Church Condemns Terror In Mumbai

Church people have condemned the "heinous" terrorist attacks in Mumbai that have killed at least 100 people and wounded about 500 others, according to reports on Nov. 27 afternoon.




Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil of Ernakulam-Angamaly, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, said this was "the most heinous crime -- to indiscriminately kill ordinary people in the streets, railway stations and hotels for whatever cause," reported UCA News.

Similarly, Reverend Enos Pradhan, general secretary of the Church of North India, a unified Protestant Church, said: "The Indian Church is shocked and disturbed by the events of the bomb blasts, killing innocent people and taking tourists as hostages."

Teams of terrorists armed with assault rifles and grenades attacked 11 locations in the city, India's commercial capital. Most of the sites targeted were in the main tourist and business district, including the city's main commuter train station, a hospital and two luxury hotels, where gunmen held dozens of hostages. The attacks began around 9:30 p.m. local time on Nov. 26.

On Nov. 27 afternoon, officials said at least eight militants and 11 policemen had been killed.
The attackers reportedly entered the city by boat, stormed the two luxury hotels on the seafront and took tourists as hostages, singling out foreigners, particularly British and American nationals.

Reverend Pradhan said the terrorists tried to "bring an international dimension to their activity by keeping foreign nationals as hostages." In his view, getting to the root of the problem will require changing the mindset of people involved in such crimes.

Cardinal Vithayathil said the atrocities in Mumbai have deeply wounded and pained him. He urged the government to defend people's life and property.

"Terrorism is a crime against humanity. Nations and communities must do everything to wipe out terrorist networks and their links from society," he said, while expressing condolences over the many deaths, especially "our security people who sacrificed their lives to protect us."

Several Indian news agencies have reported receiving e-mails claiming responsibility for the Mumbai attacks from a group calling itself Deccan Mujahideen.