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Thu, Feb 19th 2009, 16:57

Member deleted

Dear Times of India,

It is in fact appalling reading this text having social realities in India in mind, isn't it?

Islamism in India is a combination of an age old war against Pakistan and the lack of capability in order to prevent Islam becoming a catalyst for long outstanding opposition to the cast system that is still prevalent on the ground. I would like to ask the Times of India to hold its nose and not to search for the guilty elsewhere. India is well advised to search a solution in the triangle India/Pakistan/Afghanistan and on social welfare levels domestically.

Saudi Arabia is obviously searching for change but what about people from the lowest cast becoming prime minister?

Thu, Feb 19th 2009, 17:36

Eimear O'Casey, Atlantic Community, Platinum Contributor (156)

Samir Awwad,

The article is in no way a denial of the endemic and appalling social injustices in India. To suggest that the journalists here are somehow overlooking the need for welfare reform in their own country simply because it is not discussed here is unfair. Indian journalists and indeed Indians more generally are entirely free to criticize human rights abuses elsewhere, particularly when the country in which they occur serves as a model for other regimes. Furthermore, the nature of the rights violations which occur in Saudi Arabia are the product of quite different forces to those in India so a comparison would not have been entirely relevant.

I find the Indian press to be characteristically informative and bold, as evidenced by the recent arrest of two journalists from The Statesman for publishing an article which defended the right to criticize religion.
http://www.sindhtoday.net/south-asia/62393.htm

Thu, Feb 19th 2009, 18:46

Member deleted

Dear Eimear,

Another striking example and source for great concerns and underlines my position. A country that is forced to imprison people for criticizing religions, labeling the respective book/practices as oppressive, but appears as unable to discuss that topic faces a great challenge. How to implement freedom of speech and tolerance in order to develop the respective democracy? Where are the sources of such problems to be located?
Especially the Koran invites to discuss religion, so the issue mentioned by you should have not been discussed at court but together with Muslim scholars at the Op-Ed and Letter to the Editor pages of The Statesman.

Saudi Arabia has been labeled a sponsor of terrorist cells in Pakistan frequently. Especially Indian officials are a forefront distributer of such accusations. So I have the felling, somebody is searching for the guilty, aren’t they? Especially Saudi Arabia is going to play a major role as a broker among the key players of the region mentioned above. As we all face a crucial recession we should come together and search for failed strategies in the past. Soaring wealth is a main perpetrator of wars and conflicts, isn’t it?
As a close observer of Muslim and MENA affairs my impression is that Saudi Arabia is going to develop and affords in order to solve many problems in the region is exemplary against the background of difficulties yet to come.

In my opinion we should prevent developing countries to accuse other developing countries…

But you are right with my tone that appeared a little bit rough. The Indian press is informative and bold, yes…

I agree that soft power measures are more than necessary in order to fight terrorism; these methods are much more effective as we learn that training guns on terrorism only strengthens terrorism and finally serves its very own ambitions (see Afghanistan).

Saudi Arabia provides a wide range of successful soft power measures that fight terrorism at its ideological base; they are able to do so.