Angry in the Great White North

From FOX News:

Authorities were investigating a handwritten letter received Thursday — purportedly sent by an Al Qaeda supporter — that said the terrorist group planned blasts at the 17th century monument, which drew nearly 2.5 million tourists last year.

"Police are verifying the source of the letter," said Ashok Kumar, a senior government official in Uttar Pradesh state where the Taj Mahal is located. "The letter could be false but we cannot afford to be complacent. We are not taking any chances and have enhanced security at the Taj."

Troops have been deployed, and a no-fly zone declared.

Meanwhile, specialists in Islamic terrorism are flooding Wikipedia, verifying what everyone knows.

The Taj Mahal is a Muslim site, and moreover, it is treated as such:

The Taj Mahal is a monument located in Agra, India, constructed between 1631 and 1654 by a workforce of 20,000. The Muslim Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned its construction as a mausoleum for his favourite wife, Arjumand Bano Begum, who is better known as Mumtaz Mahal.

Since there is a mosque on the premises, the grounds are only open to Islamic vistors on Fridays.

Moreover, the Indian government has actively protected the Taj Mahal from those who would damage or destroy it:

P.N. Oak, President of The Institute for Rewriting Indian History, has repeatedly asserted that the Taj Mahal was a Hindu temple of the god Shiva, usurped and remodeled by Shah Jahan. The temple's name, he says, was originally "Tejo Mahalaya"; this was corrupted over time to "Taj Mahal".

He further says that if Taj Mahal was not a Shiva temple, that it might then have been the palace of a Rajput king. In any case (he says), the Taj Mahal was Hindu in origin, stolen by Shah Jahan and adapted as a tomb — although Oak also claims that Mumtaz is not buried there.

His many provocative assertions have gained a lot of popular interest and made Oak a well-known media figure.

He has sued to break open the cenotaphs, and to tear down brick walls in the lower plinth: In these "fake tombs" and "sealed apartments", Oak says Shivalingams or other temple items were hidden by Shah Jahan.

According to Oak, the Indian government's refusal to allow him unfettered access amounts to a conspiracy against Hinduism.

Oak's assertions are not accepted by legitimate scholars. But these stories are widely believed and publicized by some contemporary Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) activists.

In 2000 India's Supreme Court dismissed Oak's petition to declare that a Hindu king built the Taj Mahal and reprimanded him for bringing the action. In 2005 a similar petition was dismissed by the Allahabad High Court. This case was brought by Amar Nath Mishra, a social worker and preacher who claims that the Taj Mahal was built by the Hindu King Parmar Dev in 1196.

With all of India's trouble with Pakistan, you would think that the Indian government would not worry so much about a Muslim gravesite. Of course, this particular gravesite pulls in 3 million visitors a year. But it would do so regardless of whether it was under Muslim or Hindu control.

Until now, the government has had to protect the Taj Mahal from Hindu nationalists.

Now the threat comes from Islamic fundamentalists? It has got to be a hoax, and a remarkably poorly researched one at that. I wonder if the threat was faxed in from a Kinkos in Abilene, Texas.

But if it is a real threat, I suppose any Muslims visitng the site or praying at the mosque would be considered martyrs if caught up in an attack. I'm sure that would be very comforting to the families.