Rec'd this in an email from a Catholic friend. One of the
Catholics is sending this to the Catholic news.
Meet The Real
Terrorists…
(they are still proudly walking free on the streets of
India)
-- A tribute to Fr. Edward Sequeira
Today the whole world is talking about the terror attacks on India
by Pakistani terrorists. Every TV channel in the world, every
newspaper is filled with the heart-breaking stories and pictures of
the tragedy that began on the night of 26th November 2008. The
government of India has very generously granted lakhs of rupees to
the families of the deceased. US has sent their representatives to
promote peace talks between India & Pakistan. Every person in
the world has condemned the terrorists and their disgustful acts.
Signature campaigns and public demands have caused top government
officials to resign.
Today, the police are claiming that all terrorists are either dead
or arrested. There is no need to fear, none of them are on the
loose.
But, is that really true?
Allow me to take you back to a few incidents (I call them
‘terror-attacks’) that happened right here in India, just a few
months ago. Only it wasn't in Mumbai, but another lesser known
state Orissa.
- Priests were
killed. Beaten up. Hammered and left bleeding naked on the streets
to die.
- Nuns were
raped.
- Children were
burnt alive.
- Christians killed
and cut to pieces.
- Rajni Machi, a
20-year-old HINDU girl, who was rejected by her parents because she
was the eldest of 7 girls (the parents wanted a son), adopted by
Fr. Edward Sequeira, was gang-raped by HINDU fundamentalists, and
burnt alive.
- Hundreds of
Churches & villages burnt and destroyed
- 60,000 plus
Christians fled to the forests, with no food, no shelter, no
sufficient clothing to keep them warm in the bitter cold.
- Volunteers from
Mumbai and other parts of the country not allowed to go and help
the victims.
- No provisions
were allowed to be sent to them.
- Even today, 1000s
of these poor, helpless Christians are hiding in the cold,
dangerous forests, with no one to help them.
Now tell me are these fundamentalists any better that the
terrorists? I say no, they are as much a terrorists as the ones who
came from Pakistan. In fact, even worse. The terrorists who
attacked Mumbai, attacked their enemies. The Indian
fundamentalists, attacked their own brothers - fellow
Indians.
And these terrorists in Orissa are still roaming around boasting
about their great deeds. The Chief Minister of Orissa, Naveen
Patnaik still sits on his throne. The attacks in Mumbai have ceased
after 3 days. The attacks in Orissa still continue.
Will someone do something? Can we demand justice for the suffering?
Or is that reserved only for the elite class of Taj & Oberoi in
Mumbai. Some of those who were caught in the Taj and Oberoi have
been saved and given a second chance in life. Can the people of
Orissa expect the same?
Many of you reading this are in different parts of the world. Some
of you are in the US. Can someone take this message to the US
President? Will they force the government of India to send the army
to Orissa and other parts of India that are under attack?
What will you do? Will you just forward it to a few ‘safe’ friends
and forget about it? Will you take a stand to talk to every person
you can about this injustice? Will you promise not to stop
spreading this message till Orissa is freed of terrorists? We need
a country that is free. Will you join this freedom struggle like
Gandhiji once did?
I will.
For those who want to read more on terrorism in Orissa, here’s a
link: http://orissaburning.blogspot.com/2008/08/saved-from-fires-fr-edward-sequeira.html
Fr. Edward Sequeira passed away a few weeks ago, due to the severe
internal injuries and inhalation of smoke for hours when his home
and children were burnt alive. This message is dedicated to his
great love and sacrifice.