Crime of Beggary

Thank you for publishing Zainy Abbas’ story “Beggary Assumes Horrific Proportions in Makkah” (Oct. 4). Steps should be taken to fight this evil, realizing the seriousness of the issue, which is not charity but organized crime. A systematic approach must be developed to fight the crime of child amputation. Criminal gangs should not be allowed to abuse children and, using them, abuse the compassion of Muslims.

It first started with illegal immigrants from Africa, with South Asians following them. Recently Egyptians who come to “perform” Umrah have joined them. It is an easy operation; a lot of money for lying and cheating. This abuse is not confined to mosque doors; it has spread to storefronts, malls, workplaces, and even the doors of our homes. We are accosted as we leave home and as we come back, by different gangs. It was not such a long time ago that we did not have this problem in our society in such big a scale; they were a few who approached you for a handout, but they were persons in need, not gangs running a business. In the past five years, organized gangs have proliferated, especially in Makkah and Jeddah. You see African beggar communities — illegal but carefree — walking down the main streets of Jeddah, feeling safe and secure in their numbers, congregating on Al-Rawdah Street. Incidentally, these illegals have an economic reason to have many babies; it increases their earning ability.

As for their leaving, why should they? Life is good in Saudi Arabia for legals and illegals; why should beggars leave if no one is bothering them?

A Concerned Citizen, Jeddah, published 9 October 2006

Menace to Pilgrims

My wife and I returned home after performing Umrah and visiting Madinah, just a few days ago. While the treatment we received from the government and Saudis was very hospitable, we must say that we encountered serious problems caused by expatriates, mostly Pakistanis, employed in various sectors in Saudi Arabia. In all our visits, five so far, we have experienced their use of aggressive tactics to extract money. We give reasonable tips for services, even though we know that they are employed to serve pilgrims and are paid for it. It is unpleasant to be dictated what tip you should pay.

Wheelchair services are provided by the airline on advance request. We arrived at Jeddah airport on the evening of Aug. 16, and my wife needed a wheelchair. The wheelchair pusher, a Pakistani, would not accept SR5.00 as a gift, but demanded more. We were not paying his wages; the airline does that. Next we faced a trolley-pusher, who muscled his way into handling our bags despite our telling him that we did not need his services. He pushed the trolley with our luggage anyway. As usual, he demanded more than what was given. It was the same with the taxi driver and hotel service workers, all Pakistanis.

This, I understand, is a well-organized racket where other expatriate employees get a share of the profit. When, on our way to Madinah, we reached Jeddah airport by a taxi, a man started, without even asking our permission, loading our bags into his trolley and took it to the checking counter. I gave him SR5 but he demanded SR10. When I brought this to the attention of the officer at the check-in counter, he told me that I should pay the trolley man the amount he had asked for. When I refused, the officer made me wait for almost one hour at the counter, while he checked in others who came after me. My wife and I were the last to be checked in; he did not give us adjacent seats and did not provide wheelchair for my wife. She had to walk all the way to the bus.

Why would he do that if they were not running a racket and he was not getting a cut from what the trolley man collected?

K.K. Maqbool, Sacramento, US, published 9 October 2006

Iraq’s Future

What Iraq needs is a leadership that will tell the Americans where to go and what do with themselves and who is bold enough to have faith in his own people and is daring enough to rally them despite the high probability of being killed by some nut. The only man in this position is Moqtada Al-Sadr. With the backing of his militia he has some degree of protection from terrorists. His main objective at present is to develop a policy of cooperation with the Sunnis and to rein in his supporters from going off on their own. He has done it in the past. What he needs to do is to clarify his position not only nationally, but also regionally and globally.

The major challenge for Al-Sadr, as well as for Al-Maliki, is to get the Americans off their backs and out of their country. This must include the embassy and its staff as well. As long as the Iraqi leadership lives in fear — promoted by the occupiers — they will continue to be the lapdogs of America. Al-Maliki illustrated how slavish Iraqi leadership can be when he, while addressing the US Congress a few months ago, capitulated to the American position that the new Iraqi government would not survive without continued American troop presence.

