Attack on Indian consulate in Afghanistan's Herat thwarted, all four gunmen killed

All the four gunmen, who had stormed the Indian consulate in Afghanistan's Herat province early on Friday, have been gunned down, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) chief Subhas Goswami said.

Gunmen armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades had attacked the Indian consulate but no diplomatic staff was injured in the assault. "One terrorist was killed by ITBP personnel while three have been killed by Afghan forces. The attack has been successfully repulsed," he said.

Goswami also said security at the Indian embassy in Kabul and consulates in Jalalabad, Mazar-e-Sharif and Kandahar besides Herat has been heightened and a high alert sounded to all Indian assets based across Afghanistan.

"We have been on alert. Our sister agencies have been providing intelligence inputs regularly about sabotage activities against us in Afghanistan. We have asked all our units to be on alert and vigilant," Goswami told PTI.

From the Internet: In today’s India, promoters of the most radical fringe of Hindu nationalism within Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) want to constrict Indian diversity and enforce an imagined civilizational purity they call Hindutva. Their campaign has already demonstrated its power to oppress and kill Muslims, destroy their mosques, force the “reconversion” of Christians and Buddhists, wade into censorship, limit critical or analytical scholarship and police the arts. Hindu zealots drove the country’s most celebrated painter, M. F. Hussein, into self-imposed exile in London, where he died in 2011.

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I didn't know that the Indians considered themselves so pure. I thought that was a Pakistani thing. "Pak" means "pure" and "stan" is "country." Thus the Pakistanis are from the Land of the Pure.

However, most of the world considers the Indians and Pakistanis the same root people, separated only by their religions.

The Hindu pantheon contains some 330 millions gods and goddesses, some people, some animal, some objects and some fantastical creatures of someone's imagination. Who knows.
Also in Hinduism women don't go to heaven. They must return to earth and be reincarnated as a man before they can get to heaven. No women in Hindu heaven, just men.

The Muslims just believe in Allah and Allah is NOT the loving father figure of the Judeo-Christian faith. All people are Allah's slaves. The common Arab Muslim name of Abdallah means "slave of Allah."

Between the Hinduism's ban on women in heaven and the Muslim vision of being Allah's slaves for eternity, I am VERY grateful to our good Lord for making me who I am.

well, under cover of saying "anti-minority", the Nation forgets to mention that this is actually anti-Islam. India suffered for 800 years under Moslem occupation which was worse than Moslem occupations of other lands primarily because Moslems have to give a shred of decency when they rule over people of the book (Christians), but can do whatever they like with Hindus, no holds barred

However, most of the world considers the Indians and Pakistanis the same root people, separated only by their religions -- North Indians and Pakistanis. Pakistanis belong to 6 major ethnic groups:

Punjabis -- the same ethnicity as the Sikh and Hindu Punjabis in India, Canada etc.
Sindhis - related to Punjabis, the Hindu Sindhis fled to India after independence
BAluchis: an Irani people related to the Irani people living in the next door Irani province of Sistan-e-Baloch
Pathans: a mix Indo-Irani population who are the same people as the Pashtuns/PAthans who make up 80% of Afghanistan. The tribes etc. are divided by a British era line in the sand
Muhajirs: Moslems from the area around Delhi and East who moved to Pakistan after Independence
Kashmiris: these live in Pakistani occupied Kashmir and have quite a bit of Greek blood, but are an Indic people related to the Hindu Jammu people in INdian Kashmir

The Punjabis, Sindhis and Muhajirs are ethnically the same as the Punjabis, Sindhis and UPites/Bhojpuris in India, however India also has a number of other nations/ethnicities that are not related to the PAkistan nations:

Rajputs
Maharashtrians
Bengalis
Assamese
Gujaratis
Konkanis

and those are just the Indo-Euroepan groups, besides these there are non-Indo-European nations, the largest group of which are Dravidians (related to the ancient Sumerians and Elamites and Indus Valley civilisation):

Tamils
Malayalis
Andhraites
Kannadigas
Tulus

and then the Tibeto-Burmese peoples

Nagas
Mizos
Manipuris
Sikkimese
Ladakhi
Arunachali

and you have Mon peoples related to the Khmer: the Bhil, Gond tribals

And you have peoples related to the Papua New Guineans and Aborigines in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and tribals in central India

No women in Hindu heaven, just men. -- not true

They have myriad goddesses, and for Hindus, even heaven is temporary -- they believe more in reincarnations, an endless cycle of reincarnation. To escape you attain Mokhsa/nirvana/advait -- and that's open to men and women.

