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My wife asked me while watching on TV the twin towers on fire on 9/11 as to whom in my opinion could have done this. Without thinking for a second, I said “Osama”. One did not need to be a Harvard professor to make such a guess. However, a lot remains to be desired if every terrorist attack in the world is attributed to Osama, Al Qaeda and Muslims in general.
It is true that quite a few of the terrorists are Muslims but we all have heard the maxim that not all Muslims are terrorists. Similarly, all acts of terrorism in India are not the “art work” of ISI, Pakistanis or Muslims.
The Indian police after every terrorist incident comes up with an email from some unknown Muslim group claiming responsibility; and a couple of dozen of Indian Muslims are apprehended within hours, who confess to their involvement. The Indian media goes into frenzy. We saw this happening following the terrorist blasts in Malegaon, Ajmer Sharif, Hyderabad Mecca Masjid, Kanpur, Benares’ Shehtala Ghat, Haryana’s Mewat and the Samjohta Express Train.
It goes to the credit of the Indian system that eventually the authorities acknowledged their mistake and detained the actual culprits who turned out to be not even Muslims and were affiliated with Hindutva organizations such as RSS, Vishwa Hindu Parshad and Bajrang Dal. A prominent RSS leader Sunil Joshi was killed and Muslims again appeared the likely culprits; however, eventually, a few workers of RSS were arrested for the murder. Some go to the extent of blaming the RSS for the death of ATS Hemant Karkare on 26/11 during the Bombay attacks as he had arrested Pragya Singh Thakur who was a prominent Hindu hardline leader involved in the Malegaon blasts.
One Aseemananda, co-accused in a series of bomb blasts by Hindutva terrorist groups, shows that it is not just a few extremist individuals involved but a wide network which includes the involvement of top pracharaks of the RSS. The Hindutva terror groups have been spawned by the hate politics of the RSS.
Some may also recall the media fury following the arrest of Dr. Muhammad Hanif in Australia. He is an Indian Muslim from Bangalore who was arrested in Australia after the British police connected him with a SIM recovered from the accused after the blast in 2007. He was not only finally released but also awarded damages by a court for wrongful arrest. But what does one do with the implications for the Muslim community all over the world, particularly in India, Britain and Australia, after the arrest?
There is no doubt that the Muslims involved in terrorist activities are largely to be blamed for the present state of affairs. However, a billion-plus Muslims cannot be blamed for the actions of a few thousand Muslims. We all have to act responsibly if inter-faith harmony and good relations amongst the religious communities is aimed to be achieved.
Caution is advisable while reporting all terrorist incidents anywhere in the world. The police is at times quick to find an easy prey to deflect attention from its negligence and inefficiency, and media should refrain from indulging in sensationalism and playing to the galleries.
As the Indian incidents mentioned above, along with the one of Dr. Hanif in Australia, shows sometimes the authorities may be misguiding the public and media. The latter has a greater responsibility in this regard and should desist from blaming a particular individual or a community until its own investigation reveals the true picture. Otherwise, little would be left to differentiate between the media and the rumor monger. 
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