Tag Archives: Mumbai attacks

WHOLE DUDE – WHOLE PRESERVATION

A PICTURE OF INDIA’S GRIEF OVER JIHADIST ATTACKS IN MUMBAI

TERROR ATTACKS ON INDIA  : 

Recent news reports are stating that the terror attacks on India have not seen its end and they are predicting the possibilities of more attacks similar to the Mumbai carnage on November 26, 2008. “India will continue to face a serious jihadist threat from Pakistan-based terrorist groups, and neither Indian nor U.S. policy is likely to reduce that threat in the near future”, said Angel Rabasa, lead author of the study and a senior Political Scientist with RAND, a non-profit think tank based in Santa Monica, California. According to RAND, the other extremist groups in Pakistan will find inspiration in the Mumbai attacks and there can be more attacks from groups with high body counts and symbolic targets.THE CONCEPT OF JIHAD  :  The term Jihad in Arabic means struggle and is often viewed as a religious duty. A person engaged in Jihad is called a ‘mujahid’, the plural is ‘mujahideen’. The Mumbai attackers identified themselves with the name of ‘Deccan Mujahideen’. The aim of Jihad includes the expansion and defense of the Islamic State and warfare against non-believers. Jihad ideology has historically inspired the conquest of non-Muslim population and the transformation of civil society which is viewed as corrupt, arrogant, and disobedient. The Holy Book of Quran, Surah 25, verse 52 states : “Therefore, do not obey the disbelievers, and strive against them with this, a great striving”. The objectives of armed warfare include uprooting unbelief and establishing supremacy of God, through Islam, in the world.”And fight them on until there is no tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah altogether and everywhere.”

THE HISTORY OF JIHAD IN INDIA  :

Sir Jadunath Sarkar, a historian, and former Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University had contended that several Muslim invaders waged a systematic Jihad against Indians. Sultan Mahamud of Ghazna(present day Ghazni city,Afghanistan) conducted more than twenty Jihadist attacks on North India between 1001 and 1027. In particular the records kept by al-Utbi, Sultan Ghazni’s secretary in the ‘Tarikh-i-Yamini’ document several episodes of bloody campaigns. Persian historian Ferishta records that Sultan Ghazni wants to “root out the worship of idols from the face of all Hindustan(India)”. He looked upon the destruction of temples as an act of Jihad. Mahamud Ghazni specifically directed his campaigns to temple towns of Nagarkot, Thanesar(1011), Mathura(1018), Kannauj(1019), Kalinjar(1023), and Somnath(1024). He had also destroyed temples at Varanasi, Ujjain, Maheshwar, Jwalamukhi, and Dwaraka. Mahmud Ghazni was of Turkic origin but had patronized the use of New Persian language and gave employment to writers such as al-Biruni, and Ferdowsi who gave detailed descriptions of the enormous booty and idols brought back to Ghazni city. Asaru-L-Bilad, a 13 th century geographer also described in great detail the destruction of Somnath. Apart from his regular troops, Mahmud Ghazni had assistance from 30,000 volunteer horsemen who had participated in the Jihad. To resist the attack on Somnath, Ghogha Rana at the age of 90 sacrificed himself and his clan. There are no census documents but after an analysis of all historical documents, historian K.S.Lal had estimated that about 2 million people died during Sultan Ghazni’s attacks on Indian temple towns.Similarly, Sikandar Lodhi of Delhi earned the epithet of ‘But Shikan’- the destroyer of idols. Babur the founder of Mughal empire in India in 1527 ordered a JIHAD against Rajputs at the battle of KHANUA. He had encouraged his men to fight the infidels and asked them to become either a Ghazi(soldier of Islam) or a Shaheed(Martyr of Islam). The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb waged Jihad against Hindus as well as Shia Muslims whom he identified as heterodox. In South India, the Hindu kingdom of Vijaynagar came under repeated attacks of annual Jihad which had started in 1501 and each attack included destruction of temples. In the historical Third Battle of Panipat(January 1761), Ahmad Shah Abdali declared a Jihad against the Marathas. Estimates from historical documents indicate that about 60 to 80 million people in India died between 1000 and 1525 CE.INDIA’S RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE  : Indian traditions have clearly established the rules of warfare. A ‘JUST WAR’ or ‘DHARMA YUDDHA’ is a duty and is an obligation of the Ruler. We believe in the principles of protecting all non-combatants. They should not be touched or harmed in any manner. We recognize the right of self-protection, self-defense, and self-preservation. When an enemy attacks you, it would be an act of cowardice if the enemy is not engaged in a battle. In the context of defending people against Jihadist attacks, we are not only defending our territory, our property, our personal lives but also we are defending our right to think for ourselves and cherish the ideas and values that are important to our existence. We have a fundamental right to worship as we please and safeguard the traditional way of life. Since Jihadist attack is actually a war against our fundamental right to practice religion, the propagation of ideas of Jihadist warfare should be prohibited and violators should be punished. The term Self-Defense means defense of one’s rights, beliefs, and existence. The Right to defend oneself with whatever force is reasonably necessary against actual or threatened violence is universally recognized by Law. Self-Defense is a natural, inborn instinct. A National Entity has a Right and also a Duty to defend itself from attacks sponsored by an enemy or an Enemy State. The act of Self-Defense could be expressed in several different forms; a retaliation involving the use of military force, economic and trade sanctions, diplomatic sanctions, imposing travel restrictions, and other punitive or defensive actions as needed.   

