Note yet again the lack of an actor in AFP’s headline, as if the bombs just decided to hit the cathedral and the bar. This is standard mainstream media practice when the perpetrators are Islamic jihadists. In any case, this bombing is unlikely to cause Anglican church leaders to pause for more than a second or two on their way to the next “interfaith dialogue” meeting where smiling imams will tell them that Islam is a Religion of Peace, and only greasy Islamophobes think otherwise.
“Bomb blasts hit Zanzibar cathedral and tourist bar,” from AFP, February 24 (thanks to Robert):
Zanzibar (Tanzania) (AFP) – Two homemade bombs exploded Monday on the popular Indian Ocean tourist island of Zanzibar, but with no casualties, police said, in the latest in a series of attacks.
“Investigations are ongoing to find out details of the blasts and the motive behind them,” assistant police commissioner Mkadam Khamis told reporters.
One blast took place at the Anglican cathedral, a historic building in the heart of the narrow and winding ancient streets of Stone Town, the UNESCO-listed historical centre of the capital of the semi-autonomous Tanzanian archipelago.
The other occurred at the seafront Mercury’s restaurant and bar, a favourite of tourists.
“It is suspected that the explosives are homemade bombs thrown by unidentified thugs,” Khamis said, adding that the blast at the cathedral had caused only minor damage to parked cars.
The bar, located near the main port and seafront square, is named after flamboyant rock musician and Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, who was born on the island….
Last year unknown attackers hurled acid into the faces of two British teenage girls as they strolled through Stone Town, as Zanzibar’s Muslim majority were preparing to celebrate the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
In the past year, attackers have also thrown acid into the faces of religious leaders, both Christian and Muslim. Others have been shot.
Several churches have been torched following violent protests amid rising religious tensions in the east African archipelago between communities who have traditionally lived in peace.
The series of attacks has sparked fears of a tourist exodus from Zanzibar, which is famed for its pristine white-sand beaches and is heavily reliant on tourism.
Another apparent homemade bomb was hurled into a church on Sunday, which exploded but caused no casualties.
In Zanzibar, some more conservative elements of the Muslim community object to foreign tourists who wear revealing clothes, and frequent bars selling alcohol.
Some have blamed the hardline Islamic group Uamsho, Swahili for “The Awakening”, a minority group but believed to be growing in influence, especially among disaffected and jobless youth.While the group denies involvement in any of the attacks, they have widely succeeded in funnelling cultural and political tensions into support for radical Islamism….
John Dattilo says
Islam is an satanic religion.
mortimer says
The irony of this bombing is that Christ Church Cathedral in Stone Town is built over the previous slave market, the high altar being on the spot where slaves were publicly whipped and chained up.
Zanzibar was one of the last and greatest participants in the Islamic slave trade, but was forced out of business by Great Britain.
Visible in the foreground of the picture above is a monument to slaves standing in a pit awaiting to be sold.
Ayatrollah says
Thanks for showing us that. Of course it is a sin and kafir to tell the Muslims they can’t continue to trade slaves, giving more right for Muslims to take action like this. Mashallah
gravenimage says
Mortimer wrote:
The irony of this bombing is that Christ Church Cathedral in Stone Town is built over the previous slave market, the high altar being on the spot where slaves were publicly whipped and chained up.
Zanzibar was one of the last and greatest participants in the Islamic slave trade, but was forced out of business by Great Britain.
…………………………..
Thanks for mentioning this, Mortimer. I’ve always loved the symbolism of this church.
But I don’t believe that this is ironic—supremacist Muslims opposing Christianity, bars and clubs, and those taking a stand against the practice of slavery is all of a piece.
Ciccio says
That is nowhere nearly as ironic as the effect of the post 1973 Wahabi sponsored propaganda in the country. Zanzibar may be all Muslim now, but I was there, or rather next door in Dar es Salaam when the Sultan was overthrown by Karume. They slaughtered the Arabs en masse, they dragged the muftis out of the mosques and trampled them to death. their women were raped, pay-back for the 1,000 years of slavery and at the end of the day there was not a sign of Islam or Arabs in the country. There is on U tube an Italian documentary showing every gory detail, you need a strong stomach to watch. What is scary is that this propaganda went all unnoticed and unreported, suddenly the country is Islamic again. What do you think the effect has been on countries that were luke-warm about Islam at the start? It is about time to believe the Saudis when they say the are proportionally the biggest foreign aid donors in the world except their foreign aid is not cash, rather Islam.
Yuval Berger says
What a crying shame. I was in Zanzibar in 1993 and had no issues what so ever even though everyone around knew I was Israeli and a Jew.
mortimer says
During Ramadan in 2013, two volunteer teachers from UK (who happened to be Jewish) were doused by jihadists with ACID while strolling in old Stone Town.
David, Thailand says
Yes but that was an isolated incident, and had nothing to do with Islam of Jihad.
Well, that’s the view of British political and media leaders.
Bridges, lovely bridges, get your cheap bridges here…
Rob says
These events should now be called:
‘McManus Moments’
Michael Copeland says
Note also the obligatory wheeling in of “jobless and disaffected youth”. No report would be complete without it.M
apostate says
Well observed and commented on MC.Thank you.
john njuguna waithera says
Am a tour leader who normaly fequents zanzibar,when we take aferry from dar el salaam it takes two hour to get to the port of zanzibar.before you are out of that ferry, the first touristic hotel you see is mercury and that has been my in my list of hotel and resturant recomendations to watalii i normarl go with.infact i come on the 24 of this month from Mazson hotel which is just close to the slave market
Inchoate says
Re:
“……this bombing is unlikely to cause Anglican church leaders to pause for more than a second or two on their way to the next “interfaith dialogue” meeting where smiling imams will tell them that Islam is a Religion of Peace, and only greasy Islamophobes think otherwise.”
It isn’t just the Anglicans,this applies also to the Roman Catholics at Georgetown Univ in the District of Columbia who’re hosting a Saudi financed Arabian study group “chair’ of something superficially ecumenical.
Is it really sensible for us as Christians to turn the other cheek continuously in sight of this continuous and pervasive Muslim butchery against us?
It’s hard to tell who’re the more hypocritical, the Muslims or Christians; the latter who’ve been known in the past to