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Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Let the cosmopolitan spirit of Mumbai defeat the forces of darkness

Islam,Terrorism and Jihad
02 Dec 2008, NewAgeIslam.Com

Let the cosmopolitan spirit of Mumbai defeat the forces of darkness

 

For years terror groups from across the border, be it LeT, Jaishe Muhmmad, Huji, and their offshoot like SIMI and now Indian Mujahideen have been targeting the secular fabric of India.  Most of the attack s be it Mumbai, New Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Hyderabad had a sinister aim - to disturb the communal amity and plunge the country into a holocaust for Hindus and Muslims….

Those who do so should be marginalized by the community especially the one who believe in exclusivity in this pluralistic society.  We must take pride that in our country we can pray on the streets, we can take our religious processions out on roads and the fact that we enjoy absolute religious freedom.  Tell me in how many countries such freedom exists. …

Together we must fight and put an end to the menace of terrorism. Insha Allah we will do so, says senior journalist S A H RIZVI.

 

 Let the cosmopolitan spirit of Mumbai defeat the forces of darkness

 

By S A H RIZVI

 

 

As a stunned nation slowly grapples to come to terms with the horrific terror attack on Mumbai, there is a strong lesson that the government must learn and a strong message it ought to give to the world on its resolve to fight  terror   Enough is enough and India must now lead the war against terror from the front and not the US.

 

Good that the government has decided to act. Good that some heads have rolled and some more in the future.  Good that the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi say the government must give a clear message on governance.  Good that efforts are now made to assure the citizens their life is secure.

 

Notwithstanding these verbal assurances and cosmetic changes, it is high time to act and only time will tell how far the government is successful.  "There is no room for politics", says my friend Sirajuddin Qureshi, President of the India Islamic Cultural Centre but adds with disappointment `our political dispensation could not come together even at this critical juncture"

 

Siraj is right as people are slowly loosing faith in the political system, faith in the administration.  The political class must strengthen the system and restore faith of the people by reforming itself than to indulge in petty bickering, is the general refrain.

 

In the mayhem of Mumbai terror attack, the citizen of this nation stood together, united to face the brunt.  In the darkness that permeated all around during the siege of Mumbai and thereafter, there was a silver lining nonetheless.

 

Where everything failed, our security, our intelligence network our establishment, the spirit of Mumbai once again prevailed.  This is where the terrorists from across the border failed in their nefarious design, a plan that unarmed citizens of the city thwarted.

 

For years terror groups from across the border be it LeT, Jaishe Muhmmad, Huji, and their offshoot like SIMI and now Indian Mujahideen have been targeting the secular fabric of India.  Most of the attack be it Mumbai, New Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Hyderabad was a sinister aim to disturb the communal amity and plunge the country into a holocaust for Hindus and Muslims to fight.

 

Mumbai has time and again defied the nefarious design. There is some hidden charm in the megalopolis.  It assimilates so many streams of thoughts, religion, and culture and yet maintains its individual identity.

 

In the matter Mumbai is different; it has a spirit that remains unparallel, a vastness to assemble so many things and a resilience that any society can be proud off.  Mumbaikars have proved, time and again, that terrorism has neither a religion nor a face. Let this spirit of Mumbai prevail. 

 

And as the embers of Mumbai terror attack slowly dies down, it is time for us to recapitulate and reorient our thoughts.  There should be no room for self denials, no room for any conspiracy theory, many of which are floating, but a time to stand with our fellow countrymen in the fight against terror.

 

There is an innate danger of living in a perpetual self denial mode as it risks losing the credibility of the nation if everytime we believe in the conspiracy theory.  I am happy that sincere people like Sirajuddin Qureshi and many others are coming out to reject the self denial mode and demanding sterner action against terror group in Pakistan and even questioning the ongoing peace process.

 

Rightly so, Muslims have begun to place fight against terror on top of their agenda.  The recent conference in Delhi and Hyderabad against terrorism is the beginning but must be followed with more rigorous campaign.  The message should be loud and clear that terrorism has no room in Islam as established 1400 years ago.

 

High time for the Muslim community to isolate the radical ideology, howsoever minuscule it may be, which preaches fundamentalism and negate the rich cultural heritage of the country.  We must also shun people who indulge in stupid intra religious dialogue and in the process run down other religions of the world. Dialogue if any should be between civilisations and not clash of civilisation.

 

Those who do so should be marginalized by the community especially the one who believe in exclusivity in this pluralistic society.  We must take pride that in our country we can pray on the streets, we can take our religious processions out on roads and the fact that we enjoy absolute religious freedom.  Tell me in how many countries such freedom exists.

 

Within our community we must encourage people who are coming forward to shed sectarian difference and discourage and isolate all those who create differences using the issue of caliphate and other trivia.  Unity is the need of hour, if at all we have to fight the menace of terror.

 

In the end we must take a lesson from millions of Indian especially non-Muslims who stay far away in the Gulf nations for generation and have peacefully co-existed.  They face no threat of losing their identity so why should we fear, as some radicals are forcing some to believe, in our own country.

 

Together we must fight and put an end to the menace of terrorism. Insha Allah we will do so.

 

S A H RIZVI is a former editor of Delhi Midday.

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