The Indian media should not fan the flames of war

Our readers have their say about social media, the Indian elections and end-of-service gratuity in the UAE

Demonstrators carry flags and shout slogans during an anti-India protest in Karachi, Pakistan, on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019. BLOOMBERG

I write in reference to your article Social and mainstream media fan frenzy for war over Kashmir (February 29). This is a sad reality. The irresponsible media is fostering mass hysteria of hatred and war and exacerbating communal tensions in India.

The media should trust the government and the country’s leadership, who are much better equipped to handle the crisis in Kashmir, and not pressurise them to act foolishly, particularly when it involves advocating violence.

Name withheld by request

Social media shouldn’t hinder fairness of Indian elections

I write in reference to your article Can India curb the impact  of social media fake news on its election? (March 4). Social media platforms Facebook and Twitter have been blamed for their involvement in the dissemination of fake news and misinformation in the 2016 elections in the US. Fortunately, the Indian government is taking serious measures to curb this.

Already Twitter has been warned, while action has been taken against Facebook and WhatsApp for the spread of dangerous misinformation on their platforms. Since elections are not far away – and look to be extremely close – the government of Narendra Modi is hoping for a fair and transparent democratic process. I hope it will achieve that.

K Ragavan, Bengaluru

Beware the threat of anti-Muslim hate across the world

I write in reference to your article Canada's Rebel Media causing anti-Muslim hate, report says (March 4). This is not confined to Canada alone. Many countries with sizeable Muslim populations have a right-wing media guilty of fanning the flames of communal hatred. How long can this be allowed to continue? This hatred is highly dangerous as it is prone to explode anytime, with dire consequences for all involved. This must be stopped quickly.

Name withheld by request

New end-of-service gratuity:  positive step for UAE workers

I refer to Alice Haine's interesting article What the UAE gratuity of the future might look like (March 4).

I truly hope the new gratuity system will have a positive impact for all workers and employees, especially expats who decide to stay in the UAE for a long time and bring so much to this country. Unfortunately, I have heard a lot of heart-wrenching stories from people who have worked for years and then went back to their home countries with only Dh1,000 or less. Some employees do not even receive any compensation at all.

Marlien Lienmar, Dubai