Pakistanis, You left us in 1947, Now leave us alone!

By A.M.Jamsheed Bahsa        December 5, 2008                  Muslim India

The Indian Muslims, particularly our Urdu Press should behave responsibly. It is no time for a blame game. It is no time for concoction of a theory of conspiracy alleging complicity of the saffron brigade. It may be best left to the investigating agencies to unravel the real players behind this sordid drama. The whole of India and every Indian is angry. Jamsheed Bahsa elaborates...

The Mumbai terror attack has no doubt shocked the nation. It was an attack on Mumbai, an attack on India. It is a matter of concern for all of us Indians. But the community that has to be concerned most is that of the Muslims of India, because those who came and attacked the financial capital on the fateful day of 26/11 were bearing Muslim names and had come from the so-called Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

It is a different thing that the Muslims would disown them as practising Muslims, for they were sporting guns and ammunition and above all they were wining and dining, and who knows, womanising, something not expected from hard-core religious elements. To a common man they were just Muslim mercenaries on a mission to cause maximum damage as per the directions of their mentors sitting across the border. They did exactly that and vanished from this world, a fate they deserved most. Then what next? Pakistanis may try to put a brave face but they cannot deny that these evil men were their countrymen, born, brought up and trained by a terrorist organisation in their country for this day.

The Indian Muslims, particularly our Urdu Press should behave responsibly. It is no time for a blame game. It is no time for concoction of a theory of conspiracy alleging complicity of the saffron brigade. It may be best left to the investigating agencies to unravel the real players behind this sordid drama. The whole of India and every Indian is angry. Not for the loss of life and destruction caused alone, but for the attitude of the politicians and helplessness of the government of the day. The people's ire would be shown elsewhere in the next ballot, but the mood is one of action, a firm action, a decisive message that should go across the borders and the steps that should be taken to secure the nation and insulate it from future attacks. Yesterday it was through land, today it was through sea and who knows tomorrow it may be through air. All these vulnerable places have to be protected and secured for we should allow no incursions into our land from any side. These steps are vital for the future of this country. The prime concern of the citizen today is how safe and secure we are in our own country. This is the general feeling and mood of the countrymen.

Like me, many such Indian Muslims are equally angry and frustrated and unable to understand why disaster after disaster is staring at them all the time. What's wrong with our community and why are we in such a position of feeling like strangers and alien in our own land. We have been living here for centuries and also after we were ditched by the greatest villain of the century, Mohammed Ali Jinnah and Company, who partitioned India in the name of two-nation theory. Don't the Muslims of today feel angry at them for they were responsible for our present state of affairs? They left us, and still they are not leaving us alone to deal with our problems ourselves. Who are they to interfere in our internal matters? Muslims should come out in open and tell the people of Pakistan or any element fighting in the name of Islam to keep off from our problems and mind their own business.

Govt of India did the right thing in issuing a demarche, a strongly worded message to Pakistan, to do something tangible to wipe out the remnants of terror outfits from their soil and hand over all those listed wanted criminals that are enjoying the hospitality of the Pakistani people at the cost of Indians, including the infamous Don Dawood Ibrahim, the kingpin of 1993 Bombay Blasts and whose complicity in 26/11 terror attack can also not be ruled out. President Zardari, came on his knees virtually pleading with India to spare Pakistan and not to punish her as retaliation for the act of a few disgruntled elements. The same voice of concern and anguish came from Premier Gilani and his Foreign Minister recently touring Indian. Mere words would not do, Mr. Zardari and Company, show it in action and deeds alone would gain confidence of the people of India.

Indians demands firm action in one voice and would not tolerate any more attacks on them. Muslims of India are solidly behind the Government and the people of this great country. It is said wise men do not do desperate things in desperate times. It would be wise for Indians to act with restraint. This is the call from across the globe as like us the enemy across the borders too is armed with nuclear arsenals. Any emotive action at this stage would not be acceptable to the world at large either. The world is not prepared to go through a nuclear holocaust. It calls for sober thinking and actions. Pakistan was told in strongest terms that it should act and cooperate with India to solve the terror plot besides curbing the activities of the terror groups that are freely moving in the country. The same sentiments were echoed by US Secretary of State, Condolisa Rice, who is travelling to India shortly, specifically to offer us American support.

