Yup. Used to hang out with friends at the coffee shops in the two hotels (Taj, Oberoi) that got whacked. Attended college directly across the street from the Metro cinema that got sprayed. next dooor to college was the Cama womens' hospital where my mom (obstetrician) was on staff. Directly across the street from the house where I grew up was the police HQ which got whacked (AT chief killed here) as well as the other hospital (GT Hospital) that also got whacked. A mile down the road is the central train station that got hit; I passed it almost everyday en route to school, took trains from there more times than I can remember. Hung out with friends at the Leopold Cafe. The Taj hotel is an icon. It has the sweeping majestic 19th century gothic architecture (one of the legacies of the British Raj) and it is simply stunning to behold, sitting along the waterfront like a regal Colossus. I have tried to be really tolerant my whole life, I have tried to adhere to the belief that <1% of all muslims are extremists. But, watching the Taj burn...I have to ask: "Islam is the ***religion of peace***?? At least this is what all the "moderate" muslims who STILL refuse to stand up and shout out ENOUGH to their fascist brethren, would have us believe. It is painful...simply horrifically painful, to watch this happen. I have numerous friends and relatives in Mumbai, a couple of whom live within spitting distance of the Taj. Cannot reach them, don't know whether they're dead or alive. All too often as I watch governments dither and good men stay silent (or be silenced) in this PC world of ours, I am reminded of a British prime minister who stepped off a plane in 1939 waving a piece of paper and proclaiming "We have peace in our time"...just before Europe exploded. Michael Moore (he of the corpulent belly) has assured us..."there are no terrorists". OK Michael...so what am I missing here?
I am not sure what Michael Moore has to do with your post, but I share many of your frustrations with Islam.
Crazy how CNN has live footage from an extremely short distance from the hotels while there is still explosions and gunfire from inside the hotel.
The CNN reporter was talking about how she was able to walk right up to the hotel lobby area when obviously gunman were still alive in the hotel. And that how in the US, the police would move the reporters and spectators blocks away if something similar would occur in the US. It almost seems like the Mumbai police (and any other law enforcement) were not even remotely prepared for simultaneous incidents like this. Forget the reporter taking stupid risks by walking up to the hotel; what would stop more gunman or their supporters from entering the hotel as well.
I've been watching TimesNow - the CNN/SkyNews of India- for the past couple days. I get it because I get the Cricketticket off of DirectTv. This evening (morning their time) I've been flipping between the assault on the Taj in Bombay and the NZ/Aus test in Adelaide. The Indians went right in. TimesNow(read CNN) keeps showing a terrorist getting tossed out a window. Now I'm a "pro-US" ra-ra kind of guy , but the Indian english-language media is off the charts biased. And I enjoy it.
I think Pakistan is caught between a rock and a hard place. If they hand these guys over, it weakens the civilian government. If they don't, it raises tensions between them and India further. I think this was the long-range goal of the terrorists all along. There are many in the Pakistani military and ISI that have ties to radical elements of Islam and would possibly go along with terrorist activities. I hope this sorts itself out without further violence, but I would not be surprised to see another strike from the terrorists to precipitate action from India or the West in general.
I don't know what the decent Muslims are supposed to do. I know that some of them denounce these things. But many do not, and silence speaks volumes. I know it's acectdotal because I have only two close Muslim friends. Both of them have given up their religion since 9-11. One said that it was not a religion of peace and he couldn't be part of it anymore. The other said that she gave it up, "due to the brainwashing of the youth". She also had harsh words that I will not post here about those that still support the religion. These are lifelong, many generation Muslims. It was not on a whim. They both said that they still believe in God, but not religion. I think if just half of the people would stop going to Mosque, the religious leaders would have to figure out a way to make amends and decry terrorism in a more organized and vocal manner. It has to start with the people because the leaders are obviously doing a poor job.
Pardon the interruption, but when did Bombay get renamed Mumbai? When this story broke, I had no idea where they were talking about. Had never heard of "Mumbai".
UT1978, I dearly hope all of your friends and family that are still in the area are safe and okay. Watching the horror unfold on TV, I was immediately struck with what a beautiful area it is and the architechture is fabulous. That was quickly replace with concern for the many Indians that I have known here who may have friends and family in this area. Most of them are Hindu and not Islamic and they are just as afraid of the radicals as we are. Let's face it, normal Islams are just as afraid of the radical Islamics as we are. Michael Moore will never let truth get in the way of whatever his particular agenda is at the time. He appeals both to the people in la-la land who don't believe there are terrorists and the radicals here who think everyone and everything has screwed them in life since the day they were born. The thing that makes people so afraid of muslims as a group is the radicals credo that lies and deception used to kill or take down the infidel is good and even encourgaged. How can you trust someone who believes Allah will reward them if they lie and deceive you? How can you honestly know other than pure gut instinct if you are dealing with a conservative rational person or a radical who believes every act of deceit and lie is earning him a higher place in heaven?
I will make the analogy to Germany. Not all citizens were in the gestapo, but they went along with the Nazi regime, supported it with their labor, taxes, rhetoric and service in the military. They knew the Jews were being persecuted, and don't try to tell me they didn't know about the death camps. How much responsibility does the average civilian have? I say quite a bit. They have the moral duty to oppose these heinous crimes against humanity, not to blithely stand by and abet them. Same with the Muslim community. They can say all day long it is just a few wackos carrying out these acts, but I feel the average member of the religion is failing to take a moral stance against the violence, and in fact supports it by their financial contributions and support of many policies that nurture these acts. It appears the average supporter of Islam does nothing to oppose these acts, indeed many of them cheer the news of such violence.
