We live in a strange world, devoid of love, hatred and insanity. There are two incidents that happened in quick succession; one is the Mumbai blast and other Oslo killings that gives the picture that we live in a strange world, a world that harps on make believe assumptions.
Its not even week when Mumbai was rocked by another series of bomb blasts, and then a lunatic open fires in Oslo killing scores of innocent people, both condemnable act in every term of words, but equally condemnable was the quick conclusion of the suspects of both the incidents.
While the Mumbai attack was blamed on Indian Mujhadeen, Lasker -e -Toiba and Jaish- e- Mohammad, the usual Muslim angle of the suspects, the needle of suspicion for Oslo killings initially fell on the Islamist. Both the assumption being to far fetched.
There was not even a shred of evidence pertaining to that but the entire country was fed on the staple diet of the usual Muslim suspects. i was trying for balanced reportage but no TV channel had the audacity to report that the security forces can not correctly place the needle of suspicion on any exact group or groups and every one is innocent in the eyes of the law.
Contrary each channel was going gung-ho hate mongering when it was moment of restraint. The vernacular television screens were louder in stoking the tempers against a particular community.
Now when the heat and the dust of the blast has settled down, all the theories that were earlier circulated has come cropper and there is lull about all that has happened a while ago.
The Mumbai blasts have been a tragedy of innocent killings. Hate mongering the usual follow up of all channels was once again on display. Investigations have gone no further than catching the usual culprits, rounding them up and some calculated leaks from the investigators leading to no deductions.
Is it not all this sound strange? Anyway I leave this as food for thought and try to pick up the thread at the killings in Oslo.
The moment this tragedy struck Norway, the first suspect was Al Qida. One report tried to make believe that it was Osama Bin Laden’s men who had gone on rampage to avenge the killing of its leader.
Another said that some Islamic radical in dressed in mufti created the mayhem. It was to protest Norway’s participation with NTO operations in Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan.
How simplest were the deductions, one wonders. Now, as the clouds have cleared, there is no Islamic angle to the killings. The truth is very different from all the assumptions being made.
The Oslo killing is beyond expression. Innocent lives were lost. All those killed had no inkling what was that all about. A lunatic young man, with fascist ideas, full of hatred in his heart, imaginary or real which he himself is unable to explain went on rampage taking innocent lives.
This brings to the fundamental point, why the media is in a hurry to do the postmortem of such events. They seem to blame on what ever comes handy and are easy targets.
It’s a dangerous trend and not good for the consumption of civilized societies. In all humbleness there should be a protest to stop the muck that’s thrown around in the name responsible journalism.
Media may restraint from casting judgments and gradually figure out the actual reasons of the event gained through authentic sources and only then disseminate them to the public.
Here, I may also like to add another fact that is that some Islamic radicals have rejoiced at the pain caused in Norway, calling it divine justice for the pains suffered in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.
This again is a dangerous trend and has to be condemned in very harsh words. Such thinking can not be called as an act of civilization. It is sheer barbarism.
Another unfortunate trend these days apart from media there are other actors such as some politician, some judge who has a high standing in the society have pointed fingers with no basis or logic. Their tone and tenure is full of hate and justification enough to be hauled up for inciting public, without any proof. Government on the other hand is unable to enforce its authority.
We watch all this with anguish and pain, and a particular community carries the burden of innumerable abuses and false allegations, along with the usual difficulties a common man faces in this turbulent world.
Both Mumbai and Oslo killings has brought huge pain and sufferings to the people who are victims of such terror. It’s a time where each of us should unite to fight such dastardly acts. This is done without any prejudices.
Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is an eternal rule. Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule, said one of India’s iconic saint, Lord Buddha.
Equally important is quote of another saint of India Hazrat Nizamuddin who says do not give me scissor as I do not like to cut, give me needle, as I like to stitch.
At this point of time, the pain and sufferings of the victims cannot be healed by blaming someone; it can only be overcome through the resolve of acting as a needle to stitch the wounds of hate.
With deepest grief in memory of those who have lost their lives in Mumbai and Oslo and sharing of pain of their families, lets pray for global peace.
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Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba@yahoo.com