The Sri Lanka Terrorist Attack
Easter is to be a time of rejoicing for the practitioners of the Christian faith, a time to remember how God granted us our salvation, the time of celebrating the gift of life, yet for many Sri Lankans, it became a terrible catastrophe. On April 21, 2019 Easter Sunday, terrorists attacked multiple targets in the nation, with suicide bombers launching a simultaneous attack. The targets included three churches: Shrine of St. Anthony Church, Zion Evangelical Church, and St. Sebastian's Church.
All three church bombings occurred between 8:45-9:05 am, at the precise time when many Christians gathered for Easter worship. During the same time period, attacks also occurred that the Shangri-La Hotel, Kingsbury Hotel, and the Cinnamon Grand Hotel. Two other attacks occurred in the early afternoon near the National Zoo and at a Housing Complex where a cornered suspect blew himself up, killing three police officers. The causalities are horrific with 321 confirmed dead and over 500 wounded.
Authorities have confirmed that the attack was spearheaded by the National Thowheeth Jama'ath (National Monotheism Organization), and radical Jihadist group that is the offshoot of the Sri Lanka Thowheed Jamath, another radical group. However, this group has never carried out such a coordinated, well planned attack, leading authorities to strongly suspect that outside terrorist organizations also took part in planning and carrying out this massive attack. This attack, while a tragedy, may serve to be an eyeopener to many in politics and the media.
In the past, the media and politicians have tried to write attacks of this nature off as "lone wolves" or "crazy people." However, the recent Christchurch Mosque shooting in New Zealand made many in the media start reconsidering this view. The Christchurch shooter left a detailed manifesto explaining why he was doing this and also recorded his attack. He wanted to the world to know why he was doing this, wanted them to see it, and it's clear he had been plotting that attack for sometime. Unfortunately, we're seeing a repeat of that reality in this attack. The terrorists had planned this operation for quite some time. They had planned it out extensively, launched simultaneous attacks, and deliberately picked their targets. They knew that the churches would be full of worshipers on Easter Sunday, and they knew that many in the hotels would be there for Easter breakfast, which is why they chose these locations. They knew it would inflict massive causalities. Sources now reveal that these profiles do not reveal what we would consider "crazy lone wolves." The killers included a husband & wife, two brothers from a wealthy, upper-class family, and another who studied extensively in England and did postgraduate work in Australia before returning to his native Sri Lanka. Deputy Defense Minister thus concluded that most of of the attackers were "well-educated" and came from "middle-class backgrounds."
The media stated that after the Christchurch shooting that mourning and trying to pass prevention laws was not enough. Efforts needed to be made to understand the ideology that drove the killer, and we also need to do the same here. We need to understand the ideology that is driving the Jihadist terrorists to commit such horrific atrocities all over the world. We cannot simply write it off as "lone wolf crazies." These attacks are too widespread, too well financed, and too well coordinated to be "a handful of crazies." There is a dangerous ideology out there that is driving these attacks, attacks that are claiming the lives of Jews, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Baha'i, even fellow Muslims. Nobody in the world is safe from these attacks.
To understand the ideology that drives these horrible attacks, one must understand the Jihadist mindset. We have watched Jihadist attacks occurring all over the world for many years, why do they happen? What is the mindset? The sad truth is that all the leaders of these Jihadist organizations cite the Islamic teachings as their source of motivation.
Former PLO Terrorist Tass Saada wrote in his book The Mind of Terror that Islam at its core, is not tolerant, and the teachings is what drives Jihad. Rev. Nihad Salman, a Palestinian Pastor, confess that ISIS is an ideology, and when you study the Qur’an, you discover their motivations. Well-meaning politicians try to counter this, but they fail to understand that under Islamic theology, peace is very different. There will only be peace when the world is under Dar al-Salam (House of Islam). The rest is Dar al-Harb (House of War). Former Muslim Nabeel Qureshi explains this pattern of violence, stating that as you follow the Qur'an, you see it going from relatively tolerant to encouraging violence. It demonstrates how Muhammad as a person changed as his life progressed. When he was simply a preacher in Mecca, he taught relative tolerance, but this message changed drastically once he obtained political power in Medina:
Ex. Mecca Verse: Surah 73:10-"Have patience with what they (Kafirs) say, and leave them with noble dignity.
