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At least 207 people were killed and 560 have been injured in the coordinated terror attacks, which have put the entire country on lock-down. So far, among the dead are 35 foreigners, including French, Americans, Israeli, and Dutch.
They struck luxury hotels, churches, and a home. They murdered innocent men, women, and children with AXES.
The first wave of attacks struck at the heart of the country’s minority Christian community during busy Easter services at churches in the cities of Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa on Sunday morning.
Additional blasts ripped through three high-end hotels, the Shangri La, Cinnamon Grand and Kingsbury Hotel, all in the capital city Colombo. In a statement, the Shangri-La hotel in Colombo said that the hotel’s Table One cafe was hit just after 9 a.m local time. The hotel is popular with foreign tourists and the country’s business community.
Jacinda Arden expressed her sincere regrets but refused to mention the people responsible — radical Islamists.
The attacks were caused by suicide bombers. Officials were warned in advance that Muslim attacks would be carried out in Christian churches.
Here’s the full list of simultaneous blast sites reported so far:
St Anthony’s Shrine, Kochchikade
St Sebastian’s Church, Negombo
Zion Church, Batticaloa
Cinnamon Grand, Colombo
Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo
The Kingsbury Hotel, Colombo
Near Dehiwala Zoo in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
A house in Mahawila Gardens, Dematagoda
THE KILLERS
Seven [radical Islamists] are under arrest, according to Defense Minister, Ruwan Wijewarden. No one is reporting that they are known radical Islamists at this time. The NTJare responsible and they are radical Islamists.
Father Edmond Tillekeratne, social communications director for the Archdiocese of Colombo, spoke to CNN from St. Sebastian’s Church, one of the locations targeted.
He said that the blast took place after Easter Mass, and that there were about 30 bodies lying in the area of the church.
He said three priests had been celebrating the mass at the time of the blast. Two of them were badly injured by flying glass and debris, and one was only lightly injured because he was behind the altar.
He estimated that more than a thousand people had come to the church for Easter Sunday “because it is a special day.” Many came from villages, he added.
He described the ground as covered in rubble and shattered glass.
“You can see pieces of flesh thrown all over the walls and on the sanctuary and even outside of the church,” he added.
Sri Lanka’s government said on Sunday it would impose a “temporary” social media ban in the wake of the blasts.
Social media networks and messaging apps, including Facebook and WhatsApp, have been blocked. They don’t want any fake news disseminated, such as who the killers are. The defense minister is calling them RELIGIOUS EXTREMISTS.
Truly sad to see Sri Lanka’s defence minister calling this an “unfortunate terrorist incident”. It is not only an “unfortunate incident” but an attack on your country and nation, causing the biggest attack since the civil war (which ended 10 years ago).
The number of visitors that came to the United States grew in May for the 13th straight month in a row, according to a new report.
The U.S. Travel Association announced Wednesday that international travel to the country rose by 5.2 percent in May, compared to the same month in 2016.
The monthly travel index, which was developed in conjunction with Oxford Economics, comes amid increasing concern that the Trump administration’s efforts to crack down on immigration may hurt tourism and travel to the U.S.
President Trump issued a temporary travel ban targeting six majority-Muslim countries that partially went into effect last week, while the Department of Homeland Security rolled out new aviation security measures this year that included a laptop ban for certain airports.
The travel industry, which has urged the White House to abandon its proposal to eliminate a marketing program aimed at boosting U.S. tourism, attributed part of the travel uptick to "tourism marketing efforts."
“There is widespread talk of daunting challenges to the U.S. travel market — perception of the country abroad is mentioned most, but the strong dollar and slowing global economy are factors as well — yet the resilience of our sector continues to astound," said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow.
"Tourism marketing efforts at the federal, state and local level undoubtedly deserve a large measure of credit, and policymakers need to be aware of the large dividends these programs are paying for economic activity, jobs and tax revenues."
But even though domestic and international travel both remain strong, the index projects that that there will be a slowdown later this year.
The six-month forecast predicts that U.S. travel volume will likely grow around 1.8 percent through November 2017, with domestic travel rising by about 2.2 percent and international travel slightly declining.
“There remains the possibility of unintended consequences from President Trump’s policies related to immigration and international relations,” the report says. “Looking ahead, these factors are expected to negatively impact international inbound travel.”
Within the domestic market, the index found that leisure visits lead the travel group. The report noted that business travel growth also rebounded following a “lackluster performance” in April, which was attributed to the timing of Easter and Passover this year.
