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Date: July 7, 2005
TAMPA,
FL - With breaking news of the multiple bombings in London on July 7,
2005, coming just two days after a presumed Islamist terrorist attack
on a Hindu temple in Ayodhya, India, the Hindu American Foundation
(HAF) expressed condolences to the victims of the attacks, and
condemned the perpetrators of the terrorism. While Indian security
forces killed all 6 attackers at the temple marking the birthplace of
Lord Rama, a widely worshipped incarnation of God for Hindus, the
London attack resulted in numerous deaths and injuries.
"We are shocked and outraged by
these wanton attacks on innocent civilians in London, and at one of
Hinduism's most sacred sites in India," said Rajan Patel, member of the
HAF Executive Council. "These attacks underscore the need for resolve
and unity to face the recent deluge of terror that is taking a global
turn in attacks on innocent people."
The attack on the high-security
Hindu Ram Janambhomi complex in Ayodhya began after terrorists stormed
the temple, shooting at random before exchanging fire with police.
Machine guns and grenades were found with the bodies of the gunmen.
Speculation centers on the Lashkar-e-Toiba, a Pakistan supported
Al-Qaida group as the perpetrators of the attack.
The four bomb blasts that targeted
London's underground transport system and a double-decker bus, on July
7, reportedly left 38 dead and over 700 injured. British Press
Association reports from London said that a group calling itself "The
Secret Organization of Al-Qaida in Europe" has claimed responsibility.
"Hindus have long faced the specter
of terrorism in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir where 350,000
Hindus remain refugees in their own country, and in Bangladesh where
thousands have been killed and millions forced from their homes," said
Vinay Vallabh, member of the HAF Executive Council. "It is our hope
that the spirit of pluralism and tolerance shared by Hindus, the brave
people of London and our fellow citizens here in the United States will
not waver in the face of terrorism whose philosophy is incompatible
with the very idea of civilization." |
