Muslim India

INDIAN-AMERICANS CONDEMN THE MUMBAI TERROR ATTACKS AND SEEK EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT ACTION TO STOP TERRORISM

New York - November 28, 2008 - As a broad-based coalition committed to promoting justice, peace and human rights, we denounce in strongest possible terms the dastardly terror attacks in Mumbai and demand that the highest echelons of  political decision makers be held accountable for what seems to be widespread and escalating trend of abject failures in protecting precious lives of ordinary citizens and preserving the pluralistic fabric of India.

 We express our deepest gratitude to the thousands of security personnel for their courageous and selfless service in  fighting these well-planned and coordinated attacks. We are deeply moved by still-emerging stories of the heroism and professionalism of the hotel staff. Our heart goes out to the families of fallen heroes and the civilian victims.  We also note with a sense of great pride and satisfaction, that Indian citizens have by and large maintained harmony, understanding and resolve  in the face of successive acts of terrorism, thereby foiling the perpetrators' principal objective.  We have no doubt that it is this unique strength of ordinary people which keeps India resilient, vibrant and united in the face of mounting internal and external challenges.  We call upon all political forces in India to build upon this unique character rather than fomenting divisive agenda for short term gains.

We are alarmed by the reports of foreign groups being involved in the attacks. We urge the government of India to identify these foreign groups and to reassure the nation that such threats are being dealt in an effective manner.

Recent years have witnessed an alarming growth in the number of groups committing highly orchestrated acts of violence against innocent civilians.  As evident from this still unfolding tragedy,  a coordinated and open attack on this scale by a relatively handful of people completely paralyzing a city like Mumbai points to major and multiple break downs across the internal and external intelligence agencies, center-state coordination on law and order as well as political-bureaucratic-civil society  continuum.

 As non resident Indians, we note how India has come to be recognized as a rising power as a result of successive recent governments assiduously pursuing and successfully accomplishing projects to advance the country's profile on the international stage.  However, we also note with dismay and frustration that similar single minded focus and resolve seems to be lacking in successive governments, when it comes to ensuring the life, liberty and livelihood of ordinary citizens. We therefore call upon leaders across political spectrum towards a renewed sense of single minded focus on this very fundamental and basic purpose of government.

 While acknowledging the complexity of the situation and concerned about frequent terrorist attacks in recent months,  we feel nevertheless compelled to request Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh to make  much needed changes in the senior ranks of the government officials and the government apparatus to ensure that the citizens and institutions of India are fully protected from acts of terrorism.

COALITION AGAINST GENOCIDE- A Coalition of Concerned Indian-Americans

http://www.coalitionagainstgenocide.org/

Points of Contact:
Gautam Desai [urvigautam@hotmail.com]
George Abraham [georgeabraham2003@yahoo.com]
Kaleem Kawaja [kaleemkawaja@hotmail.com]

Endorsing Organizations:
Aligarh Alumni Association, Washington, DC
American Muslim Physicians of Indian Origin (AMPI)
Association of Indian Muslims in America (AIM), Washington DC
Campaign to Stop Funding Hate (CSFH) --www.stopfundinghate.org
Friends of South Asia (FOSA), San Jose, California (www.friendsofsoutha sia.org)
Gujarati Muslim Association of America (GMAA), Chicago, IL
India Foundation, Michigan
Indian Minorities Advocacy Network (ImanNet), New York
Indian Muslim Council (IMC), Morton Grove, Illinois (www.imc-usa. org)
Indian Muslim Education Foundation (IMEFNA), North America
International Service Society, Michigan
Muslim Youth Awareness Alliance (MYAA), Michigan
Non-Resident Indians for a Secular and Harmonious India (NRI-SAHI), Michigan
Sikh American Heritage Organization, Wayne, Illinois
South Asian Network for Secularism and Democracy (SANSAD), Greater Vancouver, Canada (sansad.org)
Supporters of Human Rights in India (SHRI)
The Coalition for a Secular Democratic India (CSDI), Chicago. Illinois
Vaishnava Center for Enlightenment, Michigan

Personal Endorsements: 
George Abraham
Habeb Ahmed
Dr. Syed S. Ahmed
Dr. Waheeduddin Ahmed
Girish Agrawal
Rasheed Ahmed
Shahid Ali, M.D.
Khalid Azam
Dr. Chinmoy Banerjee
Dr. Angana Chatterji
Nasir Chippa
Gautam Desai
Shalini Gera
Sapna Gupta
Imtiazuddin
Kaleem Kawaja
Attaulla Khan
Dr. Fazal Khan
Dr. Hyder Khan
Dr. Shahid Ali Khan
Wasim Khan, MD, MPH
Alex V. Koshy
Dr. Kursheed A. Mallick
Ghulam Mansuri
Biju Mathew
Saeed Patel
Shrikumar Poddar
Syed Azmatullah Quadri
Raju Rajagopal
Ravi Ravishankar
Dr. Shaik Sayeed
Dr. Hari Sharma
Ramkumar Sridharan
Raja Swamy
Dr. Shaik Ubaid
Firoz Vohra