And The Violence Caused Such Silence
One of my favorite bands is the Irish band Cranberries. I like the voice of lead singer Dolores O’Riordan (there is something sexy about a rock band whose lead singer is a woman). Many of their songs are about the troubles in Northern Ireland. The one I like the most is “Zombie” which was actually written by Dolores (the video is available in YouTube).
Another head hangs lowly,
Child is slowly taken.
And the violence caused such silence,
Who are we mistaken?
But you see, it’s not me, it’s not my family.
In your head, in your head they are fighting,
With their tanks and their bombs,
And their bombs and their guns.
In your head, in your head, they are crying…
As we observe the one year anniversary of the massacre in Mumbai I wonder what drove young men from far away to take the difficult journey to Mumbai and then go on a rampage that included killing innocent men, women and children on the streets and in hotels, hospitals, cafes and a synagogue. Although Mumbai is the financial capital of India it is still a city where a large number of people are homeless and live a very basic existence. What made them kill these poor and homeless people? Many of those killed were Muslims. What made these terrorists kill individuals from their own community?
These are questions that have been asked in many quarters of society in many different countries. The fact is that there are no simple answers. There are people who believe that this is a culture war. They believe that it will only end when the rest of us convert to Islam. The terrorists they think are motivated by the belief that martyrs will go to paradise where they can be with 72 virgins (there are reports that indicate that Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist from the Mumbai attacks has said that the Pakistani army officers who trained them made them believe that this massacre will offer them a chance to put an end to their quest for “holy virgins”).
I think that reasons such as these are very simplistic to be the key motivating factor. Even the most religious and fanatical person will have a tough time submitting to a mission that will result in his death irrespective what the benefits are in the after life. Many of the terrorists including Mohammad Atta are well educated and spent many years of their lives in liberal, plural Western societies. I am sure they were not foolish enough to believe that their religion was the only true religion or killing innocent people and committing suicide or getting killed is a sure fire way for a Muslim to go to heaven and be with 72 virgins (I am not sure many virgins (in heaven or earth) will want to be with these individuals if they know what they did!!). They had their doubts about their religion and the morality of what they were about to do. But they were still were willing to commit mass murder.
Compared to many of the major religions in the world today Islam is a new religion. However, Islam grew very rapidly all over Asia in a very short period of time. At its pinnacle Islam was the religion of science and Islamic nations were at the cutting edge of arts and architecture. Unfortunately the downfall was as dramatic as the growth. The glory days ended with the fall of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I. Many other societies including India started seeing growth while the conditions in the Middle East and North Africa deteriorated. I think what is going on now has a lot to do with shame and a sense of loss and frustration than anything else. There is a tendency among certain militant fundamentalist Muslims to draw the rest of the world to their levels and not rise up to where the others are.
It is important for all of us including the majority of Muslims who want peace to not to get drawn into this bloody fight (as a skeptic I believe that true heaven is a place on earth!!).
Related posts:
- “Terror in Mumbai” Shown on CNN
- Is Shiv Sena a Threat to India?
- Ban the Burqa or Ban the Sena
- Is India or America Better At Tackling Terrorism?
- Militant Islam A Protest Movement?
Category: Culture & Religion