BARBARIC ACT

The news of a Muslim TV channel owner beheading his wife didn’t come as a shock. The murder of Aasiya Zubair Hassan cannot be considered an isolated incident of “domestic violence.” Roots of this tragedy are much deeper- 1400 years of Islamic history. If one studies the history of Islam, its origin, expansion and sustenance
have been steeped in violence and cruelty. It is considered politically correct to say that Islam is a peaceful religion. However, Islam was established by killing of thousands of tribal in what is today Saudi Arabia. For centuries after its founding, there was continual history of killings to usurp political power by warring factions. Islam spread by sword in the Middle
East, Europe and Africa. India was invaded by the followers of Islam and for close to thousand years. As we have seen, in the name of Islam most barbaric cruelties such
as beheadings are perpetrated even today.
-- Vineet Joshi, New Jersey

HIGH TIME INDIA REACTED
Pakistan waged an open war on the Union of India sans any provocation militarily to its citizens’ safety or security or in any mode of territorial aggression in designs. This is a war crime by any international standard or rule. Still, as a nation India is begging Pakistan to accept its fault and in turn receives only denial after denial in regular intervals. This should be stopped. The only option is to convene the Indian Parliament and declare a war in defending India and avenging the loss of life on 26/11. Asking Pakistan questions is irritating the common man in India. It is time the Indian government took action militarily and wiped out the terror networks in Pakistan.

-- J Sreenivasan, Connecticut

GANDHIJI’S BELONGINGS SHOULD BE NATIONAL TREASURE
Gandhiji would be turning in his grave seeing that his sentimental objects have now become a cash cow for the greedy lot. Indian Government finally realized that it should bring Mahatma Gandhi’s spectacles, sandals and other materials to India.
At least we can do that for our father of our nation. It is our national treasure. Tipu’s sword was rescued by Vijay Mallya. It was outrageous to know that these items were eventually become a part of some unknown individual’s personal collection. If Gandhi’ji did not have as many possessions, then shouldn’t these items be part of our national heritage and find a place in an Indian national
museum?

-- Jyoti Nigam, Atlanta

JINDAL CAN’T DO AN OBAMA
Republican Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has been among the Republican Party’s brightest stars in a party searching for a strong competitor to Barack Obama in 2012. However, his performance delivering the party’s response to Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress turned out to be a damp squib despite being hugely publicized. Republications were expecting it to be like Obama’s moment in 2004 when he spoke at the Democratic
National Convention and gained immediate national fame. But it was a flat delivery. He sounded more like on his pre-governor campaign days where he harped about his immigrant roots. Certainly not his greatest oratorical moment. He has been criticized for his folksy delivery on a crisis issue, his lack of new ideas and his labeling of Obama’s stimulus package as “irresponsible.” Some even said he was “amateurish.” In making frequent references to his family, Jindal left few doubts
that he was using his GOP spokesman role to promote his own presidential candidacy.
This probably did not sit well with other Republicans with their eye on the GOP’s 2012 nomination.
-- Sujit Diwanji, California