Attack in Kenya
Meanwhile, of course, real religious wars are going on, and it’s Muslim extremists/terrorists who are driving them:
Islamist gunmen burst into a Kenyan university before dawn Thursday, shooting students and taking hostages in a terror attack that left 70 dead, Kenyan officials said.
Two attackers were killed in the ongoing security operation, and one was arrested, authorities said….
Joel Ayora, who was on the campus and witnessed the attack, said gunmen burst into a Christian service. Taking hostages from the service, they then “proceeded to the hostels, shooting anybody they came across except their fellows, the Muslims.”
The attackers separated students by religion, allowing Muslims to leave and keeping an unknown number of Christians hostage, Agence France-Presse reported…
The dangerously porous border between Somalia and Kenya has made it easy for Al-Shabaab militants to cross over and carry out attacks.
The deadliest assault by Al-Shabaab in Kenya was in September 2013 when the group attacked the Westgate shopping center in Nairobi, killing 67 people.
In a December attack on a quarry, Al-Shabaab militants separated Muslims and executed the non-Muslims, a spokesman for the group said.
The attack is now said to be over, with four terrorists killed and over 140 students murdered. Fifty or so held hostage (mostly females; you know what they probably were planning for them) have been freed.
Other articles about the attack have downplayed the anti-Christian element. This one from the Atlantic aims to place the attacks “in context,” for example, but the Christian part is dealt with in a sentence or two; they discuss the fact that the attack was on a school at much greater length. Compare and contrast to this one in the Guardian (of all places) that emphasizes the anti-Christian element:
When the gunmen arrived at his dormitory he could hear them opening doors and asking if the people who had hidden inside whether they were Muslims or Christians.
“If you were a Christian you were shot on the spot,” he said. “With each blast of the gun I thought I was going to die.”
The pattern for attacks by this group has been to separate Muslims from Christians and murder the latter. There’s nothing equivocal about it; it’s a religious war.
The New York Times, on the other hand, is mealy-mouthed in the extreme. The headline doesn’t mention religion, and it’s only in paragraph four that it comes up, and then very tepidly [emphasis mine]:
The Shabab, an extremist group based in Somalia and affiliated with Al Qaeda, issued a statement through a radio station it controls claiming responsibility for the attack. It said its fighters attacked the university early Thursday morning, began separating Muslims from non-Muslims and started an “operation against the infidels.” The group said in its statement that its fighters were still inside the university.
So we have an “extremist” group. Although the paper does manage to say it’s affiliated with Al Qaeda, it is not characterized as Muslim, which might just be one of its most salient characteristics. It “separates” Muslims from “non-Muslims” (Jews? Hindus? No: Christians, but the word is never mentioned, because the Times is just using a quote from the perpetrators as its description). They “start an operation” which is a euphemism for “kill many and hold the rest hostage.”
The article is long, very long, but not once does it use the word “Christian.” That’s quite a feat. In fact, it goes out of its way to emphasize that the “extremists” seem to target all who are not Muslims, and that this is some sort of mixed group. But the reports in the Guardian and other papers make it clear they were explicitly going after Christians. And by the way, the most-wanted leader of the terrorists is named Mohammed Mohamud, which I’m sure has nothing to do with Islam.
That’s horrible.
Mark Steyn said, in his book “America Alone” I believe, that virtually every terrorist attack anywhere will, somewhere or other, involve someone named Mohammed. It’s the sort of statement that you don’t want to be true… but, Mark Steyn being who he is, he documents it rather thoroughly.
It’s a cliche, but it needs to be repeated. Most of the world’s Muslims are not terrorists… but most of the world’s terrorists are Muslims.
(Terror tactics used to be the domain, not just of Muslims, but also of anarchists, communists, and others. Today it seems to be almost entirely Muslims who do it. What has changed, I wonder?)
Are you sure it’s not a random attack or maybe another case of workplace violence?
This is awful. My heart goes out for the families of the murdered and those traumatized by the vile actions of these evil sadists.
As a Catholic I am disappointed by the lack of direct action taken by the senior leaders of the Church. I can’t say I have a good understanding of our Pope. There are many things in him I admire, but I am confused by some of his statements. I hesitate to form a conclusion because I have not read enough of his writings, and, since English is not his first language I am not always sure the translations of what I read accurately reflect his intentions.
However, it is clear he is not demanding that his Cardinals, Bishops and Priests call out for direct involvement of parishioners to end Christian persecution in the Middle East and Africa. He has made some strong statements to world leaders and he has spoken about it to his flock, but he is not yet leading a concerted effort.
Direct action is needed. If he gave the word thousands would flock (forgive the pun) to these regions to help those under threat and stand with them. This week, at Easter Mass at my Parish, there will probably be some vague reference to victims of religious persecution around the world, and a brief prayer offered. This confrontation is specific and it is vile and it is destroying lives by the thousands and needs to be stopped.
Yet another instance of an opportunity to take comfort in and profess publicly that, thank Allah, it all had nothing to do with Islam.
