Be extra careful when you travel abroad

Readers urge travellers to be extra cautious. Other topics: property fraud, Mohamed Nasheed

Readers urge people to be cautious while travelling to a foreign country. Courtesy WEWS NewsChannel5

The arrest of Ahmed Al Menhali in the US was unfortunate (Emirati describes arrest in US after being mistaken for ISIL member, July 3). I can only say that times are tough. I would avoid wearing traditional dress if it is so risky. You won't get time to explain when something goes wrong.

Julie Bir, Dubai

Emiratis should be discouraged from flying to Ohio. Ohio is not indicative of the rest of the United States.

Alexis Martin, Dubai

Not a golden age of travel

Your editorial Golden age of travel (July 3) was interesting. However, I think the golden age of travel was a few years ago, before terrorists started bombing airports and lunatics started shooting innocent people.

Ela Jayne, Australia

Property fraud is rampant

Regarding the story Abu Dhabi family lose Dh75,000 rent money by 'gang of con artists' (July 1),

these cases are more rampant than you can imagine. I request that The National highlights as many cases as possible to draw the attention of the authorities so that they take action against culprits.

The desperation for affordable “legal” housing has just created a new illegal industry.

Name withheld by request

I don’t understand a part of the story. If the family “trusted” the young local, why did they film the meeting? Or did they never really trust him in the first place?

If that is the case, why did they hand over their money to someone they don’t trust?

Sheebo Al Daser, Abu Dhabi

This happened with me a couple of years ago. My advice is this: never give out your rent in one cheque. Always take a copy of the agent’s Emirates ID as well. Make sure the electricity and water connections of the property you are going to take are cut off. Visit the place yourself and meet the caretaker of the building and inquire about the available flat. Meet the owner of the house while signing or before signing and don’t trust someone who rushes you through the process.

Salman Habib, Abu Dhabi

Time and time again we hear about people getting conned by property dealers. It’s high time the authorities do something about these bogus property listings on popular websites.

Sohail Anjum Mohammed, Abu Dhabi

Gun culture doesn’t help US

US president Barack Obama said that the United States was the one advanced nation in which “we do not have sufficient common-sense gun-safety laws even in the face of repeated mass killings”. He regretted that hundreds of people in the US have fallen victims to terrorism since 9/11, but acknowledged that the number of people killed by gun-related violence ran into thousands.

It is clear that the gun culture is woven into the country’s social fabric. There are an estimated 310 million guns in the country of 319 million people.

The second amendment of the constitution authorises Americans to keep weapons for safety and sporting. In the aftermath of the Orlando attack, hatemongers and Muslim-baiters, including Donald Trump, have reacted dangerously. They have equated Islam with terrorism. Such actions defy American values and promote xenophobic and ethnocentric proclivities that can trump the very notions of versatility and cosmopolitanism.

These flawed, counterproductive practices alienate the very constituencies that need to prevail against terrorist plots. They fuel a backlash, are racist and discriminatory and may spark riots and racially-motivated violence. The US administration must devise well-thought-out policies and strategies to curb this spiralling trend towards weaponisation of American society. Hatemongers should stop making unwarranted statements to further their political, parochial and corporate interests.

Saeed Wazir, US