Dubai is more than just the sum of its malls

Readers write about the beauty of Dubai, art, parenting and entrepreneurship.

Readers say Dubai has much more to offer than its huge shopping centres. Pawan Singh / The National

Malls of the UAE: The Dubai Mall exceeds standards in service and delivery, not just size (December 21) notes that 80 million people visited the Dubai Mall in 2014.

I would much rather see 80 million people learning that Dubai is not just a mall but a vibrant, beautiful city steeped in culture, art and amazing nature.

Let’s start a cultural campaign where people visit the Bastakia quarter, the heritage area, Sheikh Rashid’s beautiful yet humble Al Shindagha residence, the old spice souq, Al Serkal Avenue and all our art districts, our gorgeous beaches and so much more.

Let’s show the world that this is a cultured, beautiful society.

Tanya Milbourne, Abu Dhabi

Everyone has good words to say about the malls, but I like most the beautiful mosques. There is no excuse for any Muslim not to pray.

Habib Rahim Hazim, Abu Dhabi

Entrepreneurs need some help

I am concerned about your report, Facebook traders 'breaking UAE law' (December 21).

Promoting yourself in this way is the first, often essential, step for entrepreneurs to test their market and gain confidence in their product.

These people should be supported in this phase because if they are successful, they are more likely to jump in and create a fully licensed, sustainable business.

Alison Schofield, Dubai

I think this story is biased in singling out a certain category of expatriates when in fact you can find people from everywhere selling or offering their services online.

The question is why do they do it and what can we do to help them legalise it?

N Akwal, Dubai

Why single out nationalities? I’ve wondered about the legitimacy of such businesses myself, but there are a lot of western expats doing the same thing. Are we to assume that they all have licences?

Samia Iftekhar, Dubai

What happens if the goods you buy are bad? How will you complain? What if these online traders do illegal things? The people in your story should try to sell through shops or other legal channels.

Ahmed Buhamad, Abu Dhabi

Parents play an important role

In reference to the opinion article, Education will turn the tide against extremism (December 22), I believe that parental guidance and discussions with children have more influence than anything else.

M Raja, Dubai

Drivers should be monitored

I refer to Car insurance costs in the UAE set to rise in new year (December 21).

The next step should be installing black boxes in cars to assess your driving ability and what preventive action you took to avoid accidents.

In Britain, some insurance companies do this to reduce fees. The price of a policy should not be dependent purely on the type of vehicle, but also the competence of the driver.

Name withheld by request

Artist has all the write stuff

I enjoyed reading My UAE: Artist Fatima Alhammadi weaves the alphabet into her work (December 15).

She is so very right. Writing is such a beautiful way of expressing yourself uniquely with your own hand.

It seems to be greatly undervalued and somewhat devalued by other, more modern, modes of communication.

I hope she keeps up the good work and continues to inspire others with her rich cultural art.

Mark Farmborough, Ras Al Khaimah

Certification can save lives

I want to respond to comments made about the unfortunate death in Fujairah (Emirati girl, 7, crushed by iron gate at home, December 19).

To avoid terrible accidents such as this, there is a construction product regulation under which you can receive a declaration of performance certificate on gates.

When using products that have this certificate you have the guarantee that the gate has been tested for functionality, stability, reliability and windload resistance. The quality of the product and the production process is monitored.

Of course, these measures have an effect on the price, but they could save a life. R Janssens, Dubai