Jerry Copeland, United States, published 9 October 2006

Teaching in Ramadan

I feel I should add a few points to those made by Ali Al-Zahrani and Raid Qusti in their report “Teaching During Ramadan Is Tough” (Oct. 4). I have lived in Jeddah and now reside in Turkey. The difference is astounding. In Jeddah, during Ramadan, night is turned into day. Naturally, after a full night, people are too tired to work and go to school as described in the article. In contrast, here in Turkey, people live a normal life. They sleep at the proper time, apart from waking up to take a small meal at 4 a.m. before they begin their fast. They go about their work normally and work a full day. They do not talk about fasting; just quietly get on with it. Often, those who are not fasting are not aware that others are observing it. Many people fast but those who do not are not required to restrict themselves in public. In short, the country functions normally during Ramadan, with no loss of working or education hours.

W.E. Kirk, Turkey, published 9 October 2006

Teaching in Ramadan - 2

I’m a Christian teacher working in an all-Muslim university in Dubai. We are on shorter hours with reduced teaching time for Ramadan. However, my students are awake and participating in their courses because I make it interesting. I’ve increased class discussions during Ramadan and that keeps everyone “with it.” Involved students won’t sleep in class; bored students will, regardless of the month or day. And any teacher who talks for more that 15 minutes straight isn’t teaching anyone anything. So, get your students involved in an interesting activity. You might be amazed at how much they learn.

Suzanne Ryan, Dubai, published 9 October 2006

Dollar, Cart and Horse

In his letter “Muslim Cart and Horse” (Oct. 4) responding to Dr. Zakir Naik’s call to boycott the dollar, N.A. Mirza showed that he understood the cart-and-horse story very well, but not money matters. Mirza raised the following question: what if the US refuses to pay in any currency other than its dollar? Apparently, he had not read the Sept. 27 report completely. If he had, he would have found the answer to his question there itself. The report quoted Naik as saying, “Now if someone insists on dealing in dollars, then make sure you change currency as soon as possible. When you change the currency then the banks will send the dollars back to the US.” Naik was saying that you might still deal in dollars, but convert the currency into another soon after obtaining payment.

Saleha Tahniyat, Hyderabad, India, published 9 October 2006

Palestinian Dead

Condoleezza Rice caused nausea when she advised the Palestinians to stop “the infighting that has claimed the lives of 12 people.” Does she not know that the “infighting” started over the way to end an American-backed occupation that has killed thousands of people? What Rice should take note of is the number of Palestinians that Israel has killed. We all know the reason Hamas cannot deliver on its promises — because the Yankees have withheld all money donated by the friends of the Palestinians and Israel has withheld the taxes it collected on behalf of the Palestinian authority. The Palestinians elected a democratic government. Now Rice is asking them to make a choice. They know what America has done with their earlier choice.

Margaret Walters, Jeddah, published 9 October 2006

Governments and Trust

Your report “Revive ME Peace Talks” (Oct. 4) quoted Condoleezza Rice blaming the Palestinians for not electing a government that the international community could place its trust in. That condition makes me wonder: the Americans have a president the rest of the world does not put any trust in. That cannot be news even for Rice. Who can put trust in people like George Bush or Dick Cheney? The world finds them offensive in other ways as well. Both behave as though they were president and vice-president of the world, even though the world did not and would not elect them. The Americans elected the two because most of them are ignorant put their trust in their TV sets. That situation really scares me when I consider how ignorant are the people in whose hands our lives are.

Bettina Sack, Argentina, published 9 October 2006

Recognition of Israel

The report “Haniyeh Vows to Prevent Civil War” (Oct. 4) shows how desperate the situation is for the Palestinians. What is so hard about recognizing Israel’s right to exist? I fail to see the logic in not recognizing Israel and establishing a comprehensive peace in the region. It would appear that Hamas, which is supported by Iran and Syria, does not want peace, but continued misery for the Palestinian people. Hamas should open its eyes and see who the real enemy is. It may come to realize that it is not Israel, but the radical Islamists who threaten regional and world peace.

Richard Bruce, New Jersey, USA, published 9 October 2006

Nuclear Double Standard

The report “Iran Offers New Nuclear Plan Amid Sanctions Threats” and the threat of Western powers against Iran should tell us that the war is already on. Every one of us should join it and fight for justice. We should not agree to surrender our right to prosperity and defense. The war launched by the West on Iran is entirely based on double standard. It aims to kill our spirit of resistance. Countries that are financially and militarily stronger are denying weaker countries the right to become like them. We either collectively get rid of all nuclear weapons so that no country will possess them or let all have them.

We are living in a time when double standards have become the arbiter of ethics. Let us not forget that if double standards had not been the rule at the UN, there would have been peace in the Middle East a long time ago. Remember UN Resolutions 138 and 242? What happened to them?

Umbisa K. Gusa, Kenya, published 9 October 2006