Networking sites: terror talk

The biggest group on Facebook, 8216;Mumbai terror attacks: I condemn it8217;, has 27,502 members...

The biggest group on Facebook, 8216;Mumbai terror attacks: I condemn it8217;, has 27,502 members, while Orkut has around 80 communities devoted to the cause in India itself. All deplore the mindless killings and honour the security personnel who died fighting the attackers. Most rail against governmental failure and intelligence weaknesses of government agencies incapable of fighting terror.

One member of a Facebook community recommends introducing private commandos to ensure security in 8220;metropolitan areas8221;. Another discussion thread vacillates between whether the government forces are under-overworked, under-over paid or just badly trained. The rhetoric is often overwhelming8212;the description of one Orkut community reads: 8220;Then it was the sin of Onan/And the sin of Sodom/Now it8217;s the sin of Osama/And the sin of Saddam8221;.

In an effort to deflect the obvious aspersions that are being their way, Pakistanis have launched a separate group condemning the attacks. The Pakistani group, 8216;All Pakistanis condemn Mumbai terrorist attacks8217;, has 2,225 members.

The people of Mauritius too have a separate forum to express their grief, with special mention of a fellow citizen who died in the attack. Not all are convinced by the Indian government8217;s attempt to pin the blame across the border8212;a community floated by a 8220;proud Indian8221; is named 8216;Stop blaming Pakistan for terror attacks8217;. Some vigorously assert their Islamic identity while decrying terror, for example, 8220;Yes I am a Muslim and I condemn the November 26 038;27 attacks8221;. Some wholeheartedly advocate war8212;8217;Let us bomb the country responsible for Mumbai attacks8217;8212;while others set themselves lofty targets8212;8217;How can India be a strong nation?8217;

Another justifies how all the leaders of terror outfits are American creations, exhorting us to 8216;Stop calling secularist terrorism as Islamic terrorism8217;.

The coverage provided by the Indian media, especially television, comes in for a fair bit of criticism. While some praise the media8217;s courage in braving bullets to provide live footage, there8217;s outrage too, with at least one prominent TV journalist derided as 8220;attention hog8221;, or even as the 8220;worst senior journalist on the planet8221;.