Sri Lanka Bombings

[NineBerry]

Quick planners

[JimC]

There are Islamic terrorist organisations there. From the ABC website:

Two domestic Islamist organisations, including National Thowheeth Jama'ath, are said to be responsible for carrying out the suicide bombings at churches and hotels.

"The initial investigation has revealed that this was in retaliation for the New Zealand mosque attack," Junior Minister for Defence Ruwan Wijewardene told Sri Lanka's Parliament.

"It was done by National Thawheed Jama'ut along with JMI," he said, referring to another local group, Jammiyathul Millathu Ibrahim.

[Svartalf]

anfd that revendication is about as believable as a frump speech.

[JimC]

I disagree, Svarty. I was fairly certain after Christchurch that Christian churches somewhere would be subject to a tit for tat attack, and I've read similar predictions from global security analysts. It is straight out of the Jihadist playbook...

[Svartalf]

seriously, a random attack on christians (churches) but also foreigners in general, regardless of them possibly being fellow muslim (hotels), and in a country on the other end of the pacific does not make sense as a proper retaliation.

[Hermit]

Anyone got a more intelligent analysis to share?

From a thread on the same topic at Ratskep (http://www.rationalskepticism.org/news- ... l#p2692204):

Sri Lanka attacks 'retaliation for Christchurch': Minister - https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/04/ ... 47025.html

Yeah?

Propaganda. It's just a post hoc excuse.

India told Sri Lanka there would be an attack in a some churches back in late 2018. On the 11th April, a note from Sri Lanka's intelligent services containing the name of some of the future perpetrators and targets was released, but ignored because of lame politician fights. Christchurch attack happened less than a month before that (15th March). It seems highly unlikely that the intelligent services got all this information is such a little time.

You're exactly correct. This is an excuse to cover up the mistakes of the government. One of the attackers was caught in 2017 with over 100 KG of high explosives. He was subsequently release due to pressure from Muslim MP who said it will cause ethnic problem. I know this sounds hilarious but it is true.

All of this happened after that. Furthermore, one suicide bomber was a parliamentary election candidate and another accomplice has been sitting right next to a popular Muslim MP on several occasions. Also, the outfit that carried out this attack Thowheeth Jama’ath was repeatedly white washed by Muslim MPs and the few people who raised question regarding their motives were named and shamed into submission as racists. All these guys are part of the ruling coalition and none of them showed up in parliament today.

Mononoke lives in Sri Lanka, so I guess he has some in-depth knowledge of what is going on there.

[Forty Two]

I disagree, Svarty. I was fairly certain after ChristEasterworshiperchurch that Christian Easter worshiper churches buildings somewhere would be subject to a tit for tat attack, and I've read similar predictions from global security analysts. It is straight out of the Jihadist extremist-of-any-type playbook...

[Rum]

I’ve been to Sri Lanka twice. It is a stunningly beautiful place, though in terms of climate it is so hot and humid it’s like a damp blanket suffocating you at times. I’m surprised anyone has the time to do much more than try to stay cool.

As to the point above. Given the amount of planning required for this atrocity I do wonder if it was retaliation for the NZ attacks. It seems to have taken a great deal of coordination.

[laklak]

Apparently IS has claimed responsibility, and it was revenge attack for Christchurch...

I'm not convinced. I got an email from them taking credit for my clogged septic tank.

[Forty Two]

I’ve been to Sri Lanka twice. It is a stunningly beautiful place, though in terms of climate it is so hot and humid it’s like a damp blanket suffocating you at times. I’m surprised anyone has the time to do much more than try to stay cool.

As to the point above. Given the amount of planning required for this atrocity I do wonder if it was retaliation for the NZ attacks. It seems to have taken a great deal of coordination.

The constant stream of attacks from Islamic radicals on Christian establishments has been consistent, before and after Christchurch. I suspect any suggestion that it was in "retaliation" for Christchurch is opportunistic.

On March 1, Muslim groups attacked about 10 church buildings in Ethiopia, screaming Allahu Akbar as they did so.

April 14, in Nigeria, 17 people were massacred in a church by Muslim terrorists.

March 10, an attack on a church in Nigeria went bad when a grenade exploded prematurely - target was "church worshipers..."

January 27, Jolo, Phillippines - 27 church worshippers killed by Musselmen terrorists.

January 5, bomb left outside of a church in Egypt killed a police officer.

On December 30, 2018, another attack on church goers in Nigeria by Muslim terrorists killed a bunch of people.

On December 12 ,2018 in Egypt a father and son were shot to death in an attack on a Coptic church site.

November 11, 2018, Egypt, a guy enters a church with a Koran and a knife and starts stabbing parishioners.

September 14, 2018, in Kenya, two churchgoes murdered after being unable to recite verses from the Koran.

August 31, 2018, a Muslim mob attacked Christians' homes after the Muslims heard a rumor that there was a plan to form a new church.

August 11, 2018, Egypt, botched suicide bombing of a church kills the bomber -- surprise, Moslem.

July 1, 2018, Nigeria, Muslim terrorists kill like six people and burn their church.

June 19, 2018, Central African Republic - Muslim rebels fire into a church, killing a worshiper. Not an easter worshiper, but at least a worshiper.

May 19, 2018, Chechnya - Muslims storm a church and murder a guard and a Sunday worshiper.

May 13, 2018, Indonesia - three churches bombed by Muslim extremists, suicide bombings and 13 church worshipers dead.

May 1, 2018, Central African Republic, 16 killed when grenades thrown by Moslems kill church worshipers.

April 26, 2018, Nigeria, several people killed when Muzlims bomb a church and school.

In February, 2018, there was an attack on a church in Russia by Muslims shouting Allahu Akbar which killed like 5 people.

The list goes on and on and on - those just relate to churches - if you expand it from there the number of Muslim terror attacks expand exponentially.

Retaliation for Christchurch is insulting. The very idea that it's Muslims that are doing the "retaliating." It's radical Islam that wants this war. They're not letting up. Radical Muslim groups have no problem attacking religous people and places of worship - as long as it's not their own.

[Rum]

They do, of course, cite western military attacks on anything Islamic- including combatants, as a ‘Christian’ attack’s, however misguidedly. There are probably at least as many. Which is not of course to excuse them, but rather to try to maintain a degree of objectivity.

[Forty Two]

The volume of terrorism coming from the Muslim world is unmatched in human history. There is a force that is attacking western civilization, and with it, Christianity. Look at the expulsions and diaspora of Christians from Lebanon, from Syria, from Iraq, etc. The middle east and most of the Muslim world is spreading Islam, on purpose. There is no concept of separation of mosque and state. That's haram. That's a concept that will end, if power gets in the hands of the wrong people.

[NineBerry]

Unmatched in history? No.

[laklak]

A pox on all their houses.

[JimC]

It is certainly true that there is a fairly constant series of bombings etc. aimed at Christian churches in Asia by jihadists, and that they are only briefly reported on by the western media. The same is true for sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shiites. Forty Two will get no argument from me that, currently, Islam (or to be fair, sections of it) is the most violent religion extant. Of course, Christianity had a very violent past as well; mostly (and hopefully permanently) its teeth have been pulled. Nasty things, religions...