Medina Verse: Surah 8:12-"I shall send terror into the Kafirs hearts, cut off their heads and strike off the tips of their fingers.
Now when you ask how do we reconcile these conflicting teachings, that answer is laid forth in Surah 2:106-"None of Our Revelations do we Abrogate or Cause to be forgotten, but We substitute them with something better or similar: Knowest thou not that Allah hath Power over all things?"
This verse lays forth what is called the Doctrine of Abrogation, which means that later verses override earlier conflicting verses. So the violent verses take over once the Islamic forces are in the position to be uppermost over their "enemies." Surah 9 is considered the last major revelation to Muhammad, and the final marching orders give was not to love, but to fight.
Despite these ominous teachings, I believe that the only way to truly stop violent attacks like this is to follow the advice of Matt Linsey, a 61-year-old U.S. citizen who lost two of his children in this attack, and that we must not respond with rage, but Love. Love and compassion is the only way. People who commit these atrocities must be stopped, but they must also learn that Love, and not hate, is the way. We must not let feelings of revenge consume us, but neither can we ignore the hateful ideology that drives it.
If we continue to ignore the ideology, all we're going to end up doing is holding our breath and waiting for the next inevitable attack. As former Hamas terrorist Mosab Hassan Yousef stated in his autobiography, the key to stopping these attacks is to destroy the ideology that drives it, but bad ideas cannot be defeated with bombs, bullets, or curfews, they can only be defeated by exposing to the world what drives this bad ideology, and start replacing it with a good one. Many around the world have echoed this statement. When the Taliban began taking over Swat Valley in Pakistan, Malala Yousefazai's Father was among the first to speak out against this danger. As the battles and massacres were ongoing, Malala's father stated that "If you want to resolve a dispute or come out of conflict, the very first thing you must do is speak the truth." Malala knew that her father was right. She knew that if we remained silent, that nothing would change.
So I call on all people of the world, don't be silent anymore. Too much innocent blood has been shed. If you wish to help, please do so. Donate funds to help the victims recover, pray for them, but most importantly, learn about the ideology that drives these Jihadist killers. Don't sweep it under the rug, ignoring a problem won't make it go away, but never, ever give in to hatred. Fight the idea, but love the people.
Sources:
All three church bombings occurred between 8:45-9:05 am, at the precise time when many Christians gathered for Easter worship. During the same time period, attacks also occurred that the Shangri-La Hotel, Kingsbury Hotel, and the Cinnamon Grand Hotel. Two other attacks occurred in the early afternoon near the National Zoo and at a Housing Complex where a cornered suspect blew himself up, killing three police officers. The causalities are horrific with 321 confirmed dead and over 500 wounded.
 |
| Terrorist Enters St. Sebastian Church |
In the past, the media and politicians have tried to write attacks of this nature off as "lone wolves" or "crazy people." However, the recent Christchurch Mosque shooting in New Zealand made many in the media start reconsidering this view. The Christchurch shooter left a detailed manifesto explaining why he was doing this and also recorded his attack. He wanted to the world to know why he was doing this, wanted them to see it, and it's clear he had been plotting that attack for sometime. Unfortunately, we're seeing a repeat of that reality in this attack. The terrorists had planned this operation for quite some time. They had planned it out extensively, launched simultaneous attacks, and deliberately picked their targets. They knew that the churches would be full of worshipers on Easter Sunday, and they knew that many in the hotels would be there for Easter breakfast, which is why they chose these locations. They knew it would inflict massive causalities. Sources now reveal that these profiles do not reveal what we would consider "crazy lone wolves." The killers included a husband & wife, two brothers from a wealthy, upper-class family, and another who studied extensively in England and did postgraduate work in Australia before returning to his native Sri Lanka. Deputy Defense Minister thus concluded that most of of the attackers were "well-educated" and came from "middle-class backgrounds."
