Actions Speak Louder Than Words

This morning, I was reading some of the most beautiful words ever spoken, including this:

Mat 7:16	Ye shall know them by their fruits: Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles:
Mat 7:17	Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
Mat 7:18	A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Mat 7:19	Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Mat 7:20	Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

How strange, then, to come downstairs and read this in the NYT about the India bombings:

Representatives from Lashkar-e-Toiba, whose name means Army of the Pure, telephoned several Indian news organizations to deny involvement. “These are inhuman and barbaric acts” a man who identified himself as “Doctor Ghaznavi”, a spokesman for the group, told Reuters. “Islam does not permit the killing of innocent people.”

In the past, the group has been implicated in attacks on Indian government facilities and security forces, and in the roundup and massacre of non-Muslim civilians in Kashmiri villages, and it has reportedly claimed to have links with Al Qaeda and with the Taliban in Afghanistan. (emphasis added)

So, need we ask what kind of "fruit" was rounded up by the authorities, as reported in this AP story:

Police on Thursday detained about 350 people for questioning in the Bombay train bombings amid suspicion that Kashmiri militants could be linked to the attacks that killed at least 200 people.

Suppose there were many non-Muslims amoung these usual suspects?

Some will point out that there are a lot of politics in this case, with the old rivalry between Pakistan and India, the disputed rule of Kashmir, and the obvious targeting of wealthier classes in the bombings.

But the point remains: One religion allows politics to be practiced with bombs that kill hundreds of innocents; only one. And that religion is Islam.