It is incumbent on the Muslim intelligentsia and the Urdu Press in particular that they do not inflame passions in any way. Instead, they should send a clear cut message to all the Muslims that India is our country, where we have to live and die. We are Indians and Muslims and there is no distinction between these two. Our prosperity and well being lie here and nowhere else. If we have any problems or grievances, it is for us to try to resolve them in a democratic manner. No one from outside need interfere. We the Muslims of India constitute the biggest Muslim population of the world after Indonesia. Though we are leaderless for the time being , we are resilient enough to sort out our own problems without outside interference as we have been doing in the last 61 years.

The Muslim Press whether it is Urdu Press or any other vernacular managed by Muslims, has a duty of guiding its people in this hour of crisis. Muslims are at a crossroad with no guide in sight. The educated Muslim class should rise up to spread the message of love, compassion and brotherhood. We need to reassure the nation. The bullet of the insane terrorists did not distinguish between Muslims and others. Among those who got killed were a fair number of innocent Muslims too, over 40 at the last count among the 179 dead according to the latest official figures. It was a pathetic description when a bearded Muslim was narrating the ghastly incident at a TV programme, "We, the People" telecast by 24x7 News channel, how six of his family members were brutally killed on the spot while he was away to fetch a water bottle. His voice was chocking, eyes welled up with tears, unable to describe how he would live along with the orphans. This tugged at the hearts of one and all participating in the debate. The silence in the hall was eerie and mood sombre. We could feel the mood of the participants in the debate. Those who were watching too could not control their emotions. Our eyes too welled up, some hid their faces with their hands, and a few were seen fighting their tears. One could immediately feel as if our own family members were killed there. Imagine how the family of 195 people who were killed would be feeling at the loss of their near and dear ones. Think again of the sacrifice made by our great son of India Karkare, ATS Chief, and five others of his team, who laid down their lives performing the sacred duty of this great nation. This was the tragedy that unfolded on 26/11. My heart goes out to all those families who are grieving over the loss of their dear ones.

Our nation is great and so are our people. The spirit is high and India will certainly bounce back. Mumbai's cosmopolitan spirit is springing back to normalcy, with business as usual. But the incident has left a deep scar on the psyche of the people. Let's all allow our investigating team the time and peace to probe while people keep a tight vigil in their respective places. Till such time, do not lend ears to rumours. It is our ardent duty to guard our unity in diversity with life. Jai Hind.
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Photo credit: Friendly fire blog
A.M.Jamsheed Basha is a Chennai-based writer.

No place to hide

Will we allow mainstream Islam to turn into a moderate fringe, while extremists take centre-stage?

By Aijaz Zaka Syed      December 05, 2008                    Muslim India

The great irony of the Mumbai attacks is the killing of ATS chief Hemant Karkare, a brave officer trying to establish the link between Hindu extremists and the Malegaon blasts. He was killed outside the Cama hospital on Wednesday night. Obviously, some Muslims do not know their friends from their enemies. Aijaz Syed elaborates...

Watching the terror nightmare unfold in Mumbai over the past three days on TV, my children have repeatedly asked me: "Who are these terrorists and why are they doing this?" And every time I wished I could offer them a convincing answer. I was clueless why these people had taken over Mumbai and were targeting people who had nothing to do with them. I was also ashamed to tell them that the terrorists were Muslims and came from a country that was created in the name of Islam.

At work, while my colleagues went about covering the madness in Mumbai and laying out pages with the images of the Taj Hotel with its Islamic arches and domes go up in smoke, I find it hard to look at them in the eye.

This happens all the time. Every time innocents are targeted in the name of Islam around the world, one can't face one's non-Muslim friends and colleagues. A distraught friend who has devoted her life to speaking and fighting on behalf of Arabs and Muslims wrote: "I've had it with the Arabs and Muslims and Islamic militancy. Forgive me but I am throwing in the towel." I couldn't write back to her. She grew up in Mumbai and is upset. She went on to say: "The Muslims and Islam have a problem and only they can solve it. If they do not, the whole world will turn against them."

If this is how our most loyal friends feel, imagine the sentiments and reactions of the rest of the world. Can you blame the world if it's turning against Muslims? What do you expect when not a day passes without the name of our faith being dragged through the mud by fellow believers around the world?

I know that Muslim leaders, including those in the highest echelons of power, have lately started speaking out against the extremists. The Darul Uloom Deoband in India, one of the oldest and most respected centres of learning in the Muslim world, issued a fatwa against terrorism at a large gathering of Islamic scholars in June. Last month, nearly 5,000 scholars backed the edict at a huge congregation in Hyderabad. The Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC), and Saudi Arabia have, of late, been vehement in condemning these repulsive acts of violence targeting innocents. But clearly, we need to do more to be heard.

