The terror attack at the Indian Institute of Science campus in Bangalore on Wednesday that killed a retired IIT professor has sent shockwaves through the Indian blogosphere.
Blogger and researcher, Kate, wondered if Tata Institute of Fundamental Research [the prominent Indian center of string theory] would be the next target.
...
Rashmi Bansal expressed sadness at scientists becoming the latest terror victims. “I mean, sure, there would be some routine security checks at the gate, but who seriously believes that a bunch of scientists gathered to discuss string theory or particle physics could be of interest to the Lashkar-e-Toiba?” she wrote in her blog, Youth Curry (http://youthcurry.blogspot.com/).
Ms. Bansal may change her mind if she analyzed some posters here - to see at least a "demo" how the anger against the values of modern science can look like. More generally, I emphasize that my warning is absolutely serious. It is not a joke, and I've erased a misleading anonymous comment that suggested that.
Finally, I think that whoever thinks that a scientist cannot become a victim of terrorists is plain stupid. The islamic extremists fight against the whole modern civilization, and the string theorists in India and elsewhere - much like the information technologies experts - are textbook examples of the infiltration of the modern civilization and, indeed, the influence of the Western values - or at least something that was associated with the Western values at least for 500 years.
Everyone who observes the situation and who is able to think must know that Bangalore has been on the terrorists' hit list for quite a while.
If the person who signed as "Indian physicist" does not realize that and if he or she were hoping that the terrorists would treat him or her as a friend (probably because they have the same opinions about George W. Bush?), I recommend him or her to change the field because the hopes were completely absurd.
I give my deepest condolences to the victim's family but I am not gonna dedicate special sorrow to the victim, Prof. Puri, just because he was a retired professor. There are many other innocent people being killed by the terrorists and I am equally sad for all of them. The death of the innocent people associated with "our" society is of course the main reason why I support the war on terror - or at least its general principles. The attack against the conference is bad, but for me it is no surprise. And the casualties of 9/11 were 3,000 times higher which should still have a certain impact on the scale of our reactions.
Third string revolution predicted for physics
CapitalistImperialistPig has predicted
