Dastardly act

Sunday’s dastardly attack on a group of Jewish people celebrating Hanukkah festival on Bondi beach in Sydney by two gunmen should be condemned in strongest terms by all those who cherish peace, amity and harmony among people. The attack which left 15 people dead besides critically injuring another 25, appears to have been preplanned by gunmen duo—Sajid Akram and his son Naveed Akram—driven by nothing but hate against Jews. 

That there should be no reason for targeting innocent people engaged in festivities goes to prove that the radicalized attackers were motivated by anti-Semitic feelings and chose to kill people who had no ideological agenda and were individuals enjoying revelry in a social gathering. Reports indicate that the duo owed loyalty to Islamic State and reinforces the view that the remnants of the dreaded terrorist group still roam free across the globe and measures would be needed to identify and stamp them out.

It is also gratifying to note that bystander Ahmed Al Ahmed heroically risked his life while tackling the senior gunman and may have saved dozens more from being killed. The heroic act, widely publicized by the Australian and the world media, would be expected to avert opening of fault lines for counter-hate on the religious axis which is quite normal in the wake of such evil acts by a handful. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s plea for gun control while condemning the act bears relevance and deserves consideration as free access to arms that can kill are a threat to peace and law and order in any society.