Letters to the Editor [Archives:2001/06/Letters to the Editor]

Dear Editor,
I read with great admiration your response to those yahoos with half brains who had the audacity and gall to intervene and requested you to abandoned your duty as a true professional journalist and to mislead your readers, your public and indeed your country because you are reporting facts, true stories, and events as they happen in Yemen.
The reason I read the Yemen Times or any paper in any event, is to hope and expect, that what I will read is true, honest and undiluted. I appreciate the fact that you and your staff at the Yemen Times are doing your very best in providing your public and the public abroad with honest and unbiased journalism, and for that I raise my hat to you.
Nageeb Ali Aziz.
[email protected]
Nanaimo, Vancouver Island.
British Columbia, CANADA.
Dear Editor,
It is a pleasure to email you from abroad. I would like to thank you very much for providing us with the update news about our motherland, Yemen. The Yemen Times has really proven to be the window through which most non-Arabic speakers get exposed to the seemingly unknown country. Moreover, it is the only newspaper to which one can easily get access. Therefore I hope that you devote some specific pages to serve as A WINDOW ON YEMEN. This hopefully will help a great deal to let people in other parts of the world know more about Yemen and its culture.
Hameed Yahya Al-Zubeiry
[email protected]
Dear Hameed,
We will be studying this possibility. Thank you for your valuable feedback..
Editor
Hope is on the Local Council Elections
I remember that in the period shortly before the unification in 1990, people were hoping that the future would be bright under the unified flag. But unification was followed by a dark period of instability and political turmoil, which they hoped, would end with the general election of 1993. But again the Yemeni people were disappointed when the secessionist war broke out in the summer of 1994. A war in as much as it left the economy exhausted, it showed the greatness of this people when they stood as an irremovable rock against any attempt to divide them again. After the war the gap between the social classes kept on increasing with the rich getting richer at the expense of the poor. This hardy people kept on hoping that the situation would improve after the 1997 election. But the government brought to power by that election did little to improve the condition of the poor class, which constitute the majority of the population. The presidential election revived the hope of the people as they saw the determination of the president to fight corruption and introduce new reforms to the political structure of the country. People thought that if the government translated this willingness on the part of the president into action things would get better. Some progress was achieved but it did not rise to the level of the peoples expectations. Now again the Yemeni people are preparing themselves to participate in the forthcoming local elections hoping that it may set the foundation for a better future. Let us hope that this election will be another democratic achievement for this great nation and that things will get better.
Abulrahman al-Huthaify
[email protected]
Delhi, India
Dear Editor,
I just could not go on reading the Yemen Times and not thank you all for providing such a valuable and merit worthy service.
We Yemeni expatriates can log-on to get the latest goings on in our country. I sincerely hope and pray no restrictions and bureaucracy impede the ability of the Yemen Times to report news as, when and why it happens.
Ishra Al-Aidroos
[email protected]
London, UK
Dear Editor,
I am a constant reader of the Yemen times newspaper. I now live in Canada so its the easiest manner in which I may read about the happenings in Yemen.
Having been a former resident of Yemen, I am very disturbed by the idea and views the Yemeni public holds towards HIV or AIDS.
HIV is now being viewed with greater concern in Yemen. However, the battle and research angle taken by those concerned with HIV, is outrageous. The Yemeni people it seems, still view the spread of HIV in Yemen as being the fault of the Africans immigrating to Yemen in search of a better life and better job opportunities.
The most disappointing issue, brought to my attention, is how the Yemen Times, a widely read newspaper is encouraging these views rather than presenting a new outlook on HIV, such as how HIV can be prevented, by taking into consideration the secret and unspoken rise of prostitution, unsafe sex and poor living conditions in Yemen which can present and encourage other STDs.
