The 2008 Mumbai attack was one of the deadliest terror attacks that India had ever witnessed. Led by a group of 10 Islamists associated with the Pakistani terror outfit of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), they carried out 12 shooting and bombing incidents, killed 165 civilians and injured 300 others. Iconic places in the city such as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Leopold Cafe, Cama Hospital, Taj Palace, Nariman House, Oberoi Trident became the target of Islamist attacks.
One of the least known aspects of the terror attack was the religious profiling of the victims by the LeT terrorists, prior to their merciless execution. A dossier submitted by India to the Pakistani government in January 2009 contained details of audio transcripts by the 26/11 terrorists and their Pakistani handlers. The conversation highlighted how the Islamists ensured that the victims were non-Muslims before killing them.
The targeted killing of non-Muslims by Islamic terrorists
At the Taj Palace, a Pakistani handler confirmed with the terrorists whether the victims were Muslims or not. On being asked about the number of hostages, a LeT terrorist informed, “We have one from Belgium. We have killed him. There was one chap from Bangalore. He could be controlled only with a lot of effort.” At that point, the handler inquired about the presence of any Muslim hostage. “I hope there is no Muslim among them?” asked the Pakistani handler. “No, none,” confirmed the terrorist.
However, the scene at the Oberoi Trident Hotel was starkly different from the Taj Palace. The faith in Islam became the ultimate decider of fate. Two hostages were freed by the LeT terrorists for being fellow Muslims. This treatment was not meted out to the non-Muslims, who were mercilessly gunned down after their religious identity was confirmed. “Kill all hostages, except the two Muslims. Keep your phone switched on so that we can hear the gunfire,” directed one of the handlers in Pakistan.
“We have three foreigners, including women. From Singapore and China,” responded a LeT terrorist. It was at that point the Pakistani handled directed to execute them. “Kill them,” he ordered. The Islamic terrorists asked the non-Muslim hostages to stand in a queue. The Muslim hostages were asked to stand aside. While the handlers remained connected to the terrorists via satellite phones, the sound of gunfire and cheering voices could be heard distinctly.
At the Nariman House, a Pakistani handler was heard telling one of the LeT terrorists about the significance of the 26/11 attacks in the context of Islam. “Brother, you have to fight. This is a matter of prestige of Islam. Fight so that your fight becomes a shining example. Be strong in the name of Allah. You may feel tired or sleepy but the Commandos of Islam have left everything behind. Their mothers, their fathers, their homes. Brother, you have to fight for the victory of Islam. Be strong,” he emphasised.
Eyewitnesses recount how Quranic verses turned out to be a saviour
A documentary on the events of 26/11 gives a chilling account of the religious profiling conducted by Islamic terrorist. At the Oberoi Trident Hotel, a group of 15 people were taken to the top of a service staircase. Among the hostages were a Muslim Turkish couple. At about 18 minutes into the video, the Turkish man named Saifi recounted how his wife Melton’s declaration of Faith spared his life.
When they were being led to the staircase and a LeT terrorist named Fahadullah raised his gun to shoot them, Melton had screamed, “Stop, stop. He is from Istanbul in Turkey. He is a Muslim.” 10 people were gunned down by Fahadullah but the life of Saifi, his wife Melvin and three other women were initially spared.
At about 30 minutes into the documentary, Saifi recounted, “They took us out of the room and made us lean against the wall. They were talking on the phone and asked us to move away from the wall.” Melton narrated how the three female hostages were gunned down in front of their eyes. While still in a state of shock, Saifi and Melton began reading the Quranic verses (Surah) for the dead. According to Saifi, this act shocked the terrorists.
At that point, Fahadullah directed the Turkish couple to enter a nearby room. However, they insisted on being shot at the staircase, like the other hostages. However, the LeT terrorist disagreed. He announced, “No Kill. You are (Muslim) brothers.” Thus, the allegiance to Islam and the open display of Faith proved crucial for the Turkish couple to save their lives.
Congress ecosystem blamed RSS for 26/11, gave clean chit to Islamists
While the world was holding Pakistan responsible for 26/11, then Congress party leaders and members of the party’s tight-knit ecosystem were floating conspiracy theories to fix RSS in the 26/11 terror attacks. It is not an unknown fact today that how Congress party had pushed theories giving clean chit to Islamism for the Mumbai terror attacks.
Aziz Burney, known for his anti-Hindu rants, was one of the key figures who actively pushed the Congress party’s conspiracies against the RSS. Burney, who was the Group Editor of Sahara Publications like Roznama Rashtriya Sahara, Bazm-e-Sahara, Aalami Sahara, had published a book titled, “26/11 RSS Ki Saazish?” (26/11, An RSS Conspiracy?) to pin the blame on RSS for the Mumbai Terror attacks that were carried by Pakistan-based Islamic terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba.
To give credence to the book written by the then editor-in-chief of Sahara Urdu newspaper, Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh had himself inaugurated the book, not once but twice, once in Delhi and then in Mumbai again. During the book release, Singh had alleged that Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare had called him two hours before the 26/11 attack in Mumbai to say that his life was blighted by constant threats from those opposed to the ATS probe into the 2008 Malegaon blast in which ‘Hindu extremists’ were accused.
Thus, Singh had exonerated Pakistan and had decided to push the blame of 26/11 attack on RSS and Hindu extremists. The book was a collection of his hundreds of editorials and articles in his Urdu paper. Its English version was named, “26/11: Biggest attack in India’s history”, which supposedly offered an “alternative” view of the siege. Through his articles, Burney had given a clean chit to the terror-state of Pakistan by claiming that it was not the ISI or LeT that was behind the attack, but the RSS with covert support from Mossad and the CIA.
Islamic terrorists from Pakistan carried ID cards with Hindu names
Mumbai Commissioner Rakesh Maria’s revelations in his book “Let me say it now” that claimed that Ajmal Kasab had an ID with a Hindu name Samir Chaudhary on it had made media headlines.
Maria, in his book, asserted that Kasab had Hindu ID on him and the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI and the terror organisation Lashkar-e-Toiba wanted him to die as “Samir Chaudhary”. According to Maria, Lashkar and ISI planned to make all the ten terrorists who attacked Mumbai on 26/11 seem like disgruntled Hindus avenging the ‘atrocities’ perpetrated against Muslims. All ten terrorists were provided with saffron or red thread to be tied around their wrist so as to lend them a veneer of pious Hindus.
“There would have been screaming headlines in newspapers claiming how Hindu terrorists had attacked Mumbai. Over the top TV journalists would have made a beeline for Bengaluru to interview his family and neighbours. But alas, it had not worked that way and there he was, Ajmal Amir Kasab of Faridkot in Pakistan,” Maria has written in his book.
