With reference to the article "Ethiopians in the news again" by Mahmoud Ahmad (July 22), it is not justifiable to murder a child whatsoever. It is a crime. But slavery is also a crime. I sympathize with that woman because of the circumstances that led her to commit the crime. If this happens in the US, you can imagine what would happen elsewhere. Slavery is a crime against humanity. We should join hands in fighting this shameful outdated practice of slavery. G. Fiss, Online comment II. Anybody will develop mental problems working under bad conditions where human rights are violated. Many countries hire foreign housemaids. They are good and work well if they are treated well. We should change our attitude toward the workers of other nationalities before we blame them completely and call them mad. In many homes, housemaids are treated nicely. But most of us treat them very badly. Anonymous, Online response III. Humans are humans whatever the race. We should not treat maids like animals. They deserve dignity and love given the tough task they do. If we don't treat them well, they will react negatively. What is sad in the two cases cited in the article is that the children became victims. What I want to point out is that the crimes were committed as a result of the ill-treatment of the maids. Abraham, Online response IV. It is the responsibility of parents and members of the family to bring up and nurture children. It should not be given to the maids. But I have witnessed many, many times in shopping malls where children are ignored by their parents while the maids deal with the children who oftentimes do not show any respect for the maids. What would the Prophet (peace be upon him) think about parents who lack parental responsibility. Ramon Mohamed, Online response
