In democracies and open societies, the public square is a place of commerce, discussion, leisure and, most importantly, where identities are worn — and respected — in all their diversity. The heinous attack by two gunmen that killed 14 people and wounded at least 40 others at Bondi Beach is terrorism at its most horrific, meant to transform the public space from a site of expression of unselfconscious trust, freedom and pluralism to one marked by suspicion, fear and violence. It is Australia’s deadliest shooting since the 1996 Port Arthur killings and has, understandably, shaken the country. India, which has often been a victim of terrorism,........

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