OUR MESSAGE : AND SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT

PLEASE DO NOT SPREAD COMMUNAL HATRED BY IRRESPONSIBLY BLAMING ALL MUSLIMS OR POINTING YOUR FINGER AT PAKISTAN. IT IS FOOLISH, IRRATIONAL AND DANGEROUS.

SOME ‘PAKISTANIS’ DO NOT MEAN ‘PAKISTAN AS A NATION’. ONE ‘INDIAN’ WAS INVOLVED IN THE BLAST IN UK. DOES THAT MEAN INDIA WAS INVOLVED AND HAD PURPOSEFULLY SENT THE MAN TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE LOADED WITH EXPLOSIVES?

SHOW RESPECT TO OUR NEIGHBORING COUNTRY. THINK BEFORE YOU TALK.

Given below are some thoughts we got from the media and would like to share.

29 Nov 2008 00:48:03 GMT

Source: Reuters

…’A man speaking Urdu with a Kashmiri accent phoned an Indian TV station, offering talks with the government and accusing the Indian army of killing Muslims in Kashmir. This suggests the attackers are involved with a Kashmiri group like Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The demands of the Indian Mujahideen — like their targets — have always tended to be much more domestic. The group issued an e-mail threat in September to attack Mumbai but directed its anger at the Mumbai police anti-terrorist squad, accusing them of harassing Muslims.

“If this is the degree your arrogance has reached, and if you think that by these stunts you can scare us, then let the Indian Mujahideen warn all the people of Munbai that whatever deadly attacks Mumbaikars will face in future, their responsibility would lie with the Mumbai ATS and their guardians,” it said. (Compiled by Andrew Marshall and Luke Baker; Editing by Jeremy Laurence).’…

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“The Government of India, whatever be its political affiliations, has for a long time ignored the tocsin* that has been rung for all to hear save those in power or aspiring to be in power. One political party, very vocal in its condemnation of terror that is Islamist in its orientation, continues with its own band of religious fundamentalism and selected pogroms to create conditions in which Islamist fundamentalism and terrorism can breed in India. Another political party wants to preserve its secular credentials by not taking adequate action against terrorists and those organizations known for their links with terrorists. Both have their respective vote banks in mind. The price is paid by the helpless common Indian. …”

— RUDRANGSHU MUKHERJEE, THE TELEGRAPH dated 30 Nov 2008

*tocsin = alarm bell, emergency call

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PLEASE REMEMBER, VIOLENCE CANNOT ERUPT IN SUCH A GROSS MANNER WITHOUT POSITIVE INVOLVEMENT OF SOME PEOPLE IN POWER. ONLY THROUGH THE KNOWLEDGE & ASSISTENCE OF CORRUPT MEN IN POLICE, ARMY AND GOVERNMENT COULD SO MUCH ARMS BE AMASSED FOR THE TERRORIST ATTACK IN MUMBAI.

DO NOT FORGET THE RESULTS OF INVESTIGATION CARRIED OUT AFTER THE SERIAL BLASTS IN MUMBAI IN 1993.
TO TACKLE TERRORISM WE SHOULD NOT USE FURTHER VIOLENCE OR REPRESSIVE MEASURES LIKE POTA ETC, AS THAT WOULD ONLY AGGRAVATE MATTERS.

LET US STRENGTHEN OUR CONVICTIONS ABOUT THE NEED FOR HUMANISM AS A PERSONAL RELIGION, AND SECULARISM AS A NATIONAL POLICY. AN ALL OUT SERIOUS AND INTELLIGENT ACTION PLAN SHOULD BE TAKEN –

TO FIGHT CORRUPTION AT ALL LEVELS.

TO MAKE DISCRIMINATION OF ALL KINDS PUNISHABLE.

If you agree, please forward this message to all your friends & acquaintances, write articles, give talks and speak out openly wherever you go.

From–

PRABIR GHOSH

Science & Rationalists Association of India

SUMITRA PADMANABHAN

Humanists’ Association