Mumbai Attacks 2008
Written by Jeremy Havardi   
Saturday, 29 November 2008
Digg!

‘As the horror of the Mumbai bombings sinks in, we witness once more the lethal effects of Islamist terror. More than 100 people slain, dozens horribly injured and traumatized, buildings in flames and a nation bewildered by this unspeakable carnage. This latest atrocity carried out by vicious ideologues in the name of Islam had all the hallmarks of an Al Qaeda inspired attack – murderous co-ordinated strikes at Western innocents using maximum violence to publicize a cause. One of the buildings seized was the Mumbai headquarters of Chabad, the orthodox Jewish outreach group. Once again we are reminded that the jihad against the Jews plays such a prominent role in radical Islam’s war with the West.

The central target appears to have been the iconic Taj Mahal hotel, built at the height of British imperial rule in 1903. It was here that gunmen opened fire on wealthy Indians and foreigners and held others hostage. The hotel is a splendid symbol of Indian opulence and grandeur, a glamourous testament to the ultimate benefits of Western prosperity. It has been frequented, for that very reason, by members of our own Royal family as well as Presidents and businessmen. It is a famous landmark in a city noted for being the economic and entertainment capital of the Indian subcontinent.

Now think about New York’s World Trade Centre, a potent symbol of American economic power that was iconic for its architectural modernity and cosmopolitan image. The building was consumed by fire, just as the flames of hatred flicker through the floors of the Taj Mahal Hotel. These jihadis wanted to destroy life and inflict as much suffering as possible. But they also wanted to drive home their warped utopian vision that an Islamist India, ruled by Sharia law, would never tolerate Western values, interference or influence. The singling out of Western foreigners was part of that hateful message.'

 Jeremy Havardi is a British-based writer.



Bookmark with:
Reddit!Del.icio.us!Google!Live!Facebook!Slashdot!Netscape!Technorati!StumbleUpon!Newsvine!Furl!Yahoo!Ma.gnolia!Free social bookmarking plugins and extensions for Joomla! websites!