Allow me to briefly recap 2 outrageous weekend acts, in order to transition to the outrage…
In Kenya…
In an upscale Nairobi shopping mall — in a situation that remains fluid as of this writing — militants have shot and killed over 60 persons. According to the New York Times, “masked gunmen moved methodically through the crowded mall on Saturday,” killing men, women and children. The gunmen have been linked to the al-Qaeda-backed Somali terror group al-Shabaab.
In northwest Pakistan…
Outside a church where the parishioners were exiting after the service, a pair of suicide/homicide bombers killed approximately 81 people. According to USA Today, “witnesses described a scene of dust, debris and devastation.” Body parts were apparently gruesomely scattered amid the debris. A wing of the Taliban claimed responsibility.
The glaring commonality between these 2 heinous acts? On 2 separate continents, non-Muslims were intentionally targeted.
Religious freedom seems in jeopardy, friends — albeit not just in Africa and Asia; it spans across the globe… especially Christian freedom. Hence, the Intramuralist wonders: where is the outrage?
Truthfully, I think it’s hard for us to express outrage as Americans. Why? Because we’ve already accepted so much suppression in our own country. The suppression may not yet manifest itself via shopping mall nor church bombings, as it currently comes in more subtle forms. For example…
- As reported here last week, a 10 year old public school girl in Tennessee was banned from writing about God for a required school assignment.
- In Massachusetts, persons are fervently working to remove the phrase “one nation under God” from the Pledge.
- And then there’s this…
In North Carolina, where a Christian apologetics conference, entitled “Truth for a New Generation” will take place later this week with nationally respected speakers, the local paper, The Charlotte Observer, would not allow the conference to advertise as desired, paid, and previously agreed to. Granted, the conference planners asked some tough questions in their ad:
“Is same sex marriage morally wrong?”
“Are Islam and Christianity the same?”
“Are godless people going to destroy America?”
The questions were chosen “to encourage discourse, inquiry, and to result in a strong ad, to raise awareness about the conference.” The Charlotte Observer, however, would not allow the asking of the questions. It’s not that all answers to the above are wise and good and true, but when the media begins to squelch the dialogue so that dissenting opinion cannot even take place, they have sowed and watered the seeds of religious suppression. That suppression will only get worse, as witnessed in Kenya and Pakistan.
So where is the outrage? Where is the outrage in Africa and Asia?
And where is the outrage here?
Respectfully,
AR