Bali bomb maker Umar Patek is jailed for 20 years. An Indonesian court has convicted a militant of making explosives used in the deadly 2002 Bali bombing and sentenced him to 20 years in jail. Umar Patek was found guilty of murder and bomb making in connection with Bali attacks, which killed more than 200 people. However, prosecutors in Norway call for self-confessed mass killer Andres Behring Breivik to be considered insane in their closing arguments at his trial in Oslo.
Breivik killed 77 people and injured 242 on July 22 last year. He could be always seen happy and smiling as someone who has won the Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize! There was disappointment among those bereaved or injured. They believe maximum imprisonment would be more justified outcome for what happened rather than committing him to a ward to be treated for insanity. Breivik himself has repeatedly said that he is not insane and he had a mission to fulfill. The court verdict is expected in July or August. Does the West think that terrorism is an exclusive property of certain people and not theirs? If so, how would it define what happened on July 22, 2011, just mercy killing or the act of a lone insane person? _ S.H. Moulana, Riyadh
Keep your cool
This refers to the article “Don’t be a hot head! Keep your cool...” (June 22) by Maha Mufti. The writer has analyzed the human behavior in an emphatic way that reveals her command over the subject. It is a fact that anger wreaks havoc and a person does not realize what he or she is doing. As a matter of fact, anger is a negative trait, and when it is taking place a person must control it. Otherwise he or she may have material loss in the form of employment, respect and reputation and health. With regard to employment, if a person faces an awkward situation and he loses the temper, leading to a fight with a colleague or a customer, then naturally the owner or manager of the company will fire him. With regard to respect and reputation, many times when a person in anger does not have control over his or her tongue and he starts using abusive language that reveals his negative personality, he sabotages his reputation and respect.
One must remember that once reputation is lost it is lost forever and it is very hard to regain lost reputation. So it is always healthy to refrain from anger. And with respect to health, anger causes many health problems like heart, blood pressure and asthma problem. Apart from this, anger is very harmful for spouses also, as it may lead to divorce even over trifle issues. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once said: “Brave is the one who can control himself during anger. — Anees Lokhande, Alkhobar
Gilani’s dismissal
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has called for the disqualification of former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, a sad and depressing occasion in a country where democratic traditions have perpetually been denied the nourishment they need to take roots. We all know whom the HRCP has been pointing at for consistent and perpetual derailing of democracy in Pakistan. That’s why the HRCP was right to highlight the fact that Supreme Court’s judgment to dismiss an elected prime minister was perhaps not unexpected. What the Supreme Court has achieved with June 19 decision to pack Gilani — will this judgment lead to better quality of life for masses, improved economy, resolution of power, water and natural gas shortages, elimination of terrorism, get Balochs back in the main stream, jack up the stocks market and improve the relationship with the US and neighboring countries. Or will it lead to further political turmoil, enhanced uncertainty, dipping down the stocks market, forcing outside world not to deal with democratic government as it may get dismissed over a sneeze of a judge. I have failed to understand the logic behind such an action except that apparently we are all set for clash between institutions. To start the game judiciary has thrown its “contempt” bait to catch anyone on any pretext. All the political parties who are at present rejoicing Gilani’s dismissal need to understand the trap; today it’s Gilani, tomorrow it could be their men getting thrown out of elected institutions at the whim of judges. — Masood Khan, Jubail
Letters - Bali and Oslo killings