On Ash Wednesday, Christians around the world marked the beginning of Lent, a time of reflection as we prepare for Easter. This was supposed to be a somber day, but unfortunately a few liberals couldn’t help trying to tie to their own agenda to the day.
Several churches around the country had the audacity to mix glitter in with the ashes they used during their service as a way of promoting the LGBTQ agenda, TheBlaze reported.
The “Glitter+Ash” combination, which was the brain child of “Parity,” a faith-based organization in New York City dedicated to promoting LGBTQ rights, was meant to show solidarity with the gay community and to give hope to homosexuals throughout America.
“At this moment in history, glitter ashes will be a powerful reminder of St. Augustine’s teaching that we cannot despair, because despair paralyzes, thwarting repentance and impeding the change that we are called to make,” read Parity’s website.
Pastor Andrew Stehlik of Rutgers Presbyterian Church in New York explained that the glitter would “alleviate the generally grim tone of Ash Wednesday” and show how the church was concerned about the environment.
“We combine it with environmental issues — so recognizing that we are stardust, all of us, the whole universe is created mostly of those remnants and that brings that inclusivity even broader,” Stehlik told TheBlaze. “We will be combining those two aspects — environmental and mystery of unity which has been expanded into all different gender identities.”
2:32
Loaded: 0%
Progress: 0%
How is this person allowed to be a clergyman? The whole point of Ash Wednesday is to be somewhat “grim” to remind all of us of what Jesus sacrificed for us and why, and to help us prepare ourselves to appreciate his crucifixion and resurrection.
If a minister doesn’t understand the point of Ash Wednesday, he probably should be in another line of work.
The Washington Post noted that the glitter-ash issue reflects a growing divide within the church over how to deal with the issue of LGBTQ rights.
There is a time and place to discuss LGBTQ issues in the church, but Ash Wednesday certainly isn’t it. Those participating in this sacrilegious act should be ashamed of themselves.
We love the closing line that Raymond Ibrahim uses in the following post. It is:"In all cases, the Obama Administration looks the other way, while insisting that the jihad is a product of “inequality,” “poverty” and “a lack of opportunity for jobs” — never of Islamic teaching."
Until Americans and the Western World accept that Islamic teachings are the cause of the murder and mayhem being spread around the world, the killing and destruction will continue. Just as the Fort Hood was not "workplace violence", neither is the terror attacks around the world done mostly by Muslims. Language will not stop violence!
The Christian Holocaust continues unabated, yet where is the world on this? Why no action? Is this not the same reaction the world had to Jews being slaughtered during WWII? When will we learn?
Conservative Tom
U.S. at Easter: When Christians Are Slaughtered, Look the Other Way
“Over 500 Christian villagers were slain in one night.” — Emmanuel Ogebe, Nigerian human rights lawyer, March 2, 2016.
What Christians in Nigeria are experiencing is a live snapshot of what millions of Christians and other non-Muslims have experienced since the seventh century, when Islam “migrated” to their borders: violence, persecution, enslavement, and the destruction of churches.
The Obama Administration refuses to associate Boko Haram — an organization that defines itself in purely Islamic terms — with Islam, just as it refuses to associate the ISIS with Islam.
In all cases, the Obama Administration looks the other way, while insisting that the jihad is a product of “inequality,” “poverty” and “a lack of opportunity for jobs” — never of Islamic teaching.
Boko Haram, the Nigerian Islamic extremist group, has killed more people in the name of jihad than the Islamic State (ISIS), according to the findings of a new report. Since 2000, when twelve Northern Nigerian states began implementing or more fully enforcing Islamic sharia law, “between 9,000 to 11,500 Christians” have been killed. This is “a conservative estimate.”
In addition, “1.3 million Christians have become internally displaced or forced to relocate elsewhere,” and “13,000 churches have been closed or destroyed altogether.” Countless “thousands of Christian businesses, houses and other property have been destroyed.”
The report alludes to a number of other factors that connect the growth of the Nigerian jihad to the growth of the global jihad. The rise of anti-Christian, Islamic supremacism
“did not emerge in Northern Nigeria until the 1980s, when Nigerian scholars and students returned from Arabic countries influenced by Wahhabi and Salafist teaching. Each year, thousands of West African Muslims get free scholarships to pursue their studies in the Sunni Arab countries; this has had a major impact on Nigerian culture.”
