Norway Blasts and shoot out- Memorial service thereafter

We as a country which had experienced terror knows the pain of terror. A recent bomb blasts and a shoot out by a freak youth killed over 90 persons. Those who killed in the Utoeya island are all youth. The initial news was that about 7 persons died and several injured in the twin blasts near prime minister's office in Oslo, the capital of Norway. In a few hours, another shocking news came on a man shooting the youth from Labour Party Youth Camp and the youth had very little option of escape routs. Investigations revealed that the man who was responsible is not an Al-Qaeda or any terrorist organization but a Norwegian who expressed his views against muslims, especially those of the immigrants in the country. Why kill these youth? The Labour party seem to support immigrants in the region. Some observes note that this might be the beginning of unrest in Europe. A country like Norway which has never seen terrorism is utterly shocked.

I watched the memorial service for the departed live on CNN, which gave an emotional moment.Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg addressed hundreds of mourners gathered at Oslo Cathedral. He mentioned it was a national tragedy and the youth were known to many including himself. The Norwegian King Harald and Queen Sonja also attended the service and were found weeping during the service. I have not seen many of our leaders seen weeping in tragedies though they make brave speeches condemning the terror. The country responding to the terror with a mass and an attempt in wiping the grief is something worth mentioning. The memorial was labelled "Mass of Grief and Hope". My previous blog on Mumbai blasts talked about our failing hope. Now, it is time that we developed hope and also faced terror with new preparedness. The terror 
has become an international phenomenon.


In the era of globalization and mobility, we all need to live accommodating each other, accepting multicultural nature of the world, adjusting among the different races. Otherwise, the world we live will be a grave yard and cannot be a peaceful one. Let us all make this world a paradise to live happily and peacefully. We pray for all the innocent who lost their lives and the families who lost their near and dear ones.