We often said fondly to our friends abroad should talks come to terror attacks how India while being one of the biggest sufferers does not contribute to the poor of people carrying out this shame across the globe.
Last week truth or change hit home. Among the perpetrators of failed attempts in UK, a few Indians were at forefront it seems. While lets not presume the guilt till the courts hold them to after due diligence, the impact already hits.
I remember when I was in US a few years ago, well after 9/11 the "random" airlines extra scrutiny will unfailingly select almost all Indian (actually all Asians). The randomness looks a bit uncanny once u realize that almost 90% of the sample chosen looked like I did at-least in terms of skin colors or alien names. To be fair, I did see Caucasians also being selected and an occasional Indian not selected, nearly everyone selected was young. And maybe it was a case of all young men (sometimes women too) traveling alone was the biggest factor. Also the security was usually very polite and at least once I had this gentlemen actually helping me pack back my stuff carefully while we discussed my collection of camera lenses.
A big grouse was why all "browns" seem to be selected? Aren't we all highly educated, traveling frequently abroad, working for good firms? That is what worries me. The ones accused this time fit the bill. All highly educated in some of the toughest fields in academic terms, lived abroad and were by all accounts doing good in professional life. I wonder if now Indians (other Asians too probably but I know more about Indians so will use this as a specific example) will not spend in-ordinate time in security checks? Visa could also be an issue. A large chunk of forex is earned by Indians doing small jobs in Gulf sending money back home. Money which sustains the rest of the family, see kids go to school, pick more valuable skills. In short money that uplifted a whole family out of poverty. There is a talk of nursing services being the next boom and this time to Europe already suffering from bad demographic ratios. What if suddenly this avenue dries up?
I wonder what if this was a target as much as the airport in question? What better way to destroy lives than making all suspected in the eyes of the rest of the world. While I'll wager that this probably is a long shot but the fact is that it could have a tangible economic impact on especially poor strata trying to move to higher wage areas. People poor enough or not in that high wage category where they or the employer can afford to pay for greater security scrutiny?
And this is where our apathy towards such criminals is such shocking. I have this grouse against most of Muslim leadership in India. They almost never condemn any attack linked to Islamic terrorists without trying to Justify it on some level. Yup this is a barbaric act but they were provoked! Whats the need for but? Gandhi has shown that violence is not the only way. Even when our own freedom fighter fought with arms the targets were invariably military/police almost never the families. And remember that once during Quit India movement there were civilian casualties Gandhi did stop the movement as a protest against our violence.
Its time we woke up to the fact that terrorism is against innocent civilians and must be unequivocally fought against. True powers often act against innocent victims but then two wrong acts do not make a right.
Hindi Literature in Mumbai
10 years ago
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