The media stated that after the Christchurch shooting that mourning and trying to pass prevention laws was not enough. Efforts needed to be made to understand the ideology that drove the killer, and we also need to do the same here. We need to understand the ideology that is driving the Jihadist terrorists to commit such horrific atrocities all over the world. We cannot simply write it off as "lone wolf crazies." These attacks are too widespread, too well financed, and too well coordinated to be "a handful of crazies." There is a dangerous ideology out there that is driving these attacks, attacks that are claiming the lives of Jews, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Baha'i, even fellow Muslims. Nobody in the world is safe from these attacks.
 |
| Mosab Hassan Yousef: Former Hamas Terrorist |
Former PLO Terrorist Tass Saada wrote in his book The Mind of Terror that Islam at its core, is not tolerant, and the teachings is what drives Jihad. Rev. Nihad Salman, a Palestinian Pastor, confess that ISIS is an ideology, and when you study the Qur’an, you discover their motivations. Well-meaning politicians try to counter this, but they fail to understand that under Islamic theology, peace is very different. There will only be peace when the world is under Dar al-Salam (House of Islam). The rest is Dar al-Harb (House of War). Former Muslim Nabeel Qureshi explains this pattern of violence, stating that as you follow the Qur'an, you see it going from relatively tolerant to encouraging violence. It demonstrates how Muhammad as a person changed as his life progressed. When he was simply a preacher in Mecca, he taught relative tolerance, but this message changed drastically once he obtained political power in Medina:
Ex. Mecca Verse: Surah 73:10-"Have patience with what they (Kafirs) say, and leave them with noble dignity.
Medina Verse: Surah 8:12-"I shall send terror into the Kafirs hearts, cut off their heads and strike off the tips of their fingers.
Now when you ask how do we reconcile these conflicting teachings, that answer is laid forth in Surah 2:106-"None of Our Revelations do we Abrogate or Cause to be forgotten, but We substitute them with something better or similar: Knowest thou not that Allah hath Power over all things?"
This verse lays forth what is called the Doctrine of Abrogation, which means that later verses override earlier conflicting verses. So the violent verses take over once the Islamic forces are in the position to be uppermost over their "enemies." Surah 9 is considered the last major revelation to Muhammad, and the final marching orders give was not to love, but to fight.
 |
| Matt Linsey with the Two Children He Lost in the Bombing |
If we continue to ignore the ideology, all we're going to end up doing is holding our breath and waiting for the next inevitable attack. As former Hamas terrorist Mosab Hassan Yousef stated in his autobiography, the key to stopping these attacks is to destroy the ideology that drives it, but bad ideas cannot be defeated with bombs, bullets, or curfews, they can only be defeated by exposing to the world what drives this bad ideology, and start replacing it with a good one. Many around the world have echoed this statement. When the Taliban began taking over Swat Valley in Pakistan, Malala Yousefazai's Father was among the first to speak out against this danger. As the battles and massacres were ongoing, Malala's father stated that "If you want to resolve a dispute or come out of conflict, the very first thing you must do is speak the truth." Malala knew that her father was right. She knew that if we remained silent, that nothing would change.
So I call on all people of the world, don't be silent anymore. Too much innocent blood has been shed. If you wish to help, please do so. Donate funds to help the victims recover, pray for them, but most importantly, learn about the ideology that drives these Jihadist killers. Don't sweep it under the rug, ignoring a problem won't make it go away, but never, ever give in to hatred. Fight the idea, but love the people.
Sources:
Frayer, Lauren. "Bombers who Carried out Attacks in Sri Lanka were 'Well-Educated,' Official Says." NPR. April 24, 2019. Accessed from https://www.npr.org/2019/04/24/716664302/bombers-who-carried-out-attacks-in-sri-lanka-were-well-educated-minister-says.
Malone, Theresa and Catherine Levett. "Sri Lanka Bombings: A Timeline and Visual Guide." The Guardian. April 22, 2019.
Malone, Theresa and Catherine Levett. "Sri Lanka Bombings: A Timeline and Visual Guide." The Guardian. April 22, 2019.
Qureshi, Nabeel. No God but One: Allah or Jesus? Grand Rapids MI: Zondervan, 2016.
Saada, Tass and Dean Merrill. The Mind of Terror. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2016.
"Terror is Sri Lanka: Terrorists Target Christians and Tourists in Easter Sunday Bombings. Acts 17 Apologetic's. YouTube 11:11. Published April 22, 2019 at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt8Z_XMcluw
Walsh, Nick Patton. "He Lost Two Children in the Sri Lanka Bombings. In His Grief, Love is the Answer." CNN. April 23, 2019. Accessed from https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/23/world/matt-linsey-sri-lanka-blasts-children/index.html
Yousafzai, Malala and Christina Lamb. I am Malala. New York: Little Brown & Company, 2013.
Yousef, Mosab Hassan and Ron Brackin. Son of Hamas. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2010.
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