Safer Surf

The article about the halal Internet search engine (Surfing for Halal , wknd., October 23) was intriguing. I think this is a really positive step for all people, not just Muslims, who are wary of coming across potentially offensive content on the Internet but who still want to be able to use it. Concerns about censorship seem overwrought. People visiting want to have their results filtered, right?

F Khory, Dubai

Unnecessary Apology

I personally do not support Raj Thackeray’s ideology or even believe that anyone should apologise to somebody merely for using the word “Bombay” (Apology leaves a bad taste, wknd., October 9). Go back to who exactly revised the name of the city we love so much. It was the Sena-BJP government in the 90s. If the ruling government changed Bombay to Mumbai then we, the voters (Maharashtrians and North Indians) who elected this coalition, better accept it now. After all, we gave this party the power to make decisions for us knowing very well what their agenda has been. The name “Bombay” was given not by the rest of India to Mumbai, but by a colonial power. I find it interesting how a certain section of Indian society has a problem with the original name “Mumbai”. Its about time we accept this change and move on. After all, the place one came to for better opportunities will not undo what it has given just because its name has changed, or the memories of a lifetime would not become bitter. So, accept it and move on; it’s the least we can do for the natives of this place.

Parimal Dalvi, Dubai

Lacklustre Film

Anthony D’Souza’s underwater thriller Blue has turned out to be a

damp squib (That sinking feeling, wknd., October 23). The movie, touted as Bollywood’s first underwater action and adventure thriller, appears to be a poor imitation of Hollywood blockbusters Jaws and The Deep. Unimaginative storyline, lacklustre direction, inane dialogues and the main protagonists’ insipid performances have made this film really uninteresting and extremely boring. Even the action scenes, that boast of bike chases and car explosions, do not captivate the viewers. Lara Dutta’s toned svelte figure and revealing outfits also fail to mesmerise. Yet another flop from action king Akshay Kumar and the deadly Dutt. A disappointing fare indeed.

Ashish Kulkarni, Melbourne, Australia

Web of Interest

Thank you for information on imhalal.com. I didn’t know that a website like this existed, and now I’m mighty glad that we don’t have to monitor what youngsters would be doing all day on the Internet.

Mohannad Zafar, by email

I was a bit perplexed by the story on the halal search engine, and did not quite understand how it worked so I decided to try it before turning the computer over to my children, unmonitored. While keywords did raise a red flag — a search for ‘Britney Spears’ asked me if I wanted to proceed — the engine did not appear to search the actual content of the pages. So when I searched for a Chinese tofu dish I know contains pork, it did not issue a warning 
that the content on the coming 
results pages could be haram. I really like the intentions of this website, and I hope that a newer version will take situations like this into consideration.

Abdul Mohammed, Abu Dhabi

To be honest, I did not have an Internet connection at home because I feared that haram nonsense would influence my children and their young minds would be corrupted. Now, I feel that I can install it mainly for this website (Surfing for halal, wknd., October 23) as I know that they won’t be subject to anything haram. Thanks for informing us about this venture.

Sajida Al Sarwar, by email

Read All About It

I really liked last week’s Three-Minute Classic, but isn’t Collapse better suited for a review page? I’m 
a big fan of Jared Diamond, but surely Guns, Germs and Steel stands out as his classic book on cultural studies.

Anne Stanley, Dubai

Off the Menu

Last weekend, I was surprised to see Chili’s listed in the My Favourite Restaurant section. The UAE is home to so many authentic places, why not talk about one of them?

Ibrahim Al Rais, Dubai