India’s 9/11

I spoke with my family on Thanksgiving Day and they were eager to hear news of the events in Mumbai from the Indian perspective.

I showed them the headline from the Times of India, a highly circulated national newspaper.

“IT’S WAR ON MUMBAI”

The words read full across the whole page with a number of informative sub-headlines above the fold and the main headline.

Since I’m not in Mumbai, all of my reports have been either 2nd hand through conversation or through the newspaper. I’ve had no chance to watch any of it on television. They only time I’ve seen a television in the past week has been the New Zealand-Australia cricket match while I had my haircut Saturday afternoon.

But even in that flash of sport I heard the news advert interrupt and refer to this past week as “India’s 9/11”. It’s a country known for its sensationalized press (I’d say more so than the US), but the phrase rang true in many ways.

In a country fairly accustomed to bombings of public places in the name of politics or religion this event has stirred the social consciousness of the nation. It will being a change. It just a matter of when and how…

A few things I’ve noticed…

24-Hour Coverage. It’s been the first time (I believe) that India has live streamed this kind of event in their own country through their own television stations. Friends in Pune told me that people have been glued to their TV sets, even while at work, checking facts and seeing how the story would unfold. For most it’s been a harrowing experience to watch the tragedy come to life on camera, for others it has become violent entertainment, watched with the twisted curiosity that grows inside us when we see such things.

More Religious Conflict. On another level, there’s been an extremely angry response. Those who have not been shaken have often responded with anger. It’s a potentially disastrous cocktail. With Muslims claiming responsibility for the assault, it has injected those predisposed to religious conflict (which is quite a few) with a dose of unneeded adrenaline. Other’s I’ve spoken with have said that their quite ecumenical work colleagues have spoken about taking arms to fight in the battle. It’s a strange but, to some degree, an understandable comment with only a remote chance of manifestation. The problem would be (as has happened in the past) if the violent wing of the Hindu Nationalist ideology responds to this violence against innocents with equal violence towards innocents. Given that the country looks on this as a national tragedy, I would hope it’s a time when Indians stand together. We’ll see…

India-Pakistan. Whether it was intended or not (and reports have been very disparate so far) the violence occurred during a recent warming of relations between India and Pakistan, longtime rivals (and recently nuclear armed rivals) still quarreling over a number of issues, particularly the disputed territory of Kashmir. Recently, the new Prime Minister of Pakistan had made some important concessions regarding a “no first” nuclear policy – which means his government would not fire the first nuclear missile in a military conflict. He also made some statements about the rights of the Kashmiri people to their own government. These bold strides were received well in Delhi and on Tuesday the Home Ministers of each country had met to continue the quickly-thawing conversation. Those talks are now iced, with many pointing the finger at Pakistan as the origin for the militants.

Where Next? The US and the UK responded dramatically to major terrorist attacks on their home soil. How will India respond? With major international conflicts already underway in Iraq and Afghanistan, will India decide to make a bold move on the global level? Will the government seek to centralize power and tighten their authority and security over India (which happened once in the 70’s when martial law left all authority in Indira Gandhi’s hands during The Emergency)? Indian politicians have condemned the violence, but where will they lead the country?

I received this email from a supporter of Action for Life:

“Being born and brought up in Mumbai, what is happening there now has left me benumbed. I am saddened and aghast at the heedless violence, unprovoked and uncalled for. Life in Mumbai is no longer safe, as it used to be when I grew up. I am afraid now to move out in public, to mix with strangers or to trust people.”

It’s a different time in India. Some say this is a watershed moment from which Indians will mark time, like 9-11. But from the looks of Bangalore, nothing seems different on the street and aside from tonight’s candle light vigil at the local college, I haven’t seen the impact change life in the street. It’s wait and see here…

I myself have little to say on the events. I’ve been nervous, knowing I’m responsible for a number of people traveling throughout the country, but more than anything I’ve had a deep sadness.

I’ve also felt a strange desire to pray not only for the situation, the victims and families and the greater repercussions of these acts, but also for the militants themselves. It’s a profoundly disturbing moment when a young man loses his soul. All I can do is ask for a miracle to return hope, truth and love to that void of despair.

I ask you, please keep India in your prayers.