointments to key civil service posts and stuffing the upper house with his supporters, approvals were given for a number of purchases of key British assets by other European countries: BAA (British Airports — Heathrow, Gatwick, Aberdeen etc.) by a Spanish group for about 10 billion pound sterling paid with 5 percent deposit and remainder in debt, which the airports still struggle to pay down, British electricity companies by French authorities and prestigious UK British automobile manufacturers by German companies. What do you suppose the quid pro quo for this munificence may be? Could it be support for a future appointment? The man already has a proven track record in paving his future path by selling his country out — Britain as subservient to the US foreign policy under then President George W. Bush. Blair is loathed by a substantial portion of the British public. How can he be stopped? I can only hope continual exposure of his hidden manipulations will swing sentiment against him!

Michael Hey, By e-mail, published 30 October 2009

Banks and sin

This refers to the report, “Decision on payment to workers soon” (Oct. 27).

The report said the General Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques has refused to transfer salaries into the bank accounts of 500 employees, claiming it was sinful and went against Islamic teachings.

If transferring salaries into the bank accounts is sinful and goes against Islamic teachings then what about the payments made to the contractors who build mosques? Don’t they know the electricity bills of mosques are paid through banks? Everything used in the renovation of grand mosques was purchased through bank checks. Are we to suppose that every payment made through bank is sin?

Ahmed Faraz Rao, By e-mail, published 30 October 2009