Dr. R. Rudra Narasimham,  

Kurnool Medical College, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, India,  

M.B.B.S.,  Class  of  April,  1970.

Whole Dude – Whole Pride

THE TAJ MAHAL PALACE HOTEL, BOMBAY (MUMBAI) BUILT IN 1903 – THE FIRST LUXURY HOTEL OF INDIA

A Sad Day in the lives of people who love India:

November 27, 2008 ( A HAPPY THANKS GIVING DAY IN THE UNITED STATES) is indeed a sad day in the lives of many people who love India and cherish its rich Culture and take pride in its noble values. It is painful to watch the beautiful landmark of Bombay engulfed in smoke and fire. We as a nation share this grief and mourn the loss of our people from an unprovoked and sudden attack. The repeated attacks on Mumbai reminds of the repeated assaults on SOMNATH Temple and the Temple was rebuilt seventeen times and we may need that kind of patience and endurance and demonstrate our resilience and frustrate our enemy.

India achieved much progress and Bombay (Mumbai) is the proud symbol of that progress and it is the natural home to people of all faiths. The presence of Parsis, Jews and other religious minority groups in Mumbai speaks about the spirit of tolerance of the city’s inhabitants. They are countless number of Muslims who are part of that rich heritage and they are part of a well-integrated society. India , a land of peace and non-violence has come under the attack of an enemy who knows no mercy and has no sense of human values. We should be united and stay determined to fight this threat. We need to be prepared for the next confrontation. Our willingness to defend ourselves is the only force that will deter our enemies.

HEARTY CONGRATULATIONS TO MUMBAI POLICE DEPARTMENT

I am particularly happy to know that the Mumbai Police had captured a terrorist alive and the terrorist was taken to the court. The details of this heinous crime have already emerged and very soon the international community would recognize that Pakistan has sponsored and has premeditated this crime against the people of India. The Mumbai Police Department took the brunt of this attack, displayed great bravery and they should be fully equipped to fight back any such future assault on innocent civilians.

THE TAJ MAHAL PALACE HOTEL

Jamestji Nasarwanji Tata, the legendary founder of India’s largest industrial house built this 565-room hotel with its architecture blending Moorish, Oriental, and Florentine styles. It was built-in 1903, much before the Gateway of India was completed in 1928 to commemorate the visit of Britain’s King George V and Queen Victoria. It offers a panoramic view of the Arabian Sea and is considered to be a heritage structure. The restoration of the century-old Taj Mahal Palace could take as much as 12 months and may cost about $ 100 million.

THE PROBLEMS OF URBAN WARFARE

We need to cope up with the realities of Urban Warfare. Urban centers of life have come under repeated attacks. We could easily see the sense of shock, the unspeakable amount of pain, and the heavy burden of anxiety on the faces of people, the innocent victims of this ruthless warfare. Because of the vulnerability of our borders, the enemy could sneak in and launch a surprise attack at any time. A small contingent of enemy force with assault rifles and hand grenades can inflict a large number of casualties amongst unarmed and unprepared civilians in a very short time. It needs a considerable amount of effort to flush out the enemy when the enemy is holed up in big buildings with a large civilian population. We need to immediately alert people to leave the streets and take cover in their homes and places of business should be shut down and large establishments such as hotels should have emergency plans to keep their guests until help arrives. During World War II civilians were regularly alerted by air raid warnings. We could also send the emergency warning over the radio, television and the mobile phones and the paging devices. People at Taj Mahal, Oberoi Hotel, and Nariman Place were not alerted when the enemy started his first attack at the Victoria Terminus. A city-wide alert could have helped people to barricade themselves. The streets were not safe even for police personnel if they use unprotected vehicles. It was reported that five police personnel were shot and killed when their vehicle got ambushed. People in buildings should also be warned to stay away from glass windows. Like in air raids, people would be safer if the lights are turned off. We can not negotiate with our enemies over hostages and the only option we have is to retake our land and property that comes under the enemy occupation. We need to prepare for these urban military operations and we should have personnel with proper equipment for fighting a battle in crowded cities and concrete buildings.

Our intelligence capabilities appear to be limited and we can not actually depend upon the government of Pakistan to provide us with information about groups which are training and preparing for these attacks on their soil. Amongst Muslim nations, I could expect some help from Iran which is the home of Shia faith. Iran is interested in selling its natural gas and has also taken the initiative to restore the historical monuments at Golconda, Hyderabad. Iran has the ability to penetrate the Shia groups operating from Pakistan. The recent attackers called themselves as ‘DECCAN MUJAHIDEEN’ and it may indicate that they are a Shia group. The Shia faith arrived in the Deccan region of India from Persia( the present day Iran) and the terror group is taking its orders from Pakistan and Iran is not involved in their command and control.

The Parsi community which also arrived in India from Persia gave us peace and prosperity. Iran the home of Shia faith should shoulder the burden of controlling the Shia groups operating out of Pakistan.