The great irony of the Mumbai attacks is the killing of ATS chief Hemant Karkare, a brave officer trying to establish the link between Hindu extremists and the Malegaon blasts. He was killed outside the Cama hospital on Wednesday night. Obviously, some Muslims do not know their friends from their enemies.

It's all very well for us to say Islam has nothing to do with extremism and terrorism. We can go on deluding ourselves that these psychopaths do not represent us. However, the world finds it hard to accept this line of argument as it sees the extremists increasingly assert themselves and take the centre-stage while mainstream Islam turns into a moderate fringe.

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Photo: A woman reacts during a candlelit march on Saturday for the victims of the Mumbai terrorist attack in which more than 195 people were killed (AP photo)

Aijaz Syed is Opinion Editor, Khaleej Times

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=ca0ddccc-f725-4957-91c7-5ba0f568b371

The United State of India

By Sitaram Yechury               December 03, 2008                Muslim India

Make no mistake: if the Hindu-Muslim divide deepens, then the terrorists have succeeded to the extent of destabilising our society. Seeking an electoral dividend by deepening this divide only emboldens terrorism further. In fact, terrorism and communalism feed off each other. Sitaram Yechury elaborates...

Even for a country experiencing the widest possible variety of terrorist attacks, alarmingly recurring at shorter intervals, the terrorist blitzkrieg on Mumbai has chillingly numbed and outraged the nation. The anger, revulsion, distress, disgust, shame and initial helplessness, rising to a crescendo of revenge, have all been captured in images that will continue to torment each one of us. The display of selfless courage and valour in defeating the terrorists will, likewise, evoke salutes of pride, raising the bar of patriotism higher.

Clearly, there is a need to overhaul the entire system and rid ourselves of the perennial weaknesses in our intelligence gathering and security apparatus that permit such terrorist attacks to take place. On previous occasions, many suggestions to strengthen and modernise our security forces, and an improved coordination between various agencies involved, have been discussed in this column. Alas. Nothing substantial has happened despite a plethora of reports and recommendations. These were reiterated at the post-Mumbai all-party meeting convened by the Prime Minister. It is only hoped that these will now merit the urgency that is required.

At a time when the country should have demonstrated its united will in battling terrorism, it is unfortunate that the BJP refused to be party to any common declaration of such resolve at the all-party meeting. Recollect that after the terrorist attack on the Parliament, the country rose as one in denouncing and declaring the determination to defeat terrorism, despite serious differences over the manner in which the then Vajpayee government was handling matters of internal security. The BJP, however, choosing to utilise this terrorist attack for improving its electoral fortunes by sharpening communal polarisation, refused to join the rest of the country in condemning and combating terrorism.

Make no mistake: if the Hindu-Muslim divide deepens, then the terrorists have succeeded to the extent of destabilising our society. Seeking an electoral dividend by deepening this divide only emboldens terrorism further. In fact, terrorism and communalism feed off each other. Recollect that the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (the lone surviving terrorist, in Mumbai, admitted that he belongs to the LeT) had, on the eve of the 1999 elections, stated: “The BJP suits us. Within a year they have made us into a nuclear and missile power. Lashkar-e-Tayyeba is getting a good response because of the BJP’s statements. It is much better than before. We pray to God that they come to power again. Then we will emerge even stronger.” (Hindustan Times, July 19, 1999). India cannot afford to be thus sandwiched.

Have al-Qaeda and the Taliban reached Indian shores? Do these outfits now see India as a US ally? It appears so. If the government has decided to go ahead with the nuclear deal, and emerge as the preferred partner of the US in this part of the world, shouldn't costs of such an alliance have been assessed in advance? Should not have India been prepared for what it means to be seen as aligned with US strategic interests in the so-called ‘war against terror’? Why should civilians be victims of this not having been thought through, and of internal security not having been beefed up?

From all information furnished by the government, these terrorists had come by sea from Karachi to execute a carefully prepared, diabolically planned attack. Foreign territory and facilities have, obviously, been used to mount these attacks. Soon after 9/11, the UN Security Council adopted a unanimous resolution (Resolution 1373) against terrorism. Accordingly, all countries are obliged to deny “safe havens to those who finance, plan, support, or commit terrorist acts”. The UN also created a committee to monitor the implementation of this resolution. The decision that all countries are obliged to prevent those who commit terrorist acts from using their respective territories against other countries and citizens must now be invoked by India. This is required for marshalling international support to advance in our struggle against terrorism.

