A prayer for peace as Eid begins

A reader prays for peace on Eid. Other topics: Salman Khan's remark, Ahmed Al Menhali

A reader sends her prayers as Eid celebrations begin. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

It’s an exciting time as we are gearing up to celebrate Eid. It’s a perfect occasion to enjoy time with friends and family. It’s unfortunate that extremists are bent on making the lives of every individual in the world miserable. They have been striking everywhere mindlessly, killing innocent people.

As I look forward to Eid, my feelings have been stained with blood.

I hope that this violence comes to an end soon. I pray for world peace.

Nadia Hassan, Dubai

Salman owes an apology to fans

Salman Khan has greatly disappointed his fans worldwide, especially women, by making such an offensive and hurtful comment (Salman Khan is not sorry: actor avoids apologising for rape analogy, July 4). The actor owes an apology for comparing his situation to that of a rape victim.

It is extremely sad that this remark comes from an educated celebrity. He should be ashamed of himself for failing to understand the pain and trauma associated with rape.

Fatima Suhail, Sharjah

Ignorance found in every nation

People should be free to wear what they want (within reason of course – no shorts and T-shirts at the opera) without fear of persecution (Emiratis to heed dress code abroad after US arrest incident, July 4). Unfortunately, ignorance is found in all nations.

Dave Pryce, Dubai

Everyone should be able to wear the clothes they feel comfortable in, anywhere in the world.

Andrew Wilson, Dubai

This is Islamophobia at its worst. Some people really need to be educated.

Rhowela Mansueto-Rose, Dubai

I found my second home in the UAE. I love this country and the people, who are among the kindest. I hope incidents like this never happen again.

Lusine Sahakyan, Dubai

I am a native speaker of US English. Listening to the video footage, even I cannot discern the commands that the officers are yelling, as they are yelling over each other’s voices. This type of thing happens all the time, wherein the adrenalin-fuelled yelling puts people at great risk of being shot since it is difficult or impossible to decide what you should do. I hope that this clerk and her father are charged with false reporting. Unfortunately in the US, there is no way for people like these to be charged with idiocy.

Name withheld by request

The video is disturbing to watch, but it’s the only way to get a sense of what Mr Al Menhali went through.

It’s obvious that he didn’t think the police were coming for him. When he realised they were talking to him, he was confused and kept asking “what happened?” The police should have recognised this and sought to de-escalate the situation.

It’s good that Avon’s mayor and chief of police have apologised to Mr Al Menhali. However, it is ignorant members of the public who equate Arabs with terrorists who are of far greater concern.

Emiratis are not the enemy: they are the West’s partners in counterterrorism. This latest Islamophobic episode further exposes the dark, racist underbelly of America thriving in the guise of security. If it was an African in traditional garb speaking Swahili, would the clerk have assumed he was a terrorist? She would not have.

Thank God Mr Al Menhali is physically OK. I hope his emotional wounds heal quickly and he does not harbour negative feelings towards America as a whole. I also hope America sees this as a teachable moment, using it to help break down anti-Arab and Islamophobic bigotry.

Name withheld by request