The two natural states of Islam, enervated lassitude, inescapably the result of Allah’s will, or, bloody-minded terror and war brought on by same. But Allah hasn’t much to do with Islam; the model Prophet has. So when Western lassitude, aggravated by Western treachery, invites Muslims to hunker down in their midst, what are they (Muslims) witness to? – a degenerate and stupid people, a moldering culture and corresponding fetor. What have we really to be upset about? That the vulture had got a whiff of decay and evinced his immutable nature? That the sharks had become bloody minded by blood in the water?
What had we ought want? Geopolitical Apartheid! When ought we to want it? Now!
I guess most of you heard Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency under President Obama, say this to Mike Wallace:
“… And, right now, I don’t — my sense of where the policy is at is sort of, and I hate to say it like this, but it’s almost a policy of willful ignorance.”
“Extremists.” “Youths.” “Non- Muslims.” “Workplace violence.” Newspeak has never had it so good. Nor has evil.
Islamic fanatics are not going to turn away from their violent, repressive agenda until the majority of muslims are more afraid of West than the jihadists in their neighborhood. I can think of only one way to accomplish that highly desirable goal.
Daniel,
Something else Mark Steyn often points out is even more specific and true:
Anywhere in the world a predominantly Muslim nation butts up against a non-Muslim nation there is trouble. One guess as to which side of that border instigates the trouble.
Since 9/11 there have been over 25,000 documented terrorist attacks by Muslims around the world. Faced with that amount of violent aggression, only willful refusal to acknowledge the truth suffices as explanation. The violence against Christians is secretly justified as deserved by those on the left. After all, they’re “small minded” people who believe all that religious “crap”.
Rufus T. Firefly,
The Pope’s silence speaks loudly, he turns his brother’s and sister’s cheeks for them, not to be slapped but to be murdered. It is not hyperbole to assert that his silence and passivity is facilitating evil. I am sure that is not his intent but he is paving another road to hell with his good intentions. Men and popes are judged by what they do not by what they intended.
carl in atlanta,
Lt. Gen. Flynn needs to drop the qualifiers, his former position ensures that he knows that the administration’s policy is one of “willful ignorance.”
What would it take for some prominent Muslim cleric to say “Killing innocents denies you Paradise”
Simple direct statement with no qualifiers, yet it is never uttered. It makes me suspicious that the Muslim hierarchy actually supports these crimes against humanity.
As a Catholic I find francis very ostrich like about this trauma to the Christian community. Why dosen t he meet with Jordan & Egyptian leadership, at least they
expressed interest in combating Isis.
Where are the Indiana protestors, why arent these
twitter & texting enthusiasts asking to have Isis taken out ? Why is the *WORLD* and these feckless so called leaders doing anything about this scourge ???
They are every bit as bad as those who ignored the Death camps or turned blind eyes to black slavery !
“kill many and hold the rest hostage.”
…
You should’ve written:
“Kill the males and hold the females hostage.”
Doh!
Molly NH,
No Muslim cleric can say “Killing innocents denies you Paradise” because that would put him in direct conflict with and opposition to both Allah and Muhammad. All he can say, the only lie he can get away with is to say that, “Islam is a religion of peace”.
Until we can convince all muslims that we are willing to kill 99% of them unless they kill the jihadists; there will be little or no efforts from clerics to denounce jihad. Without showing iron, merciless resolve the attacks will never stop until we are destroyed and the new caliphate rules the globe. It is as simple as that.
The term “extremists” seems to track pretty well with the preferred language of White House press releases.
Never mind this, the real horror is being perpetrated in Indiana.
So, back to the Imagined Fictional Mendacious Gay Wedding in Indiana which will serve PIZZA!!
Bruce & Barry say their ‘I do-doos’ and everyone segues to the fussy, gaudy, fru-fru laden vittles room for…….PIZZA??!!
I’ve been in the entertainment industry for 4-decades. PIZZA at a Gay Marriage??!! You CANNOT Possibly Make This Shit Up!!
I was driving this weekend with an Irish-Canadian (born there, moved to America at age 2, is now 63, and STILL calls herself Canadian and spurns America, and Christianity, and Western Civilization).
She said, I kid you not, “The Arab Muslims in our country have been very forbearing.”
“Of WHAT?!?!?”
“Of the constant discrimination they have to put up with.” Said with contempt, for me.
“WHAT discrimination?”
Indignantly: “Well, how would YOU like it if people were always pulling you aside and PROFILING you just because you’re a Muslim?”
That started a real catfight. In vain did I advance facts, statistics; atrocities; even the feebleness of our “defenses.” She sneered at everything, and then said she has “five Muslim friends” and she was sure they’d had to put up with crap from us sh***y Americans.
“Oh, yeah? Name. One. Incident.”
That flummoxed her. They hadn’t, of course, mentioned any of these alleged persecutions, because they don’t exist. So I told her sarcastically to call them and find out, then get back to me on that. And added, “You’re just making sh** up because you hate us and our civilization.”
“That’s ridiculous,” she spat.
I have long felt she is a sour, America-hating, snobbish, intolerant Leftist. Since we’ve known each other for three decades, I was loath to defenestrate her, but I’ve had it. But what are ya gonna do?
