War Drums- Asianage - February 14' 07

Sir, With reference to Seema Mustafa’s India has lost a friend (February 10), once again the war drums are beating and numbing our thoughts and actions. This starts at a time when we are still unable to comprehend fully what is going on in Iraq which was attacked under false pretext. The sectarian war there is consuming innumerable innocent lives. As for India-Iran friendship, it was not long ago that during the pre-Independence era, Varanasi was a centre of Persian studies. The mild, subtle and romantic Farsi was widely spoken in northern India, flavouring Urdu by adding innumerable words to its vocabulary. The trade that flourished between Iran and India was voluminous. The Tatas trace their ancestral roots to Persia. Another notable name, the Hindujas, made their wealth through investment in Iran. Both nations were deriving many benefits from these close ties. India did make a breakthrough in the India-Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline talks when Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar was the petroleum minister. It is a pity that now questions are being raised about India-Iran relations.

Yasmin Banu
Abu Dhabi, UAE

Why this day? 6 January 2007- Khaleej Times

I WAS among the millions of viewers who were dumb-founded to see Saddam Hussein facing the gallows without offering his Eid-Al-Adha prayers. The way the execution was carried out was demeaning. When the kangaroo courts categorically decided to sentence him to death. Why did the government of Iraqis select this day to carry out the court verdict?

- Yasmin. B, Abu Dhabi

Gruesome murders in Noida - Khaleej Times - 6 January 2007

THE gruesome murder of innocent children in Noida, India, would never be a way to start a new year. Once again, it explains that complacency on the part of the police force who never relented to the requests of the victimised parents.The suspension of two police officers in the lower strata of the hierarchy could never diffuse the tension and agony of the parents, nor the compensation package received by them could ever emancipate rid them of the trauma. It is impossible to comprehend the fact that the police officers were not ready to lodge an FIR (First Information Report) when news of the missing children was brought to them.Are these children of a lesser god as their parents come from humble backgrounds? Is the position of an incumbent of an equalitarian society above the law of the land? How are the state and Central governments going to react to the dereliction of duty from the state police force?The hue and cry of the public is very much justified, as it was again not the police that sprang to action but the public that did the needful.

Yasmin Banu, Abu Dhabi

Letters to the Editor : Asianage

Sir, Your editorial Desperation within (February 2) succinctly brings out the state of the nation. The recently concluded World Economic Forum meeting at Davos, Switzerland, showcased India as a nation that is an ideal destination for foreign direct investment. The question that automatically comes to mind here is whether we are over hyping our nation as a global destination for FDI, just because our annual growth rate is more than 8 per cent. Is the world really viewing us as an economic giant? Let us not forget that India has many problems and it is addressing these problems superficially. India still has a huge number of poor people. Poverty is an area of serious concern. The country can have a booming Sensex, and can be an international IT hub, but quintessentially, India’s is an agrarian economy. More than 60 per cent of the population depend on agriculture for their livelihood. The suicide of farmers in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh is a serious issue. The kidney-selling racket has been going on for years. Farmers’ apathy should not take such a turn that it takes the form of a national crisis. We definitely have a lot to learn from the American Depression of the Thirties, and the Bengal Famine of the Forties.

Yasmin Banu
Abu Dhabi, UAE

January 20, 2007 - Gulf News
No justice

The gruesome murder of innocent children in Noida, India, once again explains the complacency on the part of the police force ("Parents of dead children given money", Gulf News, January 3). Is this because the children and their parents come from a humble background? How are the state and central governments going to react to the dereliction of duty by the state police force? The hue and cry of the public is very much justified, as it was again not the police that sprung to action but the public who did the needful.

From Ms Yasmin Banu,Abu Dhabi

Letters the Editor : Asianage
Dereliction of duty

Sir, Your editorial Forgotten people (January 15) categorically focuses on the plight of the people whose lives were transformed when on December 26, 2004 several giant waves hit many Indian Ocean nations. It is painful that even after two years of the disaster they have not been properly rehabilitated. Worse, this situation is something not unique to India. Every nation that was affected by the tsunami has similar tales to tell. We thought enough money had been given to the tsunami affected countries by various governments, NGOs and people around the globe. Why is it that the money stays unutilised or underutilised? I think sometimes it is the public that has to react when it sees such dereliction of duty on the part of government officials.

Yasmin Banu
Abu Dhabi, UAE

Deccan Herald - Letters to the Editor

Needs condemnation Sir,

Watching former Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein on the gallows (without offering his Eid-ul-Adha prayers) was demeaning. He was a leader of a nation prior to its invasion. Though one can’t take away the tyranny he caused, especially annihilating his own people and halting the progress of his nation, religious sentiments must be respected. The day chosen for his sentence – Eid that commemorates sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim and Prophet Ismail – is sacrilegious and deserves condemnation.

Yasmin Banu Abu Dhabi, UAE

Letters to the Editor : Urdu and english - Asianage

Sir,
After reading Syed Iqbal Hasnain’s Muslims need more than madrasas (October 4), I can say that it is rather surprising that even after almost 60 years of independence, the Muslim community is still not part of mainstream India. If that is truly the case, then it is high time the community woke up to the fact that it has to be part of India’s progress. As for Urdu, the language is now associated with Muslims, when the truth is that Urdu has its roots in Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic and Turkish. It grew and flourished in India in its entirety and was spoken by a vast mass of people, and not just Muslims. The Muslim community in North India must ensure that madrasas teach both Urdu and English.

Yasmin Banu
Abu Dhabi, UAE

Letters to the Editor : Asianage
Zidane’s head-butt
Sir, Even though a week has passed since Zinedine Zidane head-butted Italian defender Marco Materazzi, to the bewilderment of millions of his fans, who were following the beautiful game and a footballer whose style of play is more ethereal than that of the Brazilians, many questions still persist. Whatever be the provocation, was it right of Zidane to head-butt another player while the game was still on? However, if Zidane’s action is inexcusable, there is no way that we can justify Materazzi’s act of using racial abuses against Zidane. After all, sport is not just about winning trophies, or showing the supremacy of one nation over another. It is about diluting man-made borders. Also, it is sad that all this happened at a time when FIFA’s avowed aim is to eliminate racism from football.
Yasmin Banu
Abu Dhabi, UAE