A Muslim man, centre, reads a newspaper as a Hindu man buys flowers from a vendor at a market in Belagavi, India, on October 7, 2021. AP
A Muslim man, centre, reads a newspaper as a Hindu man buys flowers from a vendor at a market in Belagavi, India, on October 7, 2021. AP
A Muslim man, centre, reads a newspaper as a Hindu man buys flowers from a vendor at a market in Belagavi, India, on October 7, 2021. AP
A Muslim man, centre, reads a newspaper as a Hindu man buys flowers from a vendor at a market in Belagavi, India, on October 7, 2021. AP


A great example of communal harmony in India


The National
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May 06, 2022

A benchmark of communal harmony

With reference to Taniya Dutta's report Hindu sisters donate land worth millions of rupees for Muslim prayer ground (May 4): what a wonderful thing to do, especially in these times. There are so many great instances of communal harmony in India. It would be wonderful to learn about similar instances. Personally, I would like to express my appreciation and gratitude to the Rastogi sisters. Not everyone would do this.

Azeem Khan, Ajman, UAE

An incredible gesture, to carry out their father's wish even though he didn't explicitly instruct them to do it. Their father set an incredible precedent, teaching the children the worth and value of community and communal harmony. We should not underestimate how much it matters that people live amicably. Togetherness matters. It's all about religious tolerance and peaceful co-existence. Hate will lead us no where. That is the true way of life.

Magez Khalid, Abu Dhabi

So many of us can learn a lot from the siblings' thoughtfulness and generosity.

Dipak Kumar Das, Bhubaneshwar, India

What does it take to wear a mask on a flight?

With regard to Hayley Skirka's article US CDC says travellers should keep wearing face masks on flights (May 4): honestly, it isn't that hard to keep a mask on when surrounded by so many people, and with such high chances of catching something, as at airports and on planes. One would imagine that people would want to take precautions after what we've seen in the past two years, and counting.

Bexala Lynn, New York City

Quick thinking at the Dubai airport

With reference to the report Mother welcomes new arrival after going into labour at Dubai airport (May 4): well done to the team at Dubai International Airport!

Srinath Sambandan, Visakhapatnam, India

It’s wonderful how the Dubai team helped her but she shouldn’t have been flying. I thought it was banned after 6 months or 36 weeks of pregnancy.

Linda MacConnell, Abu Dhabi

Johnny Depp-Amber Heard: the many witnesses and their varied claims

With reference to the report Amber Heard has PTSD from partner violence, says doctor at Johnny Depp trial (May 4): needs to be ascertained whether this doctor met with Johnny Depp to analyse him or did she just take Amber’s “impartial” word to make her diagnosis.

Nancy Frederick, Boston, Massachusetts

This doctor seemed rather unprofessional. She appeared biased from the start, priming the jury in her use of pronouns with respect to domestic violence; then showing extreme emotional involvement when recounting, in vivid detail and without notes, what was "told" to her.

Huda Al Hashemi, Dubai

Updated: May 06, 2022, 2:45 AM`