Letters to the Editor [Archives:2001/08/Letters to the Editor]
Dear Editor,
First of all, let me condole the relatives of the victims. I was disappointed when I was scanning the headlines of the newspapers in one of Dhamar’s bookshops. “Mosque Massacre”, the main headline of your “Yemen Times,” stirred up my curiosity because a month ago there was a similar incident, although the place differed. The latter incident concerned a Sudanese. I have read the report written by Hassan Al-Zayidi and despite the efforts of the reporter to find out the main reason, I think elections and constitutional amendments are not enough for a normal person to commit such a crime. I hope you will agree with me that your newspaper headline may be reckoned as negative evidence against our people. I mean Arabic nations, particularly those countries which are wrongly classified as terrorists or terrorist hosts. However you know better in cases like these and from now on I will be a close friend and devoted client of Yemen Times. So would you be so kind and accept my friendship?”When I do right nobody remembers, and when I do wrong nobody ever forgets!”
I’m also going to pose before you an important question and I wish you and your readers together would be able to find a reasonable answer. Why do the majority of Yemeni people carry guns? Carrying guns is a familiar appearance in Yemeni streets!! “don’t be surprised!” said my old colleagues who resides in the Republic of Yemen when he saw me raise my eyebrows in astonishment. But I am still waiting for an answer, why do almost all Yemeni people carry guns even in the streets of large towns? No one gives me a clear cut answer, even the carriers themselves. My surprise began to melt away when I discovered that every Yemeni citizen can find any weapon whatever its size, and found out that there are many markets for selling weapons without any permission or legal license from the responsible authorities. Despite my deep sorrow and bitter feelings when I read the report about the Amran mosque massacre a few weeks ago, I came to believe that such crimes are not unexpected. According to my point of view authorities can reduce the possession of weapons by issuing severe regulations preventing weapons from getting into citizens’ hands. They should impose high taxes on the weapons trade and permit certain people like herdsmen, businessmen to possess arms. You will agree with me that anything can be useful and at the same time harmful when misused. It is described as a double edged weapon. But I think it will be of one edge when it goes into illiterate hands. I am looking forward to hearing a reasonable answer.
Musa Hamid Mohammed
Anas Ibn Malek School, Al-Moshahazah
Dear Editor,
As a foreigner and a regular reader of Yemen Times, I wish to comment on your editorial column in issue 5 titled “That is who we are”. Of course, I am not commissioned to write for all the foreigners reading your paper nor could I claim knowledge of the impression your paper is making on them. I can therefore only express my own objective (or maybe subjective) view on the question whether the press must in any case build up a positive image of their respective countries. And in my opinion the answer to this question must unequivocally be “no!”The press, and especially the press of a democratic State, is under the only obligation of telling the truth. Certainly, truth is sometimes a bitter medicine, but which doctor with a sincere interest in the health of his patients would prescribe a remedy solely because it tastes sweet? A free press is the engine of the vehicle called democracy. It encourages those in power to act for the best of the society and educates the latter so as to make them well-informed and consequently committed and responsible citizens. A foreigner who gets a bad impression of a country the press of which is doing but its job is in fact neither a friend of this country nor one it would be desirable to make friends with.
If Yemen has gained the reputation of being a model of a newly developing democracy, a large amount of the credit is unquestionably due to the freedom of press. The process of solving problems starts unavoidably with their pragmatic identification and goes on with a controversial discussion within a pluralistic society. Consequently, lending a voice to all those who feel committed to the development of a society is of prime necessity and should therefore be considered a noble and praiseworthy task.
Let me conclude with an aphorism of the French humanist and philosopher Voltaire (1694-1778) which I think has lost nothing of its pertinence today: “I don’t share your opinion, but I would die in order to give you the possibility to express it.”
Edgard ARENDT, Luxembourg
[email protected]
A quick opinion on the
Jew’s candidature
We must not forget that Mohammad befriended many Jews and in fact, his diplomacy is what turned many Jews into Muslims. The great Prophet of Islam only waged war against transgressing Jews who broke their tryst. During the golden years of Islam, Jews served as viziers to many a caliph and contributed to a lore of knowledge…”for seek knowledge, even if you must go to China”. Now, about a Jew seeking a position in politics in an Islamic/Arabic country today, I am not sure. First, it is true that we must not judge based on a person’s adhering to Islamic shari’ah, how many of us are true Muhammad’s and practice our faith relentlessly? This is certainly between the person and his Creator. We must, however, take into consideration that Islam also calls upon us to reflect upon the state of affairs and in a time when Zionism is threatening the Islamic cause par excellence. I am not sure we want to be employing Jews in our country’s state of affairs because Islam does not divorce state and religion, though many Muslims and Islamic regimes no longer regard this as a truth or even acceptable. Furthermore, we are bound to Islamic principles first and foremost, not to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which I believe could be secondary to Islamic Shari’ah.