Of course this is not Judeo-Christian, but they're not as bad as Islam's treatment of women -- there is no "ban on women in heaven"

When I was in India I thought I had been dropped onto a distant planet on the dark side of one of their moons. The Indians are like everyone else as humans but their culture was so very different that I felt that I was on alien turf.
My husband was positive that SOMEwhere in India SOMEone was worshiping a '56 Chevy. He was probably right.
Saudi ARAMCO hired NO Hindus because they were not "people of The Book"--the Bible. Saudi ARAMCO hired tons of Muslims and were inclusive with Sunni and Shi'ites, as they were "people of The Book." I found that I had more in common with THEM than I did with Hindus.

I taught yoga for 25 years in the USA so I have a very different take on India and its culture than you do.

My husband and I lived and worked in Saudi Arabia for five years so I also have a very different take on the Saudis and Islam than you do. We actually lived in the Eastern Province where there were many Shi'ite Muslims...not a good thing for them living in Sunni-land, so to speak.

The Moghul empire was huge, but not unique. There have been despotic empires throughout human history and the Moghuls weren't the worst.

I THINK the "worst" was the empire of Ghengis Khan and his grandson. After a typical raid, burn, slash, rape, pillage and destroy attack on a particular town, city or village, MOST attackers would move on.
Genghis Khan would but, after three days he would RETURN to said target and kill and rest. He knew that there were always some survivors who had hidden out for safety and hidden their loot.
So, he would destroy those survivors. The Khans (Genghis and grandson Kublai) win the "contest" of the most destructive force of invaders in human history. It took that part of Asia centuries to recover from the Khans.

Today you will know them by their name. "Khan" is the "Smith" of Pakistan and parts of Indian.

I don't have favorites of any Asian/middle/near Eastern culture, nor do I think that today any are "the worst." I know this flies against what many FReepers may think, but it's what my husband and I saw and experienced. It's hard not to recall those very vivid experiences. My most treasured experience was my trip to the HOLY LAND. AMAZING. I think every Christian should save his money and visit in the "FOOTSTEPS OF GOD"--a Steve Ray tour.

They were, as my husband always said, "an adventure of a lifetime." We learned so MUCH about ourselves!

my antagonism to Islam is based on religious belief, theology and history. I believe that it is a counterfeit religion, arisen from a mish-mash of pre-Islamic pagan beliefs (compare the black-stone of Emesa with the black stone in the Ka'aba and compare the Ka'aba cubic shape to other pre-Islamic monuments dedicated to Sin etc. as well as beliefs in Jinn etc. not to mention the Satanic verses about Alat, Amat and) and Christian heresies such as gnosticism (the Islamic belief that Christ was not crucified but "laughed from the cross" is an echo of the Gospel of Thomas and indicates the idea that Jesus was just a phantasm) as well as mis-translations from Syriac to Arabic

Furthermore I see it as the piece that really destroyed the classical world (see Holland's book "the sword")

I lived in Bahrain, not in Saudi Arabia, but I'd be interested to hear your take on Islam and Saudis

I used to sign my letters home: from the dark side of the moon. The middle east was so alien to me.

But, I got a nice job and my Saudi boss and co-workers (about 30 Saudi men) treated me very well. They had been Americans in Saudi since the late 1920's so these ARAMCO Saudis were used to Americans.
I loved my boss and another co-worker. Mohammad treated me with respect and dignity. He let me go to daily Mass during work hours, putting down the complaints from my fellow worker, an Indian Catholic. "Harry," he told my co-worker" God is number one. There is always time for God. Cloud Mountain (not my real name of course) can go to pray whenever she wants." I always made up the time.
Yes, I started my habit of daily Mass in Saudi Arabia thanks to my Muslim boss.
There was one cranky old man who worked there. He was never rude to me but always cranky and there was one guy who wasn't very bright, but he was always nice. The rest were very nice to me.

One guy, Ali, and I spoke a lot because his English was very good. At a party I went to I got a party favor and didn't want it. It was a little lunch pail, so I gave it to Ali to give to his children.
Two days later he came in looking beaten and war. He hold me that I had started a war. BOTH his daughters wanted that "little lunch pail" and so could I PLEASE get him another one. :o) I did and peace was restored.

Another time, I was leaving a jewelry store in Khobar and a young Saudi was coming in. I thought he would step back and let me pass. HE thought I would step back and let him pass. Neither would give in. We glared at each other then, still glaring, we circled around each other and went our way. Lol. There are ALWAYS punks in this world. I knew that and I was bound to meet one.
I DID obey their rules--dress circumspectively, not wear a cross outside my blouse to show off to the world, I didn't travel alone at night in the cities (though I did on camp) and generally showed the respect due to being a guest in a foreign country.
The Saudis are like everyone else, just Joe Blows from Kokomo. They want a better life for their children and are most concerned about their own lives.
Some were more religious than others, some less.
ARACMO paid us obscenely and we traveled ALL OVER the world.