Oh, and she also blames Israel and the Jooos for all the Middle East woes; and she has No memory of all the wars launched by the Muslims against Israel, etc. Really an imbecile, moral and otherwise. Amazing.
I have no doubt that she beetled back to our mutual friends and has been busy slandering me as a dirty Christian bigot, redneck, etc. Or something close to it.
This is not the proper mood to start the holiest days in our calendar. I will go to church tomorrow and pray for the whole state of Christ’s Church.
Rufus, I feel ya. If you think the pope is lame on this subject, try the Archbishop of Canterbury (gaack). The last one wasn’t even a Christian: said belief in the divinity of Jesus was optional. No wonder our fellow Christians think we Anglicans have lost our minds! But there are still some Christian Anglicans — especially in Africa.
Beverly,
You have not been wise in your choice of friends if your friends are enemies that would report you to the gestopo in a heart beat. The divide will continue to widen. Its always cocked and locked time. Many on the right have believed there is a way forward by compromise, fools one and all. It will all come down to dust. Same as it ever was. No mercy, no quarter.
Beverly…
FYI… and usually forgotten — even by Canadians, themselves….
MOST of the founding population of Canada came directly from the American Colonies — AFTER the Revolutionary War.
Most famously, MOST of New York de-camped for Canada.
Of all of the colonial cities, New York was the absolute bastion for the Tories… Just on the economics. It was THE location most 1st generation English migrants landed at. So New York had the highest percentage of English born colonists.
The numbers were huge — for the times. It took YEARS for all of the ex-Americans to migrate up to Canada — or to other points within the British Empire. (Yes, some even went to India — cf Cornwallis.)
Until the War of 1812, Canadians only had a cultural sense of NOT being Americans. They were the defeated.
The very first American strategic move during that war was to rush north. It was assumed, rashly, that Canadians — the very souls who’d rejected the Revolution — would immediately embrace the expansive American nation — and get Britain kicked entirely off the continent.
Obviously, it — and all other drives north — were fiascos.
So it was the War of 1812 that came to define what it is to be a Canadian: even more of NOT being an American.
In the global arena, all outside powers consider Canada to be a strategic appendage to the USA. (cf USSR, Cold War)
So, if you’re wondering where your gal pal is getting her marching orders — it’s the Canadian press, Canadian culture, Canadian ethos.
MOST Canadians feel superior to Americans… which they scarcely conceal. They have all of the security advantages — and none of the military outlays — especially in blood.
In the meantime, they get to Monday morning quarterback EVERY single American foreign policy… While Canada really has no foreign policy — other than tucking under the American eagle.
If you were to talk with Europeans — especially the big thinkers — you’d run into the exact same schtick.
BTW, read Steyn on how INSANE Canada’s internal dealings with islamic lawfare have gotten.
The results are endless travesties against women and civil rights — for Canadians.
Beverly, I hope that you, like me, have found a non-ECUSA Anglican church. Yes, the last ABC was quite a piece of work, with this one looking, so far, a little better. The ABC are appointed by the government in power at the time, whether the ones doing the appointing are actual Christians or not. If the current Queen were allowed to make the appointments, they’d be Christian, although we still might not care for their politics. (e.g. N.T.Wright) However, the Africans are actually sending missionaries to the US. One of our priests is from Kenya. He came, not as a missionary, but to pursue various economic goals. Still a very devout man, though, with that intense, quiet spiritual way of approaching matters, so familiar to anyone who has met African Christians.
The New York Times, on the other hand, is mealy-mouthed in the extreme. …
Fifth column terrorists in the U.S
Obvious by now.
Beverly, you’ve certainly been through interpersonal hell lately.
~~
Being Catholic, I am appalled at the absolute silence on so much of what is important. In my diocesan magazine last month, our Bishop’s column was on the injustice of racism and Ferguson. I was, and remain, shocked.
I considered writing, but thought – it’s impossible for fish to see the water they’re in.
Sigh… why is Franklin Graham the only Christian leader that speaks with clarity?
Beverly
I’d express sympathy but, it is all rather common.
Conservatives want to convince,
Libtards want to berate …
Also there is the matter of teaching a pig to read.
You go nowhere and it annoys the pig.
Then if you fight, you get dirty and the pig likes it.
Mark Twain went there.
If you’d like some company in your misery, read this by Sarah Hoyt.
They can’t annoy you if you don’t let them.
No nonsense people are at a premium these days.
Beverly
Also this:
The 21st century closet
Curious that current pop culture infatuation with … Zombies. Jungian?
Off to the range and then the gym … to stay real.
Beverly: How’bout asking your Koolaid consuming Canadian pinhead friend to please ask her Muslim friends how they like the tolerance and welcoming of Homosexuals—including Homosexual Weddings—down here in Bigoted America. BWHAAAAAAAaaaaaaa….!!
As posted above: ALL of the dead are men; all of the hostages were women.
After this process, we measured by MRI a 280 mL augmentation per breast with no
evidence of fat necrosis.
Establishing a baseline or beginning place for your WEBSITE POSITIONING Method offers us a view
into your web sites existing WEBSITE POSITIONING situation and engine
standing. This essential step is a compilation of the findings of several areas of importance.
The results will help guide us in our SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING corrective measures.