Here We Go Again !

It looked like the world had settled down.   Islamic State has been soundly defeated in Syria and Iraq and there was a good chance Afghanistan might end in some sort of negotiated settlement.  Most people believed that the bombing days of " the Troubles " in Ireland were over with Northern Ireland showing a more relaxed attitude to the religious divide.

Now a journalist is dead because a splinter group calling its self " The New IRA " has emerged.  It  seems that the Brexit mess from which Britain is desperately trying to extricate itself has brought back to life the urge for a united Ireland under home rule.  It is probably only a handful of fanatics, but the match to tinder may start a bonfire that is impossible to quench.

We are astonished at the unexpected bombing campaign in peaceful Sri Lanka on one of the holiest days of the Christian calendar.   That island suffered decades of civil war that ended with the defeat of the insurgents, but we had every reason to believe that religion was not a highly divisive issue.

The fact that explosives were used at eight carefully selected sites to deliver Christian carnage hints of a well organized terrorist cell with the ability to carry out its plans undetected.  It was a clever mix of churches and luxury hotels designed to spread deaths amongst both locals and the burgeoning tourist industry.   If it hoped to attract world attention, it certainly  succeeded !

The death toll will continue to rise, but at least 296 are known dead and many hundreds were injured as a mix of bombs and suicide bombers penetrated churches and the restaurants of international hotels.  At this stage it is unclear who is responsible because no claim has been made by the bomber group, but suspicion points to either Muslims or the predominant Hindu Indian religion.  The Sri Lankan government has imposed a curfew and closed social media sites such as Facebook to prevent  the circulation of fake news.

What is surprising is that this attack has targeted Christians.  In the west, church attendance has been falling relentlessly as both Catholics and Protestants tolerate lifestyles condemned by Christian teachings.  Both branches of Christianity are expanding in both Asia and Africa and this resurgence is based on a rejection of those tolerances so accepted in the west.   It is no wonder that this expansion is rubbing raw nerves with the traditional religions practised in Asia.

China has long been fighting the Vatican for control of the Catholic religion.  The Communist party claims the right to appoint priests and elevate bishops and it has virtually taken over leadership of  Tibet's religion by forcing the Dalai Lama out of the country.  The Communists fear Christianity as a competitor to their control of the masses.

No doubt the perpetrators of this attack will be made clear, but it seems possible that we are entering a new era of religious divide in Asia.  The democracies of both India and Indonesia are under threat from religion taking control of politics and in both instances Christianity is seen as the enemy.
Hopefully, what happened in Sri Lanka is not the first shot in a new religious war !