It was such an adventure. I had MORE trouble with the American TWITS over there than I did with any one else, lol, but that's not news. Some of them did such STUPID things but I made some GREAT FRIENDS.
I just got back visiting an old ARAMCO friend in Texas. Both our husbands have long gone but we stay friends after ALL these years.

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Their faith was no barrier to me. No one tried to convince me to change.

I remember I needed a job here in the states. I ended up teaching P.E. at an Orthodox Jewish school. The Rabbi liked my credentials, "very educated" and he ALSO asked me if I were a Church going Christian. He was very pleased that I attended daily Mass. I thought that BOTH the Muslim and Jewish faiths had their devoted followers and had respect for all faiths "of the Book."

I LOVED Bahrain. I saw Tony Bennett over there once...and he sang his signature song. Snerf.

People treat me as well as I treat them. I try to avoid the jerks everywhere and stay close to the nicer people. Don't we all do that?

When we finally came home, after five years in the KSA, we landed at LAX and I KISSED the ground of the good ole USA...yes, I KISSED the floor of the LAX. Lol. Boy, was I GLAD to be home!!!

No one, with ANY brains, ever laughs at another faith. I thought the Indian faith was too alien for me, especially after teaching YOGA for 25 years here in the USA. Why ridicule another faith? The FARSIs are far more outlandish than any other faith, but why ridicule them?
God made us all and if HE accepts their worship of Him via their own way, it's up to GOD to take care of it, not me. It's the seat of arrogance to denigrate other faiths. It's like second guessing God.

Thanks for the debate.

Tell me about your time in Bahrain.

From what I've read the Farsis allow all marriages except mother-son. Sister-brother, father-daughter, aunt-nephew, etc. They were so out of bounds, historically, that they were thrown out of Persia/Iran and migrated to India where, as I learned, almost anything goes when it comes to worship.
That doesn't seem logical to me.
We SAW the Farsis and the areas where they lived when we went to India. You can SEE the Farsis because of their inbreeding. It's not some dark, well-kept secret.

You can see in the inbreeding of the royal family in Saudi Arabia too, but they marry no closer than first cousins. MANY physical problems, especially heart and eye problems.

The TWO best heart clinics on earth are in Riyah, the king's home AND on his personal 747. But, then, they do have enough money for that, don't they?

I grew up there until the time I was 16. The locals were nice, but they despised Saudis who were known as lascivious as well as holier than thou to the level of oppression

The surrounding emirates are often depicted as hating the Saudis.

However, they have all lived together for many eons and have learned to get along, for better or worse. Some of the Gulf Arabs might have been a little envious as the Saudi Bedu were some of God's poorest people. Now with their wealth they do hold all the cards.

Another point: Saudi Arabia has AT LEAST another 200 more years of petroleum and natural gas. One of two of the emirates have already run out of the liquid gold.

As for "lecherous," please, that does sound so trite and envious. The NICEST husbands, brothers, uncles, etc., are not always "nice" when they get too much liquor under their belts.

Also, as ALL THE FOLKS OVER THERE KNOW, the KSA has to be uptight and moral, whether they like it or not because MECCA is there. The rest of the folks in the emirates KNOW that too, so their bellyaching at the demeanor and behavior of the Saudis sounds like simple bellyaching.

I think MANY female relatives would be SHOCKED at the behavior of their male relatives if they saw them "off the leash." The Saudi "leash" is the tightest because it is the home of MECCA and MEDINA, two if Islam's holiest sites.

It's not more complicated than that.

Btw, good morning!

Zurvanism is now extinct. That HAD to have happened for a reason.

From Wikipedia:

Zurvanism [pronunciation?] is a now-extinct branch of Zoroastrianism that had the divinity Zurvan [pronunciation?] as its First Principle (primordial creator deity). Zurvanism is also known as Zurvanite Zoroastrianism.

In Zurvanism, Zurvan is the god of infinite time (and space) and is aka (“one", "alone”) deity of matter. Zurvan is the parent of the two opposites representing the good god Ahura Mazda and the evil Angra Mainyu. Zurvan is regarded as a neutral god, being without gender (neuter), without passion, and one for whom there is no distinction between good or evil. Zurvan is also the god of destiny, light and darkness. Zurvan is a normalized rendition of the word, which in Middle Persian appears as either Zurvān, Zruvān or Zarvān. The Middle Persian name derives from Avestan zruvan-, "time" or "old age".

Zurvanites considered Ahura Mazda and Spenta Mainyu one of two equal-but-separate divinities under the primacy of Zurvan. The central Zurvanite belief made Ahura Mazda the middle god and Angra Mainyu the fallen twin brother. Mazdeans consider the divinity of Ahura Mazda the transcendental creator.

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It's moot now since Persia/Iran is Muslim.

BTW, it doesn't seem any more or less logical than any other faith. My opinion!

P.S. Do you think that the Japanese got the name for their car "MAZDA" from this Indian deity? Ya never know. :o)

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