Much is being talked about the manner in which the US had dealt with 9/11. Remember that after images of the second plane plunging into the twin tower, the next set of images the world saw were of Ground Zero. There was no live telecast of blood, dead bodies, rescue operations etc. The nation dealt with the tragedy with dignity. Even the fiercest champions of freedom of expression cannot condone the competitive rival live footage of the details of the movement of security forces, which facilitated the terrorists' assaults. We all will have to put our minds together to arrive at an acceptable solution in such situations (which mercifully would not be allowed to recur) in the future.

Finally, these attacks took place on iconic symbols of modern India in Mumbai — a hotel and hospital, properties of Parsis, another hotel, the property of a Sikh, a home owned by Jews and the busiest railway station — the property of all Indians. This was an attack on India’s syncretic civilisational ethos. This can be defeated only by India united in its diversity. Any cynical effort to draw political mileage and electoral dividends by perpetuating a communal divide can only give a further lease of life to such anti-national terrorists.

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Sitaram Yechury is Rajya Sabha MP and member, CPI(M) Politburo.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=705b4474-914b-43b0-9ee8-67c59ed7286d

Awake India Awake!!! The World Needs You

By Abdul Basit                 02 December, 2008            Muslim India

The frequent innovative methods of terrorist attacks seem to leave us in a constant state of shock. While we were startled by the recent incident of hijacking of huge Saudi Oil tanker by the Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden that has been unheard of in the recent past, we were soon overwhelmed by the terrifying news of the assault on one of the largest metropolis in the world, Mumbai, with a population of 20 million by a group of 20 to 30 youths in their twenties who approached by boat. These terrorists not only silenced this metropolis teeming with activities round the clock to a standstill and took over high profile hotels and iconic landmarks, but also kept one of the largest and most powerful countries in the world with the most powerful armies at the edge for two days leading to the death of 185 innocents including three outstanding police officers. The terrorists attained this merely with AK-47s and grenades!!! We are stunned, confused and dismayed. What is happening?

While all eyes where glued to the TV as if watching a live thriller movie, the shock and desperation gave way to contemplation and in trying to make sense of these senseless incidents. What has infected our society and to where are we heading for? What were the target and motivation of the terrorists who meticulously planned this operation and fought for two days against around 400 NSG commandos?

The Target of Terrorists

While arguments and conspiracy theories continue to pour in about whom was behind the Mumbai attack, the most important factor to consider is about the aim of these terrorists. Although they targeted the high profile hotels and iconic landmarks of Mumbai, their aim was much beyond the physical concrete structures and innocent lives. Their aim was to destroy the spirit of oneness and unity in diversity for which the Indian nation stands. They wanted to destabilize this country by splitting the Indian people on the basis of religion and to create fragmentation in their minds and spirits. We should ensure that these enemies of humanity do not succeed. The actions of a handful of terrorists from any religious background should not create division and hatred among the different religious communities.

External And Internal Enemies

The Indian nation is much beyond the narrow comprehension of these terrorists and the divisive forces of hate that aim to destabilize this country. The inherent strength of India depends on the unity of a wide variety of religious, racial, geographical and linguistic communities. Here is a nation that is exclusive from other world nations due to it inclusive and accommodative nature and wherein all religions and cultures flourished and greatly contributed to the world in the field of spirituality, medicine, art, meditation and culture. This pluralism, tolerance and mutual respect between people of different religious, racial and cultural backgrounds is the strength of Indian nation and if any group of people try to manipulate or tamper with this diversity and attempt to create any type of uniformity, they are in fact trying to tear down the very foundation of the Indian nation.

This inherent strength and resilience has helped the Indian Nation that has a heritage of thousands of years (which include the Indus Valley civilization that goes back to at least 5000 year), to overcome extreme challenges during its long history and to become a beacon of diverse cultures that has been cherished throughout the world. Compared to the challenges that it has overcome during its long history, neither the recent stunts that were shown by some diehard terrorists nor any divisive acts of all or any of the neighboring countries including Pakistan will in anyway be able to disrupt or destabilize this great nation, as long as this nation stays united within.

