Letters to The Editor — December 16, 2025

Terror in Sydney

The targeted attack on a Jewish holiday event in Sydney is a grim reminder that gun violence is no longer a problem confined to any one nation or culture. Australia is often cited as a model for strict gun control and public safety. Yet, this episode shows how fragile that sense of security can be in an increasingly volatile world. Such acts are not merely failures of law enforcement. They are warnings about deeper fractures — alienation, radicalisation, mental health neglect, and the ease with which violence finds expression. When fear intrudes into everyday public spaces, it erodes trust far more swiftly than bullets destroy walls.

Therefore, the response must go beyond condemnation and policing. It requires sustained attention to social cohesion, early intervention, and responsible media coverage that informs without sensationalising.

Gopalaswamy J.,

Chennai

The Bondi terror attack warrants unequivocal condemnation. Yet, the speed with which the incident was labelled anti-Semitic in much of the media calls for greater conceptual care. The term, anti-Semitism, is historically and linguistically imprecise. “Semitic” refers to a family of languages and peoples that includes Arabs and Palestinians as well as Jews. Coined in 19th-century Europe, the term racialised hostility toward Jews. If such hostility is established, it is more accurate to describe it as anti-Jewish hatred or racism rather than rely on a broader and misleading label. This distinction is especially important today when anti-Semitism is often invoked to conflate acts of violence with political anger or criticism of Israel and Zionism, particularly in the context of the continuing war in Gaza and the scrutiny it has drawn.

M. Jameel Ahmed,

Mysuru

Air pollution, solutions

The twin issues of pollution in Delhi and stubble burning in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana have been debated for long without results.

Experts can advise the government on reusing stubble for productive purposes. Farmers should be counselled and given reasonable compensation for not burning stubble. All this needs an iron will on the part of the government.

Veena Shenoy,

Thane, Maharashtra