Muslims in India Put Aside Grievances to Repudiate Terrorism
“It’s a pity we have to prove ourselves as Indians,” said Mohammed Siddique, a young accountant who was marching in the protest here on Sunday afternoon with his wife and mother. “But the fact is, we need to speak louder than others, to make clear that those people do not speak for our religion — and that we are not Pakistanis.” Full Story »
Posted by Kaizar Campwala
The plight of peaceful Indian Muslims is a prime example of the repercussions of viewing terrorism as acts of state instead of mindless violent crimes. The Bush administration's disingenuous conflation of the 9/11 attacks with brutal-but-unrelated (and politically inconvenient) dictator Saddam Hussein destroyed America's moral standing regarding appropriate responses to terrorism. Thanks to his predecessor, President-Elect Obama has an even greater challenge as possible peacemaker between the governments of India and Pakistan, more perilous because of US alliances--and arms deals--with both sides, who each are eager to demonstrate their might by using their nuclear weapons against the other.