Summary
The article titled “Gunmen Kill 6 in Attack on Kenyan Church” discusses
an incident that took place on Sunday, March 23, 2014, in a church near Mombasa
when six worshipers were killed when gunmen opened fire. Witnesses said that
the attackers burst through the church’s back door began shouting and opened
fire on the congregation. Lilian Omondi, who was leading the prayer meeting,
stated that “Both carried big guns and began shouting all over the place. I
fell to the ground and could hear screams.” The floor was covered with blood
spattered Bibles, overturned plastic chairs, and bullet casings. Two people
were killed at the church and four others died of their wounds at the hospital.
The attackers tried to raid a second church nearby but fled when the police
appeared. Robert Mureithi, the local police chief, stated that Sunday’s attack
had “all the indicators of a terrorist attack because the attackers did not
steal anything and they appeared focused on killing.” Police threw a dragnet
over the Likoni neighborhood, where the shooting occurred and rounded up more
than 200 youths for questioning. There was no assertion of responsibility for
the attack The Somali Islamist group al-Shabab and its local sympathizers have
carried out attacks in Kenya, some of them on churches, in retaliation for the
Kenyan army’s intervention against al-Shabab in Somali. Kenyans have become
alarmed at how easy the militants appear to move around East Africa’s biggest
economy a recipient of U.S. counter-terrorism funding. The Parliament called
for better coordination between the security and intelligence agencies after
dozens of people were killed in an al-Shabab attack on a shopping mall in
Nairobi in September. The Kenyan coast’s large Muslim minority, many of whom
feel marginalized by the predominately Christian government, has been a vast
recruitment ground for Islamist militant networks. Breaking up those networks
has been a top priority for the Nairobi government, but moderate Muslim clerics
say that these tactics have sparked resentment from the Muslim youths. Sheik
Juma Ngao, a prominent Muslim cleric in Mombasa, said “The attackers have not
done this on behalf of any religion or right-thinking group, if they are hoping
to drive a wedge between religious groups in this region, then they are greatly
mistaken.
Analysis
This article highlights the continuing violence that is happening all
over the world as a result of people/groups that seem to have an issue with
government and/or politics, robbery, or maybe even adultery. Violence is not
the answer to any type of conflict. I feel that it is just senseless to rob someone
of something that does not belong to you but to go inside of a church and shoot
innocent people who are just trying to worship and enjoy a peaceful church
service is just horrific, cold, calculating, and inhumane. You know it’s bad
when people can’t go to church without getting shot, kids can’t go to school
without dying, and hardworking people and their families can’t enjoy an outing
at the mall without running and ducking for cover because gunmen shoot up the
place ready to kill anything that moves. This world we live in is getting
rougher every day it seems like and it’s really sad that when you go places you
have to be on alert and very cautious of your surroundings because you want to
live and make it home to your family. This story made me reflect on other
similar stories of shootings at churches in other parts of the world and it’s
hard to imagine this type of violent act occurring in a place of worship but as
we all know this world is/has changed and not necessarily for the better. Gone
are the days where you can pull up in front of a store run in and get something
and leave your car running. Gone are the days of leaving your front door unlocked
at night and waking up the next morning with all family members accounted for
and all your possessions still in their rightful place. Gone are the days when
you can wear whatever color clothing you want and not get shot. Gone are the
days when we can live carefree, go to school and your only worry is what am I going
to eat for lunch, and unfortunately gone are the days when you can go to church
to worship whatever God you serve and only focus on the service. What has the
world come to?
Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/gunmen-kill-6-in-attack-on-kenyan-church/2014/03/23/40fca554-b2cc-11e3-8cb6-284052554d74_story.html
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