Letters To The Editor

Dupes and Gods8226; YOU hold no brief 8212; in the editorial, 8216;Gods don8217;t vote8217; IE, July 27 8212; for the armies of pros...

Dupes and Gods

8226; YOU hold no brief 8212; in the editorial, 8216;Gods don8217;t vote8217; IE, July 27 8212; for the armies of proselytisers, yet you strongly aver that 8220;choosing one8217;s religion is a bilateral compact even if the convert is plainly duped8221;. The fallouts of conversion are reflected in your series, 8216;Massaging Terror8217;, part I to III so far. The accompanying picture in part three says it all 8212; 8220;Converts getting trained at Arivagam,8221; reads the caption. The report further says that the mass conversions could be used as a potential bridge to terror. That happened in the NE region, where Indians are welcomed with hoardings saying, 8216;Indian dogs, go back.8217; What the MP state governemnt is doing is simply preventing forced conversions, in which converts are duped, and not banning conversion per se. Why should anything be wrong with transparent conversion?

8212; Kedarnath Aiyar, Mumbai

Thy head8230; anarch

8226; THIS refers the editorial 8216;Another head count8217; July 27. The workings of country8217;s politico-administrative system are shocking. We have an ethos where bureaucrats and politicians in their nexus enjoy kickbacks in defence deals; where some politicians support and help terrorists like Abdul Nasser Mahdani and organisations like SIMI to ensure themselves vote banks of a particular community; where secret agents of other countries can have an easy access to top secrets of the country8217;s arsenal and defence plans; and where terrorist organisations like the Lashkar-e-Toiba can infiltrate the Army. One wonders whether our democracy is not turning into a sophisticated anarchy.

8212; Ved Guliani, Hisar

West Asia8217;s contours

8226; THE Lebanon conflict is taking a very drastic turn, with Israel refusing to negotiate a ceasefire and Condoleeza Rice saying the search is on for lasting peace. Effectively the US Secretary of State publicly admits it is with Israel until it changes the contours of West Asia, at least in south Lebanon and Beirut. The assumption that Syria and Iran are supporting the Hezbollah, though logical, gives Israel and the US no right to fight a proxy war in Lebanon.

With the Israeli attack on the UN post resulting in the killings of four UN observers, the time has come for Israel to cease all military activities. If this attack was a result of an operational error, each of the 390 killings of civilians in Lebanon till now clearly goes to show that Israel has no ability to limit the strikes to what it claims to be Hezbollah targets. Israel should be disarmed. It has not shown maturity and responsibility in using its war machine.

8212; S. Kamat, Alto Betim Goa

Life stories

8226; THANK you for the 8216;185 Mumbai Life Stories8217;. Though painful, I read them so that we can be reminded that the terrorist attack on India is against its citizens, against us. We are not dealing with numbers but individuals here. Awareness will lead to a stand against terrorism, by the people and then the government.

8212; Anu Sangwan, Jaipur

Quota, Constitution

8226; THE state shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India, reads Article 14 of the Constitution. Nowhere does it mention quotas for any particular religion or groups. It is clearly mentioned in the Constitution that adequate support should be given to backward classes, not quota. Did our government ever think of providing financial support to economically backward people? No. The Centre has taken a correct decision by saying no to quotas for Muslims.

8212; Vinita Singh, Kolkata