This “major impact” is not limited to Nigeria. Saudi Arabia annually spends over $100 billion disseminating “Wahhabi and Salafist teaching” — or what growing numbers of Muslims refer to as “true Islam”. They also do so through European mosques and those in the United States. Behind the radicalization of ISIS, Boko Haram, and Lone Wolf Muslims, stand America’s best Muslim friends and allies.
Another important finding from the report is that,
“Not just radical Islam, Boko Haram being the most notable example, but also Muslim Hausa-Fulani herdsmen and the Northern Muslim political and religious elite are also major actors of targeted violence towards the Christian minority.”
Most recently, on March 2, Nigerian human rights lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe sent an email saying: “I arrived Nigeria a few days ago to investigate what appears to be the worst massacre by Muslim [Hausa-Fulani] herdsmen… Over 500 Christian villagers were slain in one night.”
Similarly, according to a West African source, “Once Boko Haram is defeated, the problem will not be solved. Christians living under Sharia law are facing discrimination and marginalization and have limited to no access to federal rights.”
The report finally finds that much of the anti-Christian violence derives from the historical “migration of Muslims into non-Muslim territories in northern Nigeria to promote the Islamic religious and missionary agenda in all parts of northern Nigeria.” In other words, what Christians in Nigeria are experiencing is a live snapshot of what millions of Christians and other non-Muslims have experienced since the seventh century, when Islam “migrated” to their borders: violence, persecution, enslavement, and the destruction of churches.
All of these findings contradict the Obama Administration’s official narrative concerning the unrest in Nigeria. For years, the administration refused to list Boko Haram — which has slaughtered more Christians and “apostates” than even ISIS — as a terrorist organization. It finally did so in November 2013, after several years of pressure from lawmakers, human rights activists, and lobbyists.
For years, the Obama Administration refused to list Boko Haram — which has slaughtered more Christians and “apostates” than even ISIS — as a terrorist organization. It finally did so in November 2013, after several years of pressure. Pictured above: Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau (center).
Even so, the Obama Administration refuses to associate Boko Haram — an organization that defines itself in purely Islamic terms — with Islam, just as it refuses to associate the ISIS with Islam. Although Boko Haram and its allies have yet to miss a year when they do not bomb or burn several churches during the Christmas or Easter celebrations, on Easter Day, 2012, after the organization had murdered 39 Christian worshippers, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson said: “I want to take this opportunity to stress one key point and that is that religion is not driving extremist violence” in the Muslim-majority north.
So what is? The administration attributes to Boko Haram the same motivation it attributes to the Islamic State — or as President Bill Clinton once memorably put it in a reference to Boko Haram’s murder campaign: “inequality” and “poverty” are “what’s fueling all this stuff.”
That assessment is similar to the Obama Administration’s claim that “a lack of opportunity for jobs” is what created ISIS; or CIA John Brennan’s claim that the jihadi ideology the world over is “fed a lot of times by, you know, political repression, by economic, you know, disenfranchisement, by, you know, lack of education and ignorance, so there — there are a number of phenomena right now that I think are fueling the fires of, you know, this ideology.”
Appeasing the jihadis has been the administration’s policy, or in the words of Clinton’s advice to the Nigerian government: “[I]t is almost impossible to cure a problem based on violence with violence.” Countless decapitated Christian heads later, when Nigerian forces killed 30 Boko Haram members in a particularly powerful offensive carried out in May 2013, Reuters reported that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry “issued a strongly worded statement” to the Nigerian president: “We are … deeply concerned,” he said, “by credible allegations that Nigerian security forces are committing gross human rights violations, which, in turn, only escalate the violence and fuel extremism” from Boko Haram.
Christian life in Muslim-majority areas of Nigeria is merely a microcosm of Christian life in Muslim-majority nations around the world. Christians are being persecuted and killed, their churches banned, burned or bombed. Thanks to Saudi petrodollars, the men behind the persecution are almost always “influenced by Wahhabi and Salafist teaching,” and include not just “extremists,” but also the “political and religious elite.” In all cases, the Obama Administration looks the other way, while insisting that the jihad is a product of “inequality,” “poverty” and “a lack of opportunity for jobs” — never of Islamic teaching.
Read more at http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7700/easter-christians-slaughtered#CHvMC5rQ0D0ti8A6.99
At least 207 people were killed and 560 have been injured in the coordinated terror attacks, which have put the entire country on lock-down. So far, among the dead are 35 foreigners, including French, Americans, Israeli, and Dutch.
