Mumbai Attacks Are NOT 9/11

The world is watching Mumbai and the tragic events there, and we pray for all of the victims. We pray that India will pull this intact and move on. History indicated that they will. However, while we are sympathetic and do not wish to diminish the horrific scope of the events in Mumbai, we would like to remind the world of something:

MUMBAI IS NOT NEW YORK, AND THE TERROR ATTACKS THERE ARE MINISCULE COMPARED TO SEPT. 11, 2001.

The comparison of this week's terror attacks in Mumbai to the terror attack on New York 2001 is flawed for many glaringly obvious reasons. Just a few:

1) The death toll of Mumbai now stands at just under 200 officially. Sadly, many of those already injured will probably not pull through and will add to the death toll. Nevertheless, how do you compare 200 deaths to 3,000?

2) The destruction of property and of businesses in Mumbai this week is a small fraction of that which was destroyed when the World Trade Center towers collapsed.

3) The impact that the New York attacks of 2001 had on the economy of the US and the world was infinitely greater than will be the impact of this week's attacks in Mumbai. Remember that in 2001, all commercial airline flights into and out of the US were grounded, whereas the Mumbai airport continues to function.

4) The events this week in Mumbai will probably not spark a war. Highest level officials of Pakistan and India are talking, face to face. After the 9/11 attack on New York, highest-level US officials did not sit at a table with leaders of al Qaeda or the Taliban in Afghanistan.

5) The 9/11 attacks in 2001 included the Pentagon, the center of US military command. No Indian equivalent was attacked in Mumbai.

So please, for the sake of historical accuracy, and so as not to diminish the scope of September 11, 2001, stop calling this week's events in Mumbai "India's 9/11."