May I draw your kind attention to a book review titled “Whose Role Models Are They,Anyway?” by Farzana Versey. The book is authored by Ms. Shehla Rashid.
https://countercurrents.org/2024/12/whose-role-models-are-they-anyway/
Shehla Rashid’s debut book “Role Models: Inspiring Stories of Indian Muslim Achievers” (Penguin Random House) provides no answers, for there are no questions asked.This compilation of simplistic essays, interviews, and third person accounts lacks cohesiveness. And that’s the least of its problems. Although far from a stellar list – writer Salim Khan’s foreword and musician A.R.Rahman being the exceptions – it isn’t even an ode to role models, but to ‘Viksit Bharat’, ‘BetiBachao’, ‘Amrit Kaal’; there’s a chapter titled “Why Prime Minister Narendra Modi Is My Role Model”.
Farooq AbdulgafarBawani
Rajkot, Gujarat, India
Cries in the Wilderness
That the so-called civilised democratic nations – the U.S. and its western allies are complicit in the genocide being perpetrated by Israel in Gaza and the failure of the United Nations for over 14 months from stopping the killing of innocent civilians, including women and children, should make all peace-loving people to realise that there is no such thing as ‘the global order’ in the present times.
The institutions like International Court of Justice, International Criminal Court and Amnesty International which denigrated the actions of Israel have remained as the cries in the wilderness.
Syed Sultan Mohiddin
Kadapa (A.P)
Extradition Policy
It is just and right that India would be seeking extradition of designated ‘terrorist’Arsh Dalla who is said to be the de-facto chief of the Khalistan Tiger Force of Canada. India’s spokesman has confirmed that Dalla is a proclaimed offender in over 50 cases of murder and acts of terrorism, including terror financing. Given Dalla’s criminal record, India has expressed hope that he will be deported from Canada to face justice in India and the demand is reasonable.
At this juncture, one is reminded of a similar request made to us by the interim government of Bangladesh to extradite former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Mujib-ur-Rehman who has been given asylum in our country. It is reported that more than 60 criminal cases have been filed against her. She has also been branded as a ‘terrorist’ for causing a genocide in the country resulting in the death of 753 people before she flied to India. While we are right in demanding extradition of Dalla, how is it right on our part to deny the request of Bangladesh for extradition of Hasina?
Tharcius S. Fernando
Chennai,Tamil Nadu
All Hell to Pay
It was hard for us to make sense of US President-elect Donald Trump’s post on Truth Social in the nature of a threat that there will be “all hell to pay” if the hostages in Gaza are not released before his inauguration on January 20, 2025. Does the phrase mean a massive loss of life?
True to form, Trump kept a rogue tongue in his head and spoke the language of a bully. When “the more muscular than thou” President-to-be spoke of “atrocities against humanity”, he certainly might not have had in mind the atrocities and war crimes committed by Israel with US support in Gaza and Lebanon.
A statesman makes the world a safer (and more just and freer) place to live in. By stirring memories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and compelling us to visualise a nightmare scenario with his words, “Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long & storied History of the USA”. Trump does not inspire confidence in us that he will be a statesman and not be a hawk and a war-monger.
G David Milton
Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu