I WAS lucky enough to be at the Westpac Stadium on November 14 to see the New Zealand vs Bahrain game.

It was one of the great moments in sport, and the pity of it was that one side had to come away empty handed ... except that in defeat and throughout the game, the Bahrain fans were equal to any fans anywhere in the world. So, you didn't really come away empty handed, your fans scored consistently for being considerate, colourful, impeccably behaved - a credit to your country. We'd love to have you back.

John Watson

Let's not generalise

IAM writing in response to Les Horton's column 'Adam's plight a hard lesson in Islamic law' (GDN, November 14).

I too am outraged at the decision of the Qatari court to grant custody of Adam to his Qatari grandmother and separate him from his mother.

I have been following Mrs Jones's plight through the GDN. My feelings went from amazement at such a thing even being a possibility to anger at what most of us thought would never happen - that any reasonable court would allow anyone, even immediate family members, to snatch a child away from his loving family.

I have a son the same age, and I can't even imagine what Adam and his mother are going through.

My criticism of your column is that you make a grossly ill-informed statement and an incorrect generalisation when you say "... when non-Muslim women marry Muslim men, they and their children become subject to the Islamic Sharia law should that marriage hit the rocks."

I was raised in Turkey, a Muslim country, and I can assure you that Islamic Sharia law does not apply there.

The Turkish Civil Code of 1926, adapted from the Swiss Civil Code, abolished polygamy and granted women equal rights in matters of divorce, child custody and inheritance.

In 2001, this law was reformed, and abolished the supremacy of men in marriage and established the full equality of men and women in the family. Turkey acceded to the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child in 1994 and is also a signatory to the Hague Convention.

Turkey is one such example. A quick Internet search shows that the majority of Muslims in the world live with legal codes which would be easily recognisable by 'non-Muslim women' and which protect the rights of the child's natural parents. It appears you are using Muslim as a short-hand for particular states, which obscures the real issue and makes it seem that it's common in all Muslim countries to deny what you and I consider basic human rights.

Are you writing about Qatar, the GCC states, the Arab world, or Muslims in general?

You are a widely-read columnist. I urge you to consider the generalisations that you may consciously or otherwise publish.

Elif Todd

Les Horton replies: Thank you for a very informative letter. You are quite right, I should have made it clear I was referring specifically to this part of the world.

Boy's future threatened

I WOULD like to say that the decision taken by the Qatari court is unacceptable by society and people round the world. Adam is young and while he is staying with his grandmother, the future is not there. The Qatari court has destroyed his future, as well as his smile and happiness, which he will not get with his grandmother. As I know, children are happy with their parents, schoolmates and friends. The happiness which he will get with his mother, he can't get there. So, we all are with you Adam to reunite with your mother. Come on Bahrain, let's pray for him.

Amy Walter

Law of land prevails

ADVICE to the Jones family from an 'abducted child' (GDN, November 16), is certainly an eye-opener and is clearly indicated that the mother lost the custody rights soon after her second marriage and after the demise of her Qatari husband. A thousand balloons or the whole school cannot change the law of Islam which is well defined. While we all sympathise with mother, the law of the land and the Sharia prevails.

A J Thomas

Facebook plea

I HAVE been trying to find the group 'Bring Adam back to his family in Bahrain' on Facebook with no success for the past five days. Can anyone help? How can I find it and register my support for the Jones family?

S Singh

Great Woodstock venue?

IT strikes me that residents of Bahrain are not fully aware of the capabilities of the Bahrain International Circuit to host concerts and cultural events. It is a fantastic venue and is located away from homes and villages. It is easily accessible due to the new road network and has everything required to host such events as Woodstock. Clearly, the circuit would need to obtain permission from the local governorate but this should easily be forthcoming.

Timothy Mattar

It's competition

SO Mr d'Halluin thinks that Dreambox users are a big threat, (GDN, November 8). Well, I call it 21st century competition.

Since Orbit and Showtime merged, the cost of viewing, their restricted choice of programmes virtually doubled without any improvement in content.

Observe the Orbit programmes daily in the GDN - endless repeats of old spools that Orbit purchased years ago, many films dating back to the black and white era.

Sunday was a classic example of Orbit available choice from 7.45pm to 9.45pm Come Dine With Me and further repeat episodes at 11.45pm to 1.45am. Wow, how entertaining for their viewers!

Does Mr d'Halluin ever watch this?

All the Orbit executives should be made to sit down for six hours each night for one week. That should do the trick! What's Orbit investing in their viewers' subscriptions these days, apart from hiring technicians in a poor attempt to thwart discerning satellite viewers?

When Orbit starts spending just a little of their clients' money on features that are less than five years old and employs someone who can schedule a decent choice of viewing each day, then Mr d'Halluin might get the message to stop telling us what we should watch and how to watch it.

Mr d'Halluin suggests he might consider reducing Orbit subscriptions.

Don't make me laugh.

You should be on the stage or appearing right now on Orbit TV.

Captain Cook

Gallant competitors!

I WOULD like to congratulate Bahrain for being gallant competitors with skilful players in their World Cup qualifying matches against New Zealand.

But in my opinion, Milan Macala made quite a few miscalculations for that second leg match in New Zealand.

1. The lack of preparation time in Wellington. The weather in the host city is unpredictable in spring and the Bahrain players could have benefited from more time to acclimatise. Instead the decision was taken to prepare in Sydney where the daily temperatures were a good 10 degrees warmer.

2. Local playing conditions. There's also the factor of the wind in Wellington which is gusty and incessant. Naturally, the New Zealand players are used to this variable which must have been quite foreign to Bahrain players. From a New Zealand point of view, arriving on Thursday afternoon for a game on Saturday smacked of complacency and overconfidence. When I woke on Saturday to see the weather forecast was for gusty northwesterlies strengthening in the evening, I was even more convinced we would win.

3. Two-hour time difference. There is also a two-hour time difference between Sydney and Wellington. It may have been a factor that the game at 8pm New Zealand time would have been 6pm Sydney time which would have been when the team would have been preparing for their evening meal.

4. Home support. I think the intensity of support from the home crowd did intimidate the Bahrain players. It's a small stadium but the noise that can be generated by passionate home support can be immense and this was the biggest football event at home in living memory. The last time New Zealand had a vital qualifying do-or-die match was in Singapore in 1981 and most New Zealanders could only watch it on TV.

5. Team playing at home. I think Macala underestimated the New Zealand team itself because they played much better in their home conditions than in the heat of Manama. I wasn't thrilled with the way New Zealand played in Bahrain and I am pleased to see they are a much better team than they showed in the first leg.

I think all these factors combined to give New Zealand a huge psychological and material advantage going into the Wellington game and Macala should have been more switched on as a strategist and planner. I don't think he really researched the whole story and anticipated the hidden pitfalls.

But thank you Bahrain for contributing to a memorable and excellent match. I wish you well for the next World Cup.

Charles Mabbett

Wellington

New Zealand

Don't give up!

I AM a Kiwi. I was so very proud of our team and elated that they won.

However, I feel sorry for Bahrain.

Overall, you are probably better but on the days that mattered you didn't take your chances.

Three hours of play, and you didn't score a single goal. I wish you luck in the next World Cup. Don't give up. Your time will come.

Steve Grey