The recent bomb blasts in Mumbai (August 25, 2003) shook the whole city. It has been a long series, Mulund, Ghatkopar and culminating in the worst one at Jhaveri Bazar and Cuffe Parade. The reaction to these dastardly acts has been diverse. While the City of Mumbai kept moving with some hiccups, the opinion and reactions of politicians revealed a lot about their mind set. The Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray called for the help of LTTE in tackling terrorism, while Mr. Advani, came up with his oft repeated convenient accusation that Pakistan is responsible for these acts. In this simplistic explanation one can effortlessly conceal the causes of genesis of terrorism, which his own brand of politics has unleashed.

In a related event the Muslims of Ahmedabad went on for a day's Bandh in response to the simple leaflet, which stated the truth that the Muslims are being regarded as terrorists. The simple leaflet was innocuous but the hurt psyche of Muslim community found an expression of their anguish. They suffered pain and sorrow not only during the carnage but their misery continues in various forms as the 'Hindu state' of Gujarat is on the way to fascisisation with abolition of the citizenship rights for minorities. The Best Bakery case has transcended all the limits of democracy and there is nothing an average person of minorities can look forward to for one's rights of living as a decent citizen.

The investigations of the Mumbai blasts have been starkly revealing. In contrast to Advani's attempts to hide the real reasons of the terrorism, the truth seems to be coming out. The Gujarat carnage, which led to the loss of lives of around 2000 innocent victims, which resulted in thousands families being rendered homeless, which witnessed the violation of the being of hundreds of women and on the top of that which saw the child in mother's womb being subject to brutality, did result in the anger which has taken illogical directions. One understands the existence of Gujarat Muslim Revenge group, one is shocked to learn that many a Muslim youth battered by the inhumanity perpetrated on their community have been recruited in large numbers by the existing terrorist outfits.

Just a decade ago the Mumbai riots in the wake of Babri demolition had seen the bloodshed, which was coordinated by Bal Thackeray, a close ally of Advani and Co. During the bloodshed it became clear that the victims are mainly from the minority community, despite Congress rule the then Chief Minister of Maharashtra surrendered to Thackeray (incidentally he later joined Thackeray's party also) and let the Shiv Sena goons go on rampage. This one sided cruelty kept going on and on. Then one bad afternoon a series of bombs exploded killing a large number of innocents. And it seems that after this incident the simmering violence took some respite.

During the Gujarat genocide many a perceptive commentators did point out that this violence will also give birth to terrorists. Of hundred of youth who see their kith being killed for the only crime of being a Muslim at least a couple may take this insane path. Of the hundred of young children who saw their sisters and mothers being molested some may grow to be the terrorists, goes without saying. In Mumbai blasts the new feature is involvement of women, in the blasts. One knows that when millions of Palestinians were exiled due to the by the highhanded tactics of Israel duly supported by United States. The terrorism sprung up. And one name, which sticks in the memory, is that of Liala Khalid, a young Muslim girl who took to this insane path. One also recalls a girl named Dhanu, a part of LTTE set up, who blew up Rajiv Gandhi for his supporting the Sri Lankan government in restraining the LTTE.

So who is responsible for the genesis of terrorism? Is terrorism a religious phenomenon? Is it due to the members of a single community? How come some people come to take the steps, which surely are suicidal for them? Terrorism is basically a political phenomenon. People belonging to different religious communities have resorted to it. The prerequisite of this is of course an intense injustice perpetrated by the dominant group. Be it Israel, or Sinhala ethnic politics or the sense of alienation felt by the people in Kashmir or North East. The sustaining factor for this phenomenon is the abuse of democratic norms. Terrorism is an act of extreme desperation where the victims do not see any light at the end of the tunnel. One remembers the plight of Kashmiri Pundits at this point. Comparing the miseries of Kashmiri Pundits with Palestinian refugees will not be fair. Both are sipping their own cups of woes and these are not of the same quality or quantity. The three major points due to which Islam and Muslims are demonized are scattered all over. The problem of Palestine is the major one. It is a mere coincidence that the regions, which are rich in oil wealth, also happen to be the regions where followers of Islam are more. These are also the areas where American Imperialism wants to control the oil wealth and prop up despotic rulers in these countries who have nothing whatsoever do with democracy. The issue of Kashmir has been a matter of great anguish for the country at large. The initial policies due to which the dictum of Do Pradhan Do Vidhan (Two Prime Ministers-Two Constitutions) was violated resulted in the alienation of large sections of Kashmiri youth, making them fertile ground for terrorist ideas and actions.

The rise of Hindutva, the communal violence has again resulted in the violence in which Minorities are the big victims. The lack of justice mechanism, the failure to implement the inquiry committee reports and the communalization of civic society has given a deep sense of hurt to the Muslim minorities. The demonization of minorities is by now complete due to the continuous efforts of RSS and its progeny. the doctoring of mass consciousness has gone to the extent that average person has come to believe that Islam is the religion, which promotes violence, and that Muslims are devils incarnate.

In a way the Islam worldwide is demonized in pursuit of the Imperialist ambitions of US, more so after the demise of Soviet Union. Islam has been projected to be the backward religion. This has been backed up by the ideologues of Imperialism like Samuel Huntington who see the present obstacles to America's ambitions to control the world's oil wealth as a clash between the advanced Western civilization and the backward Islamic civilization. Can any civilization be totally dictated by religion in the current times? What is the similarity between the civilization of an Islamic country like Indonesia and Saudi Arabia? What is common between the Muslim population of Japan or US and the believers in the cult of Osama bin Laden?

Kashmir is another sore point but it is hardly an issue related to Islam or for that matters to the Indian Muslims. Hindutva surely has made great strides and the original proclamation of the RSS Sarsanghchalak that Muslim and Christians don't deserve even the citizen's rights is being implemented by the saffron eyed boy of Sangh Parivar, Narendra Modi, with great admiration from the top rulers of the country as a whole.

So what is primary-does terrorism give rise to Israel-US policies or US-Israel atrocities result in Osama bin Laden and his clan? Has Kashmir terrorism its roots in Islam or in the unresolved Indo-Pakistani relations and using the people of Kashmir as the hostages to two supra-nationalisms of Pakistan and India, is the cause of problem in the valley? Does terrorism give rise to Gujarat carnage or Gujarat carnage gives rise to Gujarat Muslim Revenge Group? In this case they're an interesting twist. Mr. Modi will like us to believe that Godhra 'terrorism' gave rise to Gujarat carnage. A deeper analysis will show that Godhra was projected as the terrorist offense to legitimize in advance the carnage which was planned much in advance. The Hindutva and for that matter all narrow nationalisms do create an enemy to ensure that their planned actions are projected as revenges to the original acts. And that's where the evil genius of Bal Thackeray and Modi comes in handy to implement the anti-minority pogroms.

Today the reality has been inverted fully. The causes remain hidden, subtly glorified, presented as the solution of their own effects. The victim being projected as the culprit is the key of those perpetrating the cult of violence for their narrow goals of power, social privileges and accompanying hegemony?