One of the targeted churches in Sri-Lanka (Photo: By Bernard Gagnon)
As reports arrived on the mass bombings and murders in Sri Lanka yesterday the mainstream media did their best to not attribute blame to any particular group especially as no-one had taken responsibility for these criminal acts. Hundreds of peaceful worshippers killed and injured in their places of prayers. Tourists blown apart at breakfast. These foul acts have no justification whatsoever.
It was left to just one news agency yesterday to suggest who the culprits were. Ironically it was Arab News who reported:
As the attacks were happening news broke that the country’s police chief had made a nationwide alert 10 days before the attacks that suicide bombers had planned to hit “prominent churches,” according to a document seen by AFP.
Police chief Pujuth Jayasundara sent an intelligence warning to top officers on April 11 setting out the threat.
“A foreign intelligence agency has reported that the NTJ (National Thowheeth Jama’ath) is planning to carry out suicide attacks targeting prominent churches as well as the Indian high commission in Colombo,” said the alert.
The NTJ is a radical Muslim group in Sri Lanka that came to notice last year when it was linked to the vandalization of Buddhist statues.
Today The New York Times reports:
Officials on Monday said a little-known Islamist group that promotes a terrorist ideology in South Asia was responsible for the attacks.
The group, National Thowheeth Jama’ath, had a reputation for vandalizing Buddhist statues but little history of carrying out terrorist attacks.
Rajitha Senaratne, the health minister, called the group “a local organization” and said the suicide bombers appeared to be Sri Lankan citizens. “All are locals,” he said at a news conference on Monday.
But, he added, “there was an international network without which these attacks could not have succeeded.”
No one has publicly claimed responsibility for the bombings.
A forensic analysis of body parts found at six sites determined that seven suicide bombers conducted attacks at three churches and three hotels, according to The Associated Press. Most attacks were carried out by single bombers, but two men targeted the Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo. Two other bombings at a guesthouse and at the suspects’ apparent safe house remain under investigation.
Sri Lanka does not have much history of Islamist terrorism. The country is predominantly Buddhist, with significant Hindu, Muslim and Christian minorities.
The latter is true of course. With the long running civil war with the Tamils and extremists active in the Buddhist community there has been an open door for Islamists to organise and pick soft targets.
Christians.
Across Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan the Philippines and China Christians have been persecuted on a scale that has been ignored by the establishment and the many so-called "solidarity" movements that exist in Western societies. It's all about the misnamed "Islamophobia" that so many particularly on the left constantly bang on about.
Across Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan the Philippines and China Christians have been persecuted on a scale that has been ignored by the establishment and the many so-called "solidarity" movements that exist in Western societies. It's all about the misnamed "Islamophobia" that so many particularly on the left constantly bang on about.
The case of Asia Bibi saw the cowardice of the West and the ignorance of the left exposed. An innocent woman facing the death penalty over some barbaric blasphemy law. The left ignored it almost completely. Not a word from Socialist Worker, Stop the War or the myriad of organisations that would mobilise on the slightest pretext to defend perceived slights against Muslims.
Our governments hardly set a good example but it seems that to raise the plight of Christians across the world as I do regularly on Facebook discussion group pages immediately sees accusations not just of "Islamophobia" (and I admit freely to fearing the rise of Islamic movements) but also of adopting an "alt-right" agenda. The latter shouldn't have caught me by surprise but it did.
On posts I raised the cry from even some moderate left-wingers was what about Muslims and how more Muslims are killed in terrorist acts than any other. the fact is that most of these attacks are carried out by Muslims on oth sides of the Sunni/Shia divide. In all countries under Islamic rule except maybe Morocco Christians are third class citizens after male Muslims and their women who have less rights under Sharia than men.
Persecution has led to to the burning of some 900 churches in Northern Nigeria, mob attacks against Coptic Christians in Egypt. No churches being allowed in places like Saudi Arabia who deny the existence of Christianity in their country despite an estimated two to three Million living there. The kidnapping of Christian girls and women being forcefully converted and married to Muslim men. The list is endless.
An estimated 345 Christians are killed every day around the world for their faith.
It's ignored by far too many.
The adoption of Islamophilia by the left in particular is one of the reasons they fail to recognise that most of the "left" is infected with anti-Semitism. The number of times I have seen the comrades use the allegations of "Islamophoia" inside the Conservative Party to deflect from the debate over anti-Semitism inside Labour simply disgusts me.
The left lost it's way over Salman Rushdie. They abandoned the traditional secularism of the left in favour of an anti-imperialist alliance with Islam. Christians and Jews are an inconvenience to the comrades.
It's time for a new movement to fight for human rights and take head on the barbarity of Sharia of the Islamic dictatorships and terrorist groups like Iran and Hamas that are favoured y the "comrades".
The left can no longer be trusted with our futures.
Our governments hardly set a good example but it seems that to raise the plight of Christians across the world as I do regularly on Facebook discussion group pages immediately sees accusations not just of "Islamophobia" (and I admit freely to fearing the rise of Islamic movements) but also of adopting an "alt-right" agenda. The latter shouldn't have caught me by surprise but it did.
On posts I raised the cry from even some moderate left-wingers was what about Muslims and how more Muslims are killed in terrorist acts than any other. the fact is that most of these attacks are carried out by Muslims on oth sides of the Sunni/Shia divide. In all countries under Islamic rule except maybe Morocco Christians are third class citizens after male Muslims and their women who have less rights under Sharia than men.
Persecution has led to to the burning of some 900 churches in Northern Nigeria, mob attacks against Coptic Christians in Egypt. No churches being allowed in places like Saudi Arabia who deny the existence of Christianity in their country despite an estimated two to three Million living there. The kidnapping of Christian girls and women being forcefully converted and married to Muslim men. The list is endless.
An estimated 345 Christians are killed every day around the world for their faith.
It's ignored by far too many.
The adoption of Islamophilia by the left in particular is one of the reasons they fail to recognise that most of the "left" is infected with anti-Semitism. The number of times I have seen the comrades use the allegations of "Islamophoia" inside the Conservative Party to deflect from the debate over anti-Semitism inside Labour simply disgusts me.
The left lost it's way over Salman Rushdie. They abandoned the traditional secularism of the left in favour of an anti-imperialist alliance with Islam. Christians and Jews are an inconvenience to the comrades.
It's time for a new movement to fight for human rights and take head on the barbarity of Sharia of the Islamic dictatorships and terrorist groups like Iran and Hamas that are favoured y the "comrades".
The left can no longer be trusted with our futures.
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