The Asian subcontinent is often touted as a centuries-long (successful) experiment in the fruits of interfaith understanding, and for good reason. Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Jews, Parsis, and Jains are all a big part of the faith landscape of India. There are, of course, others, and next to the US, there is no other country as religiously diverse as India.
Still, there have been tough times. The 1947 Partition, the Gujarat riots, Kashmir and its importance to IndoPak relations, the continuing issues surrounding Ayodhya, and a number of earth-shattering assassinations have soiled the image of India as a multifaith haven.
And today/tonight, the attacks in Mumbai, the glitzy Maharashtran financial capital, add another high-profile case. Like the other instances of conflict and senseless violence, the attacks today have not been purely religious (religious violence seldom is), but their effects will be felt for a very long time.
No matter what the outcome of tonight's/today's/tomorrow's events may be, the memory of the attacks will inform attitudes and actions in India's communities for some time; it is a larger-scale incident with wall-to-wall media coverage. The DU Interfaith Student Alliance stands with people of all faiths in India and beyond. We hope that, as we always have, our human community can move beyond these horrid transgressions in the natural order and continue to grow together.
It's important to remember that in India, and indeed in every village and city in the world, our natural relation with people of different faiths is not predicated on violence, and certainly does not have to be.
Technorati Tags: mumbai, terrorism, interfaith
Still, there have been tough times. The 1947 Partition, the Gujarat riots, Kashmir and its importance to IndoPak relations, the continuing issues surrounding Ayodhya, and a number of earth-shattering assassinations have soiled the image of India as a multifaith haven.
And today/tonight, the attacks in Mumbai, the glitzy Maharashtran financial capital, add another high-profile case. Like the other instances of conflict and senseless violence, the attacks today have not been purely religious (religious violence seldom is), but their effects will be felt for a very long time.
No matter what the outcome of tonight's/today's/tomorrow's events may be, the memory of the attacks will inform attitudes and actions in India's communities for some time; it is a larger-scale incident with wall-to-wall media coverage. The DU Interfaith Student Alliance stands with people of all faiths in India and beyond. We hope that, as we always have, our human community can move beyond these horrid transgressions in the natural order and continue to grow together.
It's important to remember that in India, and indeed in every village and city in the world, our natural relation with people of different faiths is not predicated on violence, and certainly does not have to be.
Technorati Tags: mumbai, terrorism, interfaith
4 comments:
Thanks for posting on this Tim. Such an amazing tragedy on such a (for Americans at least) festive day-I think it should remind us not only of how much we do have to be "thankful" for (a country that does enjoy a relative modicum of everyday security and safety) but also of the amount of suffering that is always present in this world and our responsibility to attempt to help alleviate its effect on others, so that we might be even more "thankful" in having done so.
Did anything happen at DU (i.e. peace vigil, etc.) to show unity and support for those in Mumbai?
I haven't heard anything about DU - it was sort of a ghost town anyway!
Tough times in India, yes. I had actually mentioned something about "remembering India and Mumbai" on Thanksgiving as a Status update. Had some people with the same idea as you - we can give a lot more in the way of thanks when something visceral like the attacks are on TV.
well this is nice allaince by students.
IWRM4U - Thank you very much! Good to have you here.
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