Sorry, US: Mumbai Is Not About You

9/11 parallels neglect India's long fight with terrorism

By Ambreen Ali, Newser User

Posted Dec 3, 2008 8:17 PM CST

(Newser) – US pundits have portrayed the Mumbai attacks as the 9/11 of India, a terrorist test of Barack Obama, and a deliberate attempt to go after US citizens abroad. "Sorry, it is not always about America," writes Indian native Isaac Cheriyathu in SpliceToday. Devastating, yes. But this was a domestic attack on India, one of countless such assaults over the years. "Just because you weren't paying attention until now does not make it any more significant."

India has been under "an incessant assault from Islamic fundamentalist organizations" since its inception. Mumbai itself lost 200 people just two years ago in terror attacks. Fear is understandably present, but "India is not Afghanistan, it is a success story—a stable democracy over six decades," writes Cheriyathu. "Even as the media want you to believe that this event has the same effect on India that 9/11 had on America, it is simply not the case. India will take this blow in stride and will move on."

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The attacks are a painful reality India has long coped with. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

Mumbai residents marched in the streets today to protest the recent attacks on their city. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

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For an average Indian, the chances of getting involved in a terrorist attack is still slim. - Isaac Cheriyathu

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Sorry, US: Mumbai Is Not About You