All India Christian Council Statement on Mumbai Terrorism

HYDERABAD – December 2, 2008 – The leadership and members of the All India Christian Council (aicc) stand in solidarity with their fellow Indian citizens and the people of the many nations affected by the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
Dr. John Dayal, aicc Secretary General, said, “No cause, however urgent or great, can explain or excuse such wanton bloodshed of innocents. We pray for peace to the families of the dead and for healing of the injured. The common trauma during three days of unfolding tragedy brought various nationalities, communities, and faiths closer together in a shared pain. Among the victims were Hindus and Muslims, Jews and Christians, Parsees and Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains --- not that people of compassion ever needed evidence that thoughtless violence impacts each one of our lives.”
The aicc also joins in the salute to the brave soldiers, firemen, and many unsung civilians who risked their lives so that others could live and the siege of a metropolis could end.
Terrorism of this magnitude perhaps cannot be foreseen or prevented, even though political will, administrative alacrity, adequately equipped military forces, and an informed citizenry can help minimize the death toll. The repeated bomb explosions and other manifestations of terrorism in India in recent months unfortunately expose a nation unprepared.
Dr. Joseph D’souza said, “This is an opportunity to take an incisive look at organizations and groups -- religious, political or ideological -- which target innocent people. This is especially true for common targets: religious minorities. Bomb blasts in Malegaon city and other places targeted Muslims. In Assam state, other groups were victims. Many bomb blasts targeted the general population. India, of course, cannot forget that in Orissa more than a hundred people died, thousands were injured, and tens of thousands rendered homeless. These victims were Christians, most of them Dalits or Tribals, targeted in a senseless but well-orchestrated ethnic cleansing.”
Dr. Dayal said, “The aicc expresses the gratitude of the Christian community to Indian civil society, which stood by it even as the civil administration of Orissa and the Center failed entirely in August and allowed the violence to continue for three months.”
The aftermath of the Mumbai terror attack offers a rare opportunity to express our common human identity and heritage – of peace and love. The aicc commits itself towards working for this task and invites the collaboration and cooperation of all religious and social groups to heal the wounds of the nation.
Dr. D’souza said, “Especially for India, this is also an opportunity for introspection as we respond. A people’s group or faith must not be profiled or singled out for harassment, nor should knee-jerk reactions lead to draconian laws that will erode the democratic foundations which make India stand morally higher than dictatorships and failed democracies in other continents. India needs a considered political unity, modern equipment, and training for the security forces but – more than anything – a united people.”
The All India Christian Council (www.aiccindia.org), birthed in 1998, exists to protect and serve the Christian community, minorities, and the oppressed castes. The aicc is a coalition of thousands of Indian denominations, organizations, and lay leaders