In Wake Of Multiple Terrorist Bombings In Mumbai Wiesenthal Center Expresses Solidarity With People Of India

July 11, 2006

IN WAKE OF MULTIPLE TERRORIST BOMBINGS IN MUMBAI WIESENTHAL CENTER EXPRESSES SOLIDARITY WITH PEOPLE OF INDIA

The Simon Wiesenthal Center has expressed its condolences to the families of hundreds of Indian civilians murdered and maimed from seven coordinated bombs targeting evening rush hour commuters in Mumbai, India. “The world is increasingly divided between those who embrace a culture of death and those who seek peace and reconciliation, said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of  the Center. “Our hearts go out to the hundreds of families whose lives have been destroyed as a result ofthese horrific attacks.”

Rabbi Cooper expressed the Wiesenthal Center’s solidarity with the people and government of India in fighting international terrorism. “Whether it is Mumbai, Madrid, London, Tel Aviv, or Bali, the international community must be united in combating the scourge of terrorism. We urge all governments to declare suicide bombing a crime against humanity, thus creating a legal modality for the families of the victims to go after the sponsors of such atrocities.”

Since 2003, the Simon Wiesenthal Center has spearheaded a campaign to have suicide bombings declared a ‘Crime Against Humanity’. Center officials have brought the initiative to European Union head Javier Solana; His Holiness, the late Pope John Paul II; Turkish Foreign Minister Abdallah Gul; former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, and diplomats from 20 other countries, including India.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS and the Council of Europe.

For more information, please contact the Center's Public Relations Department, 310-553-9036.