More Questions Than Answers

What's been happening in the last 48 hours in Mumbai has shook most Indian residents, both nationals and foreigners, to their very core. Personally, the details filtered in in patches , as Chennai experienced monsoon rains so thick that resultant blackouts cut us off from the news. I awoke Thursday morning, still without power, to learn from a friend that terrorists had laid siege to Mumbai and were not only targeting locations frequented by foreigners, but also seeking out Americans and Brits specifically.

Chennai is hundreds of miles from Mumbai and locals have reassured us that the historical Hindu-Muslim tensions and conflicts that supposedly incited terrorists to target Mumbai simply do not exist in Tamil Nadu. While history frames the present, it remains to be seen what will happen next; no one could have predicted such a horrific turn of events three months ago.
I had accepted a certain level of unpredictability and randomness in moving to India, with blasts occuring at markets and crowded public places on a monthly basis, but in my mind this is a game-changer. In previous attacks, terrorists used crude bombs to instill fear amongst Indians as reprisals for local grievances against local groups. Mumbai represents a host of new dynamics and new possibilities for future violence.

Will Pakistan work with India in the aftermath of this tragedy or will it provide new fodder for the two countries? Will this attack fuel anti-Muslim flames in India and yield more support for Hindu extremists and their political frontmen? Will foreign businesses surge forward in their Indian investments or think twice? Is this the mark of Al-Qaeda or a copycat organization?
Such questions keep me up at night, especially knowing that few will yield answers.

Please say a prayer for those who have lost their lives, for the families of the victims, and that this violent episode does not beget more bloodshed and death.