FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION?

When I say that I have been put off by the glorification of the shoe-hurling incident at the US President George Bush, I know that I then belong to a minority.On flipping through the news-channels and turning the pages of the newspapers, I find that almost everyone has reacted to the incident with amusement and seized this as an opportunity to vent their haterd towards Bush.Labelling the act of journalist as courageous and as an expression of freedom and opinion might just set off a dangerous precedent.

Iraq is a democracy and in a democracy one is entitled to have his/her opinion.He can criticise and condemn anybody and any policices as much as he likes.But trying to force your views by physically assaulting someone simply does not fit as a part of democracy or even as a freedom of expression.Not only this; the journalist also over-stepped and violated the well-understood ethics of journalism. A reporter, is supposed to be free from any kind of biases or allegiances such as of nationality, religion or gender; so that he can give the readers/viewers a chance to form their own opinion on any news article.He is supposed to convey the news and not try and become the NEWS himself.

Media is know as one of the pillars of democracy and such incidents coming from some sections of the media will only weaken the newly formed Iraqi democracy.No matter how unpopular Bush may be but in a civilized world grievances can be expressed in a myriad ways and shoe-hurling incidents surely doesn't figure in them.

Let us hope, young Indian journalists do not take this path else we will have to see more of these unpleasant scenes and I doubt our politicans will be able to deal with them with such dignity and humour just as Bush did.

HOME ALONE

Even as the country and the victims of the Mumbai terror attack try to recover from the deadly strikes and painful memories; there is one victim who is going to find it a little more difficult to forget that incident. The victim is a two year old child,MOSHE HOLTZBERG, Jewish by origin.His parents, Rabbi Gavriel and Rivkah Holtzberg ran the Nariman House (Chabad House)where the terrorists attacked on November 28.

Look at the irony that it was on his second birthday that the cruel hands of fate snatched away his parents and left him as an orphan. It was a brave act from his nanny Sandra who rescued him from between the crossfire.In a way the terror attack has torn apart Moshe's life; his one older sibling is already permanently hospitalized in Israel and now his parents will no longer be with him.

At the Jewish congregation in Mumbai, his cries of "Ima", Hebrew for mother pierced everybody's hearts. The toddler who not even knows what 'terrorism' means, may not be able to ever forget seeing his parents being shot in cold blood.Its for sure that the Mumbai attack has changed Moshe's life forever and it would require a lot of effort and support fom his relatives to help Moshe overcome from this tragic loss. In this moment of trouble all our prayers are with him.