Letters to the Editor [Archives:2000/04/Letters to the Editor]

Just Ponder
Before you speak, LISTEN
Before you write, THINK
Before you Spend, EARN
Before you invest, INVESTIGATE
Before you criticize, WAIT
Before you pray, FORGIVE
Before you give up, TRY
Before you retire, SAVE
Before you die, Live.
Addile Ahmed Awdah
Women rights in Yemen
Women rights is a very sensitive and controversial topic in most parts of today’s world. But in Yemen this issue isn’t one of very great importance. It’s a well known fact that a majority of women in Yemen live under pathetic and appalling conditions. It is very sad that most women are not given their chance to pursue their education. In fact, most of them do not get further than sixth grade as far as their education is concerned. Most of girls are married at a very tender age which to me, is a form of child abuse! It’s unfair to them because marriage is an enormous responsibility to shoulder. I always ask myself “How can one bring up a child when she herself is a child?”I don’t know why men choose to exercise their dominance over women by depriving them of their basic rights but the only logical explanation I can come up with is that men feel threatened by educated and self-sufficient women so they try to bind the women to them by making them economically dependent on them. Finally, I believe that women do help indirectly in these faults, this is because they have hardly raised any battle. Instead they simply accept things. So, for all these women I say “please be more sure of yourself and trust yourself” let’s begin from this hour and “let bygones be bygones” In this moment I remind you that one crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age without name.” Now, the time is late, are you ready?
Kawkab Al-Gazali
Faculty of Arts –
Dep. of English
Dear Editor,
About six years ago, when Mukalla was suffering of lack of both water and electricity, I write this poem. At that time I was a student at Mukalla Collage (English department). The poem is about suffering. So I send it to you as a participation in.
Mukalla
Lack of water, lack of electricity
People cried what a country
They are about to go to cemetery
Knowing not whether it is a fate or tragedy.
Awaiting hope after a century
To grand sons not to the majority.
Neither to me, you nor to our family
What a bad atmosphere Makes you angry
But to me is good
Makes me write poetry!!
By: Abdullah Amer Moh’d Al-Jaaidi
Mukalla
Illiteracy
Our society suffers from various problems which hinder its growth and development. One of the most serious problems is illiteracy.
As an example I live in a building which consists of 22 flats.
In all these flats there are only three women who can read and write. Do you believe this?
They are all mothers and they have at least five children in each flat. When I ask them why they don’t join the illiterate classes, they say “when? There is not time!!!” But they spend the afternoon times in chewing qat, smoking Madaah and chatting. While their children play with dirt in the streets until late time in the evenings (even during the exam days), bothering the people and fighting with each other and sometimes bad accidents happen to them.
When their results appear which obviously are bad, the mothers cry and wonder why they fail. I really wonder how can we have a good future in our country if our generation is being raised up by illiterate mothers like these.
We need to eradicate this monster, illiteracy. We need to launch awareness campaigns to make these mothers aware of such dangerous results. We need to cooperate and we can do a lot of things. We mustn’t forget that these children whom we see every day in the streets are the future of our country.
Aswan Abdullah
Taiz

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