Letters — Maternity leave for working women

This refers to the report “Ministry warns employers,” (July 24). It is very sad that some employers do not give due consideration to the genuine issues of working women, because of which women in Saudi Arabia face a lot of hurdles in employment. No country can progress if the domain of women’s employment is not fully maintained. Nowhere in the world do women who marry or are pregnant are fired from their jobs. As a matter of fact, this is not a good sign of a country’s progress. In India, if a woman is pregnant and is due to deliver, she can take a month and a half leave from her job without being fired. A similar pattern can be adopted in Saudi Arabia. No doubt, the labor law gives clearcut instructions with regard to maternity leaves. If employers are found violating and jeopardizing women’s employment, then a strict action must be taken against them so that it acts as a deterrent factor for other employers who want to act in the same fashion.
If a pregnant woman takes a maternity leave, her responsibilities can be assigned to temporary job seekers or colleagues until she resumes work. Also, women working in lingerie shops should not be looked down upon by other Saudi people. They should not be thought as ‘needy’ persons.
(Anees Lokhande, Alkhobar)

Death of a superstar
A very Anand-esque Rajesh Khanna lived life to the full - in real life as well in reel life! His many films, wherein he played fatalistic roles, are memorable, the most notable being "Aradhana," which catapulted him to cult-status.
Still holder of an unparalleled record fifteen consecutive silver jubilee hits, his was a feat that should have been eclipsed by today's "crore" box-office stars.
His death brings to an end a golden era of romantic cinema, where the hero held sway, and stories and scripts epitomized Indian life in its pristine era.
A legend has passed away, and together with the recent deaths of Shammi Kapoor, Dev Anand, Joy Mukherjee and Dara Singh, the matinee stars of that era, are bidding adieu, one by one! (A.R. Modak, Johannesburg)

Conflict in Arakan state
A number of readers have raised quite justified concerns over the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Burma. However, I was taken aback to see how social networking sites are being bombarded with hate material supported by concocted pictures of Muslims massacres in Burma. Some of these pictures are modified, or in some cases, are not even edited but only retitled from events elsewhere in the world such as the insurgencies in Thailand and Tibet-China. Previously a number of organizations have used such tactics to fan hatred and prejudice against other communities in the world. Prevailing tensions between the Rohingya Muslims and Rakhine Buddhists have been ongoing for decades. There were several riots in the colonial period. There are a number of Muslims living elsewhere in Burma but not facing any state-sponsored persecution. Therefore the problem in the Arakan state needs to be viewed in its historical perspective.
A brutal junta has been ruling Burma for the past many decades and it has indulged in inhuman oppression of most of the communities and ethnic groups including the Rohingyas. Now Burma is moving back to democracy; we shall expect that in due course all the ethnic groups will win their rights — a pre-requisite for any nation's integration. Inter-communal and ethnicity-based tensions are not new to this region, whether it's India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka or Afghanistan. In all these countries you will find communities coming face to face due to a lack of resources and economic hardships.
We shall not blindly believe whatever is being posted on social media. Let's try to find out the facts by ourselves. Don't be swayed by whatever is on the Internet. (Masood Khan, Jubail)

Saudi dentist
This refers to the article by Mohammad Murad about Saudi dentist Dr. Abeer Al-Namankany. Dr. Abeer has an academic career that makes Saudi Arabia really proud. She has won several clinical research awards and is a known speaker in many international conferences. The use of colorful coats while treating patients helps in decreasing the fear and anxiety of a child who visits a dental clinic or a hospital, as well as that of elderly patients. This is called white coat hypertension, an increase in blood pressure levels due to anxiety and fear on seeing the doctor wearing a white coat. (Dr. T. G. Nikesh, By e-mail)