Should we employ Jews in our governments, when the Zionist Jews today are a hostile enemy to the Islamic Cause? Would the Pope employ a Muslim in his Vatican government? That’s somewhat sarcastic, but there is clear evidence in that sarcasm, even though being true.
Perhaps the government of Yemen should consider rewording its General Elections Law? It’s not a simple solution we require these days. Do we want good practicing Muslims with upright conduct to enforce our laws (is this not what each person should aspire to be, a good Muslim?) or do we want to take that out and replace it with a good person with upright conduct?
Well, in that case what would make us any different from any other non-Islamic country? I think that the problem lies in the definition of Muslim and being a Muslim and the relationship the state shares with the Islamic Law: you can not force Islam upon anyone, “no compulsion in religion.” But if we scrap all mention of Islam from our law, then we would lose all ties with our past and the principles of the divine decree.
Mohamed Hammoud
Dear Editor,
I have been receiving your e-mail news for some time now and notice that sport is somewhat overlooked in your country.
I would like to try and rectify this situation.
Did you know that Yemen has a representative in the professional 8 ball pool ranks of the United Kingdom? No? Then you will also be surprised to know that your country’s representative finished in the last 32 of the World 8 ball pool championships.
Brian Halcrow is 29 years old and ranked number 6 in the UK. He is at present trying to form a team which will represent Yemen in next years World Championships.
I would be grateful if you would publish my letter so that your readers may contact Brian if they are interested in pool. I must also add that Brian is planning a trip to Yemen sometime this year to scout for new players.
Anyone interested can contact Brian via the above e-mail address.
Dave Wright
[email protected]
Who Needs Democracy
This is a response to the ‘Devil’s Advocate’ column by Sharif Akram on issue 7 volume 11 entitled ” Why We Need & Why We Should Achieve Democracy in Yemen?”Because of the ideas of freedom of the individual and freedom 45% of women the UK are not sure who the father of there child is, 25 million homosexuals in the USA claim for equal rights. 52% of Americans voted for Al Gore but Bush was elected.
As Muslims our viewpoint on everything is halal (permitted in Islam) and haraam (forbidden in Islam). Democracy is when the shar’ia (Islamic regulations) is given to other than Allah (SWT). Is this halal or haraam? Does democracy emanate for the Islamic creed or from the secularist creed?
Abdullah Hamdani
Dear Abdullah,
We respect your opinion in this matter. We did submit the attached article entitled ‘Democracy in Islam’ to columnist Sharif Akram as you requested. Thank you for your feedback and letter. Please keep on sending us your opinions.
-The Editor
Dear Editor,
Firstly I thank the staff of YT for this great job. God bless you all. I am one of many admirers that this deep-rooted newspaper takes all of their time.
Because your newspaper is considered like food for the students who learn English language everywhere.
Every week all Yemeni students here and I in Guangzhou, China read the pages of Yemen Times on the World Wide Web. We are absolutely fond of your newspaper, especially me.
Gobran Alfotih
[email protected]
Dear Gobran,
I am glad that Yemen Times has a good readership even in China. Please know that we do all we can to rise to your level of expectation. Good luck in your studies and keep on following the news on Yemen on the WWW.
-The Editor
Why Can’t the next General Secretary be a Yemeni?
The Arab League, like other international organizations, is constituted of many states, all of them with equal rights and responsibilities, unless the charter draws up some privileges to some members like the VETO in the UN.
I was surprised when I read on Alsharq al-Awsat daily newspaper (2-11-2001) that Egyptian representatives refused this idea of equal rights. They insisted that the Arab league’s General Secretary must not be from any other Arab country but Egypt.
I would like to remind them that Butrus Gali, an Egyptian, had once become the General Secretary of United Nations after all Arab countries endorsed him. But according to their statement, the UN’s secretary must always be an American. With regard to the Arab world, it constitutes of Yemenis; Saudis; Syrians, etc., along with Egyptians. All of them have the same right to nominate a representative to become the General Secretary of the Arab League.
So, there should be no surprise when Yemen nominates one of it’s sons for this distinguished post. Yemen has all the right to do so.
Yemen is considered a guard of the Arab Peninsula’s southern gate. Yemen was one of the founder states of the Arab League. Yemen introduced an honorable and peaceful model in resolving borders disputes. Yemen has chosen many times with its Arab neighbors, peace and brotherhood over disputes and conflict. Yemen believes that there should be no loser among brotherly Arab countries. Therefore, it gave up all its historical territorial claims when signing border agreements with neighbors.
