Equal Opportunity
Sudha
Issue date: 12/9/08 Section: Editorial
This time, as I sit down to write my editorial, I am not struggling like usual with what I want to write about. There are quite a few things I should talk about - Kevan's end of tenure with the Oppy, and Deborah, the new editor, but the only thing I really want to talk about is the Mumbai Terror attack.
The November 26 attack, or India's 9/11 as its being touted in some sections of the media, is by far the biggest breach of homeland security in the country. Not that the Government security system is known to be tough to breach by any standards after the all too common "terrorist" acts of violence in India in the past 10 years. The city of Mumbai is known to be very resilient and has bounced back from many a terrorist attack, as unfortunate as it is that it has to. But a bomb on a local train or a parked vehicle is not the same as having to fall victim to the most coordinated attack to date, by men supposed to have received the most sophisticated training.
I am not going to theorize who could be behind the attack, and frankly I do not have a theory. But what I feel strongly about is that whoever it was this time had an agenda beyond striking terror. They have targeted the international confidence that India has garnered during the past couple of decades. India has its fair share of faults and weaknesses. We are not the most secure state, civil rights are but a joke, corruption is rampant in the highest offices of the state, and we are far from being liberal in the true sense of the word. But we managed to do something right about our economy. With this attack, the terrorists not only wanted to strike terror in Mumbai but show the world that foreign nationals are not safe in India, and so is not your investment. Also, the Jewish house that was among the buildings attacked sends signals that India now has bigger problems than the traditional anti-Hindu animosity from Pakistan. India will now have to deal with terrorism that does not care for Hindus but is highly anti-Jew, namely the radical Islam of the Middle East.
The November 26 attack, or India's 9/11 as its being touted in some sections of the media, is by far the biggest breach of homeland security in the country. Not that the Government security system is known to be tough to breach by any standards after the all too common "terrorist" acts of violence in India in the past 10 years. The city of Mumbai is known to be very resilient and has bounced back from many a terrorist attack, as unfortunate as it is that it has to. But a bomb on a local train or a parked vehicle is not the same as having to fall victim to the most coordinated attack to date, by men supposed to have received the most sophisticated training.
I am not going to theorize who could be behind the attack, and frankly I do not have a theory. But what I feel strongly about is that whoever it was this time had an agenda beyond striking terror. They have targeted the international confidence that India has garnered during the past couple of decades. India has its fair share of faults and weaknesses. We are not the most secure state, civil rights are but a joke, corruption is rampant in the highest offices of the state, and we are far from being liberal in the true sense of the word. But we managed to do something right about our economy. With this attack, the terrorists not only wanted to strike terror in Mumbai but show the world that foreign nationals are not safe in India, and so is not your investment. Also, the Jewish house that was among the buildings attacked sends signals that India now has bigger problems than the traditional anti-Hindu animosity from Pakistan. India will now have to deal with terrorism that does not care for Hindus but is highly anti-Jew, namely the radical Islam of the Middle East.
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