A new dawn in India

Earlier this year, I had the good fortune to stay for two nights at the Trident-Oberon Hotel, one of the best hotels on the seafront in Mumbai, India. Each time I entered the hotel, my small bag with my books and papers was put through an airport scanner and I was sniffed by a friendly, well-fed, and well-groomed dog. I was frisked, and all the women, including veiled Muslim ones from the Gulf, were taken into an alcove to be checked by a charming and smartly uniformed female security guard. All cars were checked underneath with a mirror set at the end of a long pole.

It was reassuring to see such very thorough precautions being taken against the ever-present and world-wide threat of Muslim terrorism. In November 2008, shortly before my previous visit to the city, two of the main hotels on...