I would like to praise the Yemeni government’s moves in solving its disputes with its neighbors, and its call to coordinate well with all Arab neighbors, particularly Gulf States. I think that our country is mature enough to make its own decision in nominating a Yemeni to become the General Secretary of the Arab League.
I do wish the best of luck to our nominee, no matter who he is. What matters most to me is that he is a Yemeni.
Abdulrahman Mohamad Alwajih
Cairo, Egypt
Dear Editor,
Thanks for printing what I sent. You called it “Yemen: The Origin of All Arabs” That is not totally true. It should be titled “Yemen: The Origin of All Pure Arabs.” We are the forefathers of All Pure Arabs but not all Arabs. You can space out the paragraphs.
You put (Luay Ahmed Masood) please change it to Luay Ahmed al-Masoodi
Thanks again brothers and sisters at Yemen Times, you seem so receptive, accepting, diverse and open minded so I will try to send more articles Inshallah.
Luay Ahmed al-Masoodi
Dear Luay,
I also thank you for your contribution. I apologize for the inconvenience in the title change and name. Please be sure that we will be more than glad to publish your future contributions. I wish you all the best of luck.
– The Editor
Dear Editor,
This summer I went to Yemen for the first time with the myth that some Yemeni doctors did not graduate high school. When I went to Yemen.
I met three doctors that I would like to honor as Yemeni men of achievements. These three doctors are Dr. Fauid Saleh Nuralden, Dr. Hammoud Saleh Nuralden, and last but not least Dr. Yeaha Saleh Quied. These three men do not only perform their jobs as professionals but, go a step further by getting to know each patient on a personal level. Dr. Fauid S Nuralden owns his own clinic and has two Iraqi doctors working for him. Dr. Fauid is a well-educated doctor who always looks out for his patients and not his pocket. Dr. Hammoud S Nuralden, a dentist at Taiz makes sure his patients are always happy. Sometimes, he gives him or her a discount on medicine, sometimes he gives a discount on service but, the best thing he offers each patient is his bright smile. Dr. Yeaha S Quied, also works in Taiz but is different from the other two doctors. See Dr. Yeaha is what we call in America a big kid. Half of the people that visit him daily are not physically sick but come to his clinic to be cured mentally with his outrageous sense of humor.
I would like to thank the Yemen Times for allowing me to tell my fellow Yemenis and Americans about the kindness of these Yemeni doctors who impact the lives of their community with their great services and personalities.
Ghassan Amin Ahmed Alsaidi
[email protected]
Why Punish Iraq Further?
I have rarely been so ashamed of being British as I have been over their stance toward Iraq, and never more so than last night, when once again this government did the bidding if their American “partners in crime” and joined in the despicable missile attack on Iraq. This is already a country which has lost one and a half million people (mainly children) thanks to the barbaric sanction policy so hotly pursued and so dear in particular, to the US/British Governments hearts.
What you may ask are the reasons for this latest sudden and cowardly attack? Well they appear to be twofold. Firstly, America was becoming more and more alarmed at Iraqis show of support for the beleaguered Palestinians who they were happy to see also being slaughtered by their Israeli comrades, they were also concerned that Iraq was becoming stronger and more popular within the Arab world to the detriment of their barbaric sanctions policy. So this was in effect a flexing of muscle from the Texan cowboy now “leading” America, a message not only to Iraq but also to the rest of the Arab Leaders, to start towing the line or else.
Secondly, they were also sending a message to Iraq that when in future US/British pilots illegally fly over their sovereign Country and drop bombs on their civilians they better not have the temerity to respond!
It seems that the American Government are really losing their grip on Iraq if they have to resort to this kind of behavior, and it seems they have also learned nothing in all their years of experience in the Middle East if they think Iraq can be intimidated by their bullying, it hasn’t worked in ten years and it certainly won’t work now. Look at the Palestinians, 50 years of terror and bullying by the Israelis has made them ever more determined to fight their aggressor.
I sincerely hope that when that “Dads army” recruit, Colin Powell visits the Middle East next week he will learn in no uncertain terms of the displeasure of the Arab people.
The Kuwaiti and Saudi governments should also be ashamed for allowing their airbases to be used and abused time and time again to cause more misery and deaths to the Iraqi people. In fact shame on any country who shows support for this “hit and run” affair which the US are attempting to play down by describing as “a routine exercise”, If the world accepts this pathetic justification it will give them, and the British government the green light to continue the illegal bombing and genocide of the Iraqi people. This outrageous terrorist attack must receive unequivocal world-wide condemnation.
It’s time for all Arab Nations to band together and kick the US and Britain out of the Middle East once and for all, only when they are free from their unmitigated meddling will there be peace.
Jamil Al-Hadithy
United Kingdom
——
[archive-e:08-v:2001-y:2001-d:2001-02-19-p:./2001/iss08/letters.htm]
