Mumbai bombing!

. PHOTO: AFP

But the fanatics tend to forget that India is a truly secular democracy where previous bombings by the fanatics have failed to provoke the majority Hindus who are mature enough to understand Al Qaeda's game. Also, Indian Muslims are far better off than Muslims in many autocratic countries. Indian democracy has shown enough resilience to overcome such attacks. If the terrorists want to bring an end to India's economic growth, they are also badly mistaken. The day after the bombing, Mumbai's stock exchange registered a healthy growth of 3%. Investors know such attacks cannot put any dent on the economy of such a vast country like India. India is not only the world's largest democracy; it is also becoming an economic superpower. Indian economy is growing at a blistering rate of 7.5%, only second to China's 10%. Such bombings cannot stem India's economic spiral.

Mumbai bombing should bring home the fact that in this fight against terrorism, all democracies are together. In Canada, such terrorist attacks were pre-empted by the arrests of 17 suspects. India must increase its vigilance and try to arrest the terrorists before they strike. This would be a difficult task, but not impossible for a modern country like India. War against fanatics must be relentless and such advanced countries like the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain -- all of who are facing the same religious fascists threats -- should join with India to hunt down terrorists around the globe. India must also increase its vigilance in such key cities like Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata. As Thomas Jefferson so correctly observed: "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."