In the aftermath of the recent terror attacks on Mumbai, Almost Island has decided to offer its editorial space in this new issue to Nandita Haksar. Haksar is a leading human rights lawyer who has set many precedents in human rights law. Most recently she is known for defending two of the accused in the 2001 terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament, S.A.R. Geelani and Mohammad Afzal.
Amitabh Bachchan was so frightened after hearing of the Mumbai attacks that he loaded his licensed pistol and slept with it under his pillow. He also felt the need to share his fear and wrote about it on his blog. A few days later he carried his pistol on a flight and the license he produced was not for the pistol in his pocket. Was he allowed to carry an unlicensed pistol into the airplane? Was it loaded?
If Shah Rukh Khan had been caught carrying an unlicensed pistol into the plane would the official reaction have been the same? He was also frightened by the Mumbai attacks. He looked self-conscious as he explained on national television that Islam does not justify violence. He said there is a difference between the Islam of Allah and the Islam of the mullahs.
Why did Amitabh Bachchan not have to explain that the Shiv Sena and the Hindutva forces did not represent the teachings of the Rig Veda, Tulsi Das or the Gita?