Prayers to remember Mumbai attack

Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Muslims and other religious communities will come together in Mumbai on Nov. 26 for a prayer service to mark the first anniversary of a terror attack on the city.

The gathering is to express solidarity with victims of the terror attack and will be held under the auspices of the US-based Simon Wiesenthal Center and India's Art of Living, according to Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Wiesenthal centre.

Terrorist attacked at least five major places in the city Nov. 26-29, 2008. Some survivors will attend the all-faith memorial meeting. Also attending will be some families of 166 victims, local leaders and foreign dignitaries, said an Indian news agency.

Cooper said religious leaders have a special obligation to publicly condemn terrorist attacks inspired and sanctioned by those who call themselves servants of God. theNov. 26, 2008 incident was the first attack on Jews in India in their more than two millennia stay in the country, he told press persons during an inter-faith prayer meeting on Nov. 17 at Mumbai's Hotel Trident-Oberoi.

This was the time for people of various faiths openly repudiated the culture of death nurtured in the name of religion while standing beside Indian friends to promote the sanctity of life, tolerance and freedom, he added.

He also said people are impressed with the "resilience" shown by India, the world's largest democracy.

Father Caesar D'Mello, a leading priest of Bombay archdiocese, is among scores of prominent personalities attending the program.

Others are D.R. Kaarthikeyan, former director of the Central Bureau of Investigation, Orna Sagiv, Israeli consul-general in Mumbai and Ervad Ramiyar Parvez Karanjia.

After the prayer meeting, the gather went to the Chabad House in Colaba and lit candles in memory of the victims of the terror attacks.