Letter to editor

• A compilation of few letters written by myself published in local news paper.
  

Gulf news 28/9/05 (www.gulfnews.com)

Survival of humanity

• If the contracting company is not able to pay wages on time, it is unfit to be in the business. Also, if the market is unable to pay money to the contracting company for the job done, the company must stop the work immediately and the government should expedite the process to rehabilitate the handicapped market players. The question here is not about the system but survival of humanity and human rights.

-From Mr A. GhoriAbu Dhabi

Khaleejtimes(www.khaleejtimes.ae)

Issues and approach to faith

• 26 September 2005
• WITH reference to your article ‘Liberating faith, rigid followers’, I think you have missed certain dictums from our book which clearly state that Muslim women and men should be modestly dressed. Now, the question is, how modest is modest? I think the dress Sania wore at the US Open left nothing more to the imagination and was certainly not acceptable if she claims to be one who follows the faith. I am a great fan of Sania and I believe she has the capability to reach the top 20 in the world. Being a tennis lover and player myself, I appreciate her game and am proud of her achievement. About the question of the so-called scholars giving out a fatwa, I agree with you, the members of the community have to put their heads down in shame. The prepostrous statements of the so-called ulema does not speak for the majority of Muslims. We need not be too liberal like the Westerners, which is against our faith, but a somewhere-in-between solution could be found, to keep pace with the world and at the same time not to be left out.

— Ahsan Ghori, by e-mail

Gulf news 11th sep 2005,(www.gulfnews.com)

Pride and prejudice

• President George W. Bush says he will not ask for help but will accept any help that comes from anywhere.
  What is the problem if he asks for help? How can one think of ego at a time when the country is reeling from a disaster?
  When calamity strikes, we realise how interdependent we are on one another.
  That is the reality. However, as time passes and with our short-term memory, we soon forget all this and are back to our 'normal' self and our false ego.
  That is the irony.

- From Mr A. Ghori,Abu Dhabi

Khaleej Times: 10th Sep 2005(www.khaleejtimes.ae)

The ‘superpower’ too is vulnerable
10 September 2005

• WHY would the world’s richest country accept donations, but not ask for it. Isn’t it false pride? We proclaim we are independent and proudly brag about being so. We go on with our life until some sort of calamity strikes us and makes us realise how interdependent we are with one another. However, as time passes, our memory being short-term, soon we forget all that and are back to our so-called normally abnormal selves. Right from the things we eat, walk or drive to work, each and every activity is linked to a system of dependency. Even our life depends on another person. Take for example you are driving to work and though you are a good driver, for you to reach the destination safely, your life depends on how good the other person drives or follows the system. Nevertheless, if nothing unfortunate happens and you reach your destination safely, you feel elated about your driving capabilities. You even proclaim that you no longer have to depend on anyone to reach the place, but the fact is you are dependent on the machine that you drive and so many other factors. You think you are independent, but in reality you are not. You are actually interdependent. A ‘feel-good’ factor is always there when you can satiate your ego by saying I am independent. That is the irony. All are interdependent and not independent. Even after your death, you are dependent on another person to dispose of your body. The world will be a better place if we all accept the fact that we are interdependent and not independent. I feel the term ‘independent’ should be removed from our vocabulary as we all need each other. Katrina, nature’s fury, taught us a lesson that I hope people won’t forget, especially the so-called superpower.
  

— Ahsan Ghori, Abu Dhabi

Khaleej Times(www.khaleejtimes.ae)

Letter to Editor

• Suspicious spouse
  29 July 2005
• I WAS really taken aback on reading the KT report of a Syrian barber beating his second wife to death for standing in the balcony and that too after 10 pm. This kind of cruelty is beyond comprehension in this modern age. The poor lady must have suffered silently since her marriage.There are many such suspicious and narrow-minded husbands who enjoy treating their wives as slaves and beating them up as and when they like even for silly reasons. It's high time that men and women are given equal status, and encourage victims of such atrocity to report it to the authorities, failing which they get away scot free. Hope this "wife beater" gets the punishment he deserves so that others are discouraged from acting in this way.
  — Name withheld on request
  
  
  
