It is with great shock, outrage, and sorrow that members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, (ISKCON), have learned of the horrific terrorists attacks in Mumbai, India, against hundreds of innocent people.

We thoroughly condemn such acts of violence as being in violation of all principles of law, religion, morality and human decency.

Our prayers and sympathies go out to all of the victims and their families.

We also pray for Lord Krishna’s blessing for those in the police forces, medical fields and others who have sacrificed to protect those in danger and those who have been harmed.

Our three major Hare Krishna/ISKCON temples in Mumbai have been part of the fabric of life in the city beginning in 1971. We have lived and worshipped in peace next door to our many Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Jewish, fellow Hindu, and friends and neighbors of other faiths for nearly forty years.

Today, we join our interfaith and secular friends in condemning this cowardly act, and echo the call of many faiths and traditions of India, speaking in one voice, in condemning the use of violence against civilians and other innocents in any and all circumstances.

Currently, ISKCON’s affiliated Bhaktivedanta Hospital, in northern Mumbai, has its doctors on call, and has organized an immediate blood drive to assist victims being treated by hospitals in the south of the city. We stand ready to help as needed.

We also urge our brothers and sisters throughout India to recognize that such attacks seek in part to create enmity between India’s diverse communities. We know that whoever is behind these terrible acts does not represent any legitimate religious community. We must not allow our pain to bleed into anger against anyone except the terrorists themselves.

We pray that this terrible situation will soon be concluded with a minimal loss of additional life. Certainly, those responsible for these horrendous acts will be brought to justice. We join the chorus of international voices proclaiming that such violence will not succeed in undermining our shared efforts to build a more just and sustainable world founded on the principles of diversity, and mutual respect between all people, cultures and faiths.

ISKCON Governing Body Commission
Ministry of Communications
(Anuttama Dasa, Director)