Grief in India, and a prayer
The travels continue. (Today I'm in The Hague; two days of some promising-looking interviews here; Sunday, I leave for Uganda....)
Anyway, I failed to write anything here about the horrendous civilian toll from the terror bombings in Mumbai, India. I see the casualty toll is now estimated to have risen above 200. So many grieiving, bereft, and shocked Indian families.
Today, I had this lovely gift in my in-box, which I happy to share with you. It's from "S.A.Rehman, Peace Activist, Pakistan."
- MY MESSAGE FOR PEACE AND HARMONY
Dear brothers & sisters,
We all need to pray for one another, and to love one another. We should always pray for the safety, peace, love and brotherhood for people all over the world. Too bad we can't have an independence day for the entire world. A day of freedom from ignorance, hatred, war, illusions, power and control. A day where we can all love each other as human beings and toss away the
weapons of war, and cast out our fears and hatreds from our hearts into the graves. We must mourn the graves of the innocents all over the world, and give the children of the world the hope of a peaceful, loving and beautiful world.
A world full of love and without hatred or fear. A
world where we can join hands together and accept one
another, regardless of our skin color, ethnic
divisions, religion or nationality. If we don't unite
as a human race, then we have condemned the future
generation of children a dark and very grim future.
Think of love, compassion and peace always...
MY PRAYER FOR PEACE AND HARMONY
Merciful God, You made all of the people of the world
in Your own image and placed before us the pathway of
salvation through different Preachers who claimed to
have been Your Saints and Prophets. But, the
contradictions (made by us) in the interpretation of
Your teachings have resulted in creating divisions,
faith based hatreds and bloodshed in the world
community. Millions of innocent men, women and
children have so far been brutally killed by the
militants of several religions who have been
committing horrifying crimes against humanity and
millions more would not be butchered by them in the
future, if You guide and help us find ways to reunite
peacefully.
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE COMPASSIONATE, THE MERCIFUL,
look with compassion on the whole human family; take
away the controversial teachings of arrogance,
divisions and hatreds which have badly infected our
hearts; break down the walls that separate us; reunite
us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish Your purposes on earth; that,
in Your good time, all nations and races could jointly
serve You in justice, peace and harmony. (Amen)
Amazing. 200 dead by bombs and Helena writes as if it were a natural disaster. Unplug your ears, speak plainly, this is Islam in action. And of all poetry she picks a Pakistani, where much of this brutality is engendered.
My sympathies to the Indians targeted this time, you are not alone, we are in this together.
Come on, Davis, Helena called them "terror bombings," and the poet's nationality has nothing to do with the merit of his words.
No Jonathan, there is no reference to any causant, as though bombings just happened. We all know where this is coming from and are pussy footing around stating the cultural and religious mindset behind this type of warfare. Timothy McVeigh is dead, who are they going to blame now?
All nations have poets. Written and spoken words are cheap. Pakistan's behavior is what matters. Looking at Pakistan I feel blessed to have neighbors like Mexico.
You seem so sad, Davis. Why are you still continuing with blaming *all* of Islam for any violent acts by (presumably) some Muslims?
Do we blame "Christianity" for apartheid and transatlantic slavetrading? Do we blame "Judaism" for Baruch Goldstein and his like? In all these cases the miscreants used (abused) religious tents to justify their actions...
You might. I choose not to.
Davis, we know you read and comprehend very selectively, but this is ridiculous. Helena wrote: "the horrendous civilian toll from the terror bombings in Mumbai, India. That is as much as we know at the moment about the "causant" (sic), so no, at this point we do not all know "where this is coming from", although I am sure in your hate-filled mind YOU know where all the world's troubles come from.
Davis,
PS Are you completely unaware of the numerous acts of terror and murder committed by Hindus, or do you just choose conveniently to ignore them?
Shirin
Are you suggesting that the Hindus brought this horrendous act of terror on themselves?
Would you say the same about the Aussie backpackers in Bali I and Bali II?
How about the slaughter of hundreds of Russian schoolchildren in Beslan?
Truesdell, read what I wrote and stop making things up. Of course I am not suggesting any such thing. I am merely pointing out the obvious - that certain people with a certain racist, bigotted, hate-motivated mindset, conveniently ignore everything that does not support their prejudiced point of view.
Let's not ignore what Indian commentators are saying, that these bombs seem to have specifically targetted the rich. Rich males, at that (since they were placed in luggage racks in first class compartments, avoiding women-only cars). Will we be seeing more of this in the future, as the rich-poor divide widens?
Rich males were the target. Hmmmmm. Then obviously the culprits were poor feminists - no, no no! Poor lesbians. Yeah, that's it! Poor feminist lesbians are the latest up and coming terrorist threat!
Oh how could I miss Goldstein. Ok ladies, with Goldstein and McVeigh dead who do you think did it. Place your bets. I wager a month of staying away from this board that it was Islamic. What is yours Helena and Shirin, put up or shut up. Talk is cheap, put some skin in the game, let's hear it.
Unlike you, Davis, I am reserving judgment until I have at least a little bit of information, and I imagine that is what Helena is doing, too. I know it is your fondest wish that it was "Islamic" (sic), and perhaps your prayers will be answered. Unlike you I, for one, have no emotional stake in the identity of the criminals. Therefore, I will simply wait and see.
That is fair Shirin. You may not have to wait long, three muslims were arrested yesterday in India. I have no emotional stake, I just have a winning hand by betting it was the peace loving religion.