Easter Horror Story: Christians Targeted By Islamic Terrorists; 65 Killed, 300 Wounded – OpEd

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On the holiest day of the Christian calendar, Islamic terrorists detonated an IED (improvised explosive device) in a Pakistan park where thousands of Christians were celebrating Easter Sunday. The large-scale blast killed at least 65 people, many of whom were women and children, according to former counter-terrorism specialist Capt. Laurence Felsner, who worked in Afghanistan and Pakistan during the Bush administration.

A group linked to the Pakistani Taliban, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, notified government officials and the news media that they were responsible for the attack. They admitted that it was a direct assault on Christians celebrating Jesus Christ rising from the dead. According to Christian dogma, Christ rising from the grave is proof of his divinity.

However, the Muslim religion, while recognizing Jesus as being a prophet, do not believe He is the son of God. In fact, Muslims believe it is blasphemous to say Jesus Christ is God incarnate, punishable by death.

The mostly-Muslim country has a very small Christian community, accounting for less than two percent of Pakistan’s total population. Years of persecution by the majority religion has lead to many being killed or imprisoned and many others migrating out of Pakistan.

“It’s a real shame that the American government — especially those currently in power — are so concerned about how Muslims are treated throughout the world. President Barack Obama, his wannabe successor Hillary Clinton, and too many other U.S. officials appear to be oblivious to the Muslim-on-Christian violence throughout the world,” said political strategist Michael Barker.

The 65 murdered Christians and 300 injured were in the parking area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park in the eastern city of Lahore following a church service. Pakistani police said they suspect that a suicide bomber is responsible for the blast, although authorities are still seeking to verify the culprits.

The IED is said to have contained ball bearings in order to create more deadly shrapnel. Police officers who spoke with Conservative Base said the location of the explosion — near amusement park-type rides for children — is evidence the jihadists wanted to kill Christian youngsters.

The park security prior to the terrorist attack was provided by public police guards and private security guards, police chief Haider Ashraf told reporters during a press briefing. “We are in a warlike situation and there is always a general threat, but no specific threat alert was received for this place,” he said.

Pakistani regular army troops were deployed in to assist with crowd control during the Easter holiday.

The U.S. State Department on Sunday condemned the Islamists attacks in a statement from National Security Council spokesperson Ned Price on Sunday:

“The United States condemns in the strongest terms today’s appalling terrorist attack in Lahore, Pakistan, This cowardly act in what has long been a scenic and placid park has killed dozens of innocent civilians and left scores injured. We send our deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed, just as our thoughts and prayers are with the many injured in the explosion. The United States stands with the people and Government of Pakistan at this difficult hour. We will continue to work with our partners in Pakistan and across the region, as together we will be unyielding in our efforts to root out the scourge of terrorism.”

Sunday’s attack comes less than a week after several ISIS terrorists bombed an airport and subway station in Brussels, killing 31 and injuring 270.

Jim Kouri

Jim Kouri, CPP, formerly Fifth Vice-President, is currently a Board Member of the National Association of Chiefs of Police, an editor for ConservativeBase.com, and he's a columnist for Examiner.com. In addition, he's a blogger for the Cheyenne, Wyoming Fox News Radio affiliate KGAB (www.kgab.com). Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.

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