But the greatest challenge to Indian nation comes from within. Although these internal rift and conflicts date back to time immemorial, it was more evident during the freedom struggle against the British colonialists and the resulting partition of the country during the middle of the last century. And this process of destabilization and internal threat has particularly grown during the last two decades with the growth of Hindutva Nationalist forces represented by the present opposition party and its ideological parivar of RSS and the demolition of the Babri Masjid. The greatest damage to social fabric of India has been done by Hindutva leaders like Narendra Modi, Bal Thackerey and Praveen Togadia and the resulting reactions by extremists to the actions of these leaders, which even the extreme enemy nations or groups could not dream of. Intentionally or unintentionally, the actions of the external terrorist groups and these communal and fundamentalist organizations are mutually supportive as the aims of both are to communalize the Indian populace. The greatest beneficiary from the Mumbai attacks will be the Sangh Parivar led by BJP who will reap the benefit in the upcoming election. The demolition of Babri Masjid and the ensuing communal riots, the Gujarat massacre that cost huge innocent lives, the attack on Christians minorities in different parts of India and the recent string of bomb blasts have created immense fragmentation in the Indian society. The issue of Kashmir that has been bleeding the subcontinent for many decades has also created much distrust among the neighbors and has been the main reason for most of the terrorist attacks that are taking place in India

An Appeal to Sangh Parivar

The actions of Sangh Parivar and its leaders like Narendra Modi and Praveen Togadia which has resulted in the lose of many innocent lives and deterioration in the relations between the different religious communities have only helped the enemies of India. If we want to prevent any further destruction and hatred, the Indian people require a total change of heart from the Sangh Parivar leaders and their ideologues. After all, change of heart is also part of the Indian ethos when the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka changed for the better and pledged not fight any more wars after the seeing the destruction in the battle of Kalinga, as revealed in Ashoka Dhamma.

We have to restore confidence among the Hindus, Muslims and Christians and strengthen the cohesiveness and trust between all the sections in the Indian society. For this we have to rebuild the lives of families affected by communal violence and bomb blasts so that their future generation overcomes the trauma and revenge mentality that sustain this hatred and instead unite to build a bright India.

Awake India, The World needs you…

The incidents in Mumbai are only one of the symptoms of the disease that has infected the global community in general and India in particular. If we have to prevent these terrorist attacks and conflicts, we have to address the whole problem in totality. The September 11th incident and following wars have resulted in the worsening relationship between different religious, racial and ideological communities, as well as the growing social fragmentation and sectarian divisions in different parts of the world, leading to civil wars, violence and social unrest. There is a great deal of fragmentation, hatred and intolerance at the individual, social, religious and national level that has had an affect on all the sectors of the society. The wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and the tribal regions of Pakistan, the anti-Muslim feelings that are widespread in Western world and the worsening relations between religious communities; shows the gravity of the situation.

The attack on Mumbai is mentioned as India's 9 /11. But what the world cannot endure is another "George Bush style" reaction from India especially when we can see the chaos he has brought to his own country. India is different from United States of America.

The recent financial recession and climate change crises that had repercussions on all countries and continents have emphatically proved that we as humanity have a common destiny. No part of this planet will escape the consequences of growing poverty and hunger due to the financial and climate crises. The Indian nation can help the world to organize beyond the confines of geographic, racial and religious boundaries and unite to address the common issues that concern existence of the humanity as a whole and sustaining habitability of earth and to overcome the infinite physical and mental boundaries that have divided mankind into many nations, religions and creeds, which is the basic reason for these conflicts.

With its vast religious, cultural, racial, geographical and linguistic diversities, India can contribute to the building of a one world where the mental, physical and geographical boundaries disappear based on tolerance, mutual respect and democratic principles. Contrary to the western approach of hegemony and subjugation of other countries, this "Unity in Diversity" and pluralism is the message that the Indian nation has to offer to the world and can be emulated worldwide. This diversity has helped India to be the home and birthplace of great religions and spiritual movements and has contributed some the most beautiful art and cultural forms.

In this hour of global crisis, to face the challenges to the humanity, the world must unite as one human community on the basis of peace, tolerance and mutual understanding and the Indian nation has a major role in this regard.

Awake India Awake!! The World needs you…
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This article was first published on the Counter Currents.Org website on 02/12/2008.
Photo: People attend a candle-light vigil Sunday for the victims of the gunfire and grenade attacks in Mumbai. (Altaf Qadri/Associated Press).