LAHORE, PAKISTAN – It never ceases to sadden us how many acts of religious violence are carried out against those of other faiths.
You may not know this but three of the world’s major religions are closely linked. Judaism, Christianity and Islam, all ‘monotheistic‘, are derived from the same prophetic tradition. The Jewish Torah and other books got taken up by Christians as the Old Testament, and that and the latter’s New Testament was borrowed by Muslims, who added their own teachings from the Prophet Muhammad in what is known as the Quran.
You would think that with this much in common adherents of the three religions – sometimes called the ‘people of the book’ – would all get along famously, right? Well, you would be wrong then. Jihadis in particular detest Jews and Christians and like to kill them.
A good example of the violence meted out by Islamist terrorists on Christians can be seen in today’s attack.
On this day in 2015
Two bomb blasts killed at least 14 people and wounded another 70 at two churches in a Christian neighbourhood of the Pakistani city of Lahore. The victims were attending Sunday mass at the time.
I rushed towards the spot and saw the security guard scuffle with a man who was trying to enter the church.
Eye witness
An offshoot of the Pakistani Taliban called the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claimed the two suicide bombers. In a statement it warned the Pakistani government, stating “We have carried out the attack. We have reached Lahore, the center of Punjab province, which is a challenge and a warning to the rulers.”
There is a saying in Islam: WWMD – what would Muhammad do? I am pretty sure he would give this incident two thumbs down.
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