February 12, 2011: Suicide bombing targets Shiite pilgrims in Iraq

SAMARRA, IRAQ – It is sad how often those who define themselves in terms of their faith kill others who are faithful.

My late mother once advised me as follows: ‘Son’, she said, ‘never talk about religion and politics. It can never end well.’

Sorry mom.

I went in the opposite direction of course. I have spent the last two decades looking at terrorism which conveniently combines religion and politics. 15 years as a strategic counter terrorism analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) and six (6!) books on terrorism later, I am not showing any signs of slowing down soon on this front.

It has never ceased to amaze – and disturb – me that those who combine religion and politics into acts of violence can do so in ways that target their faith confreres. This is particularly true of Islamist terrorists. The vast, vast majority of victims of this form of terrorism have been fellow Muslims. As today’s featured attack shows.

On this day in 2011

A suicide bomber in Iraq killed at least 27 people and wounded a further 20 in an attack on a bus carrying Shia pilgrims. The bus full of pilgrims was leaving Samarra after visiting the shrine when the bomb exploded, police said. It is unclear if the attacker used a car bomb or was wearing an explosives vest. The death/injury toll later rose to 48 dead and 80 wounded

From the cruelty I’ve seen, it’s Al Qaeda who carried out this terrorist attack. Al Qaeda insists on undermining stability and peace in Samarra.

Majeed Abbas, a local leader of the government-backed Sunni Sahwa militia

The targeting of Shia is a tried and true tactic by AQ and other Sunni Islamist terrorist groups. What a shame that arcane religious differences – hello the religious wars in Europe in the second millennium! – lead to this level of violence.

Again, mom, I apologise, but I cannot see leaving this topic any time soon. RIP.

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