In my opinion, as Yemen Times continues to gain support and interests, it must be aware of the messages it sends out to those reading its contents, especially concerning controversial issues like HIV. Not only are the Africans being accused, but also they are victims of such stereotypes and by allowing and encouraging the Yemeni people to believe that they are guilty of such accusations, will only increase the chances of innocent immigrants getting wrongly accused and disliked for the wrong reasons. So if the Yemen Times holds factual data and collects information concerning HIV and the cause of its spread in Yemen, I hope that it will in future not make accusations such as However, the flow of people to Yemen, especially from the Horn of Africa, considered to be one of the most infected areas, should be taken on board. I make this comment because there are many reasons why HIV can be spread and the Yemeni people only seem to focus on one reason, and that being that Africans spread AIDS.
So I ask that the Yemen Times would please consider my comments because rather than stereotype, Yemen Times must inform and educate its readers with new facts rather than spread stories told by those coming from the wrong sources.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
Gamila Borges
Dear Gamila,
We used available factual statistics and data in preparing the report, and intended to accuse none of our African brothers and sister. However, we still are happy that you are following up news through our newspaper, and will surely consider your comments.
Editor
Whos Ready to take the Challenge?
Theres just no point in arguments on whether united or divided we stand or fall.
The great challenge ahead is:
– To improve the life of the ordinary Yemeni in the streets of Aden and Sanaa, let every citizen get a chance to be employed or to work in his own business (every person has a right to the basic necessities of life).
– To provide education (quality education) to the children and youth of Yemen whether in the East or West.
– To give the people of this country the freedom to choose the system of government and the leaders. The issue is not whether the citizens of Yemen realize the benefit of the vote or not (if they dont learn today, they will learn tomorrow).
– To convince all those thousands of Yemeni millionaires and billionaires to invest at home for the benefit of the economy of this country.
– To bring once and for good, true peace in all parts of Yemen. Congo is becoming more secure than Yemeni these days. What a SHAME!
Whos ready to take up the challenge? We all are. Unfortunately, we all lack the resolve to serve the cause of prosperity. Take your chances and make a resolve to do your best to make Yemen a better place. After all it is the only place where we can truly be at peace. This is the land of our forefathers, may Allah have mercy on their souls and reward them for the sacrifices they made for such a wayward generation that we are today!
SALEM SAID
[email protected]
Dear Editor,
I think there was a typographical error on the story about queen Sheba. AD, which is now, called Common Era or the year of lord. The queen of Sheba stories should be in BC or before Christ or before the Common Era as people prefer.
Regarding whether the legend of Bilquis, I read in Saudi magazine by a renowned Saudi scholar that the land in story of Solomon in Quran is not Yemen but north Arabia. He refute all notions of Saba (Sheba ) to be in Yemen because the Quran mentions thatthe people of Saba worship the sun, wile the Yemenis used to worship the moon.
Secondly I believe the legend of Makeda of Ethiopia was fabricated by the church in Ethiopia after the people converted to Christianity. The artifacts in AXUM the ancient Abysinan town which was around 400 bc tells that the ruler of that land always claim they are the ruler of himyar saba nad dhu raydan. Which clearly link the abysinian to the ruler to Yemen.
Ayoub Hassan
[email protected]

Dear Ayoub,
As for the AD typographical error, you are correct. We unfortunately had a technical error that replaced every BC to AD, and we did place an apology on this weeks issue. Regarding the other point, in fact this is the objective of the whole article: to debate, discuss and come out with different approaches and opinions.
-Editor
Dear Editor,
I have read your article which titled That is Who We Are! and I honestly and totally agree with you. We are not going to hide our mistakes from others just to seems nice in their eyes and wen they come here they got shocked by unexpected things. Moreover, how can we tell them later that the things had really changed and encourage them to see the differences when they are seeing the same style of reports either today or ten years before. If we are a shame of our actions then, we have to find someway to prevent them of existing at all.
It is obvious that your newspaper get the credibility because it always says the truth no matter how bad is it. If you chose to post the positive news only in your newspaper then, you might not get the trust and the popularity that you have now among those huge number of readers. I really dont think that we need the good impressions only as much as we need the right ones.
My best regards to you and to the all journalists in your newspaper and wish you all the good luck.
AL-Mufadhal
[email protected]

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