  Response
• Suspicious spouse
  2 August 2005
• I REFER to the letter, Suspicious spouse, (KT July 29). I agree that it is barbaric for a man to beat his wife to death. But if the second wife of this Syrian man had obeyed her husband's advice, not to stand in the balcony or peep through window unnecessarily, she would have fulfilled her husband's wishes and command and then she would be alive now and her husband would not have ended up in jail. In married life, it is expected that both the partners take the advice of each other in the right spirit. In my view, every man is suspicious and narrow-minded in dealing with the issue concerning woman. No man is a saint. When a man looks at a woman, his look is always lewd, if the woman moves freely, it gives him wrong signals. A woman standing in the balcony or peeping through window or roaming without any purpose will always be giving wrong signals to a man. Can any man deny my contention?
  
  Kamal by e-mail
  
  
  
  Response
• More on ‘suspicious spouses’
  3 August 2005
• THIS is in response to suspicious spouse, (KT, Aug 2) by Kamal. I agree with Kamal when he says " in married life, it is expected that both the partners take the advice of each other in the right spirit." I personally feel this Syrian husband was insecure in his second marriage, and probably he felt his young wife will cheat on him. Perhaps, to show his actual control on her, he resorted to beating her black and blue. Unfortunately, the outcome was fatal. If their marriage had been based on love, trust and respect and if this Syrian man had acted in a mature way he wouldn't have landed in cell.May be, suspicion is the basic instinct of human nature, especially in a relationship concerning love and marriage but it is essential to force trust in our minds before falling into the trap of suspicion, which comes very easily in anyone's mind. I am sorry to say that this Syrian man was very possessive and violent, and it is this nature that landed him in jail.

— Sneha Stephen, Dubai

******

• WITH reference to Suspicious spouse (KT, Aug 2) , I must say that I am shocked to read the preposterous statement that 'his wife should have fulfilled husband's wishes and command'. Then he goes on to say that 'advice should be taken in the right spirit by husband and wife. I wonder, how he put the blame on the dead victim, and that too for not obliging to the narrow thinking and chauvinism of her husband, who eventually murdered her? To me, anyone who kills his wife for seeing her on the balcony is a monster. What kind of civilisation is this where women cannot even look out from the balcony or breathe fresh air. I feel pity for the women who need to take permission from their men to even look out from the balconies. I guess for people like Kamal, the only purpose balcony serves is for drying and hanging clothes. I would like to inform him that in places like Abu Dhabi there is a penalty for hanging clothes in the balcony whereas there is no penalty or fine for looking out from the balcony.

— Ahsan Ghori, Abu Dhabi

******

• THE 'suspicious' man's place is definitely in the prison. I am referring to the Syrian man who beat her wife to death for standing on the balcony of the house. People who are guilty are more suspicious. Moreover, man is supposed to be stronger than the woman, so it is expected that he should be tolerant.
  — Dr M. Bhaijee, Michigan, USA

6 August 2005,KT

• I REFER to Suspicious spouse (KT, Aug 2), I would like to advise Kamal that he should not see the world from his eyes only. The world is full of different kind of people hailing from varied background with different cultures. To say that all men and women should behave in the way he likes is going a little too far and speaks of ignorance. The way to remove this kind of ignorance is to travel around the world and understand different cultures, to learn and listen to others. If we do not see other places or try to learn about culture of other people, and think that whatever we know is all that is there in this world then we would only be spreading bigotism.If we want to be open-minded then we will have to learn about the world around us. In India itself there are some communities where a woman is allowed to have more than one husband. This practice is going on for years and no body has questioned it.
  — B. John, Chicago
  
  

Khaleej Times13th July, 2005(www.khaleejtimes.ae/)

Letter to Editor

What’s faith got to do with it?
3 July 2005

• WITH reference to your article ‘Why link terror to religion’ (KT, July 11, I agree with your comments about the misconception. But then again, I feel Muslim clerics and leaders should strongly condemn the terrorists with no buts. These only portray them in such a way that the Muslim Ummah have a soft corner for the terrorist actions as a reaction. I think we should distance from the terrorist completely and no justification for terrorist actions shall be accepted or given credence. Moreover, as fatwas are issued against those who desecrate the religion of Islam and teachings, they should also be issued against these terrorists who, as you rightly say, do not belong to our religion. They quote scriptures for their actions and the clerics should strongly come out against this. The problem here is because they quote the scriptures for their actions which is misconstrued as the belief and faith of the people who belong to Islam by others. Hence, the term ‘Islamic terrorist’ I suppose, whereas other terrorists whom you mention in your article never quoted the scriptures. We also have to look into ourselves and correct the wrongs. It’s time all are treated as equals with no discrimination. It is time for introspection, but at the same time, we do not agree with the western media and the hype they create. I feel Islam is the best religion with the worst followers.

— Ahsan Ghori, Abu Dhabi

My Note- Would like to see the world where Politics & religion segregated,where people love people just as humans nothing more nothing less.

Gulf news-13th July, 2005(www.gulfnews.com/)

Letter to Editor

• I've heard enough of these bombings, killings, hatred and terrorism. The smiles on people's faces are fast disappearing. Why don't we have a World Peace Day like Father's Day, Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. It is time the world addresses this issue to give peace a chance. At least give it a try.

From Mr A.Ghori ,Abu Dhabi

Editor's note: Peace Days, in one form or another international or world are declared on occasion by the UN or other respected bodies

My note- Feel helpless about the happenings in this world.I am a peace loving guy.

Khaleej times-4th July, 2005

Letter to Editor

No basic facilities, 4 July 2005

• COMPANIES are ready to pay fines instead of stopping work. Fines have minimal effect as the authorities already have a taste of it, trying to impose it on speeding vehicles. Instead, if responsible contractors are asked to stay in the hot sun for two hours every day, outside their cool AC cabins, I think they will better understand the plight of labourers and shut their vocal cords for two months until the temperature settles down. Isn’t this a humane approach? I believe so.
  

— Ahsan Ghori, Abu Dhabi

My Note-my feelings about the poor labourers & how they are exploited

Gulf News, 30th may,2005

Letter to the editor

Noble work

• I am a parent of a special-care child living in Abu Dhabi
  The school held its annual day function recently. While watching the performance, I observed the expressions of the audience and was choked with emotion seeing them smile wholeheartedly and applaud in unison whenever a child, with great determination, walked up after stumbling to the stage to perform.
  When the parents went up to the stage to sing with the children, I could only think how lucky we are to have the Indian Ladies Association which provides special care for children. Hats off to the staff.

-From Mr A.Ghori,Abu Dhabi
My note-She is my daughter SAFA a cute one.
She is Down syndrome girl. Please Pray for her health & for us to bring her up the best we can.

Response

Gulf news, 1st june, 2005

• They need us

I attended the Indian Ladies Association Special Care Centre's open day and I agree with Mr Ghori("Noble work" Gulf News, May 30). Every child's performance was magical, thanks to the dedicated staff and volunteers who work for months towards this special day
A very special school with very special staff who do an incredible job in caring for the children who attend. If anyone is looking for a worthwhile cause to support, look no further.
These ladies are in dire need of funds to help them to continue to brighten the lives of many special children and raise awareness for the plight of special needs children in Abu Dhabi

From Ms D. Long,Dubai

Khaleej Times-5th May
Letter to the editor

Visa woes

• MY MOTHER applied for a visit visa to the UK on 2nd May at the UK embassy, Abu Dhabi for a visit to her son and family. She waited for four long hours before being called for the interview, and then the visa was rejected. The reason given by the visa officer was that she was going to the UK to look after her son’s kids and is not going to come back to the UAE as the son in the UK is earning more money than her son here. The officer never realised that being a widowed mother, she was entitled on compassionate grounds to stay with her son as his dependent. Also, she chose the UAE because the weather in the UK is too cold for her to bear. I fail to understand how a 67-year-old lady is going to look after the son’s kids, when in reality, it is she who has to be looked after and also why a 67-year-old would want to jump visas and live illegally there. Can’t comprehend the thinking of visa officers and how they are they trained to refuse genuine cases. The UAE, being a compassionate country, granted her the residence visa.
  

— Ahsan Ghori, Abu Dhabi

My note-My mom got visa in her second attempt.The letter did have an role to play as the officer enquired about the letter & explained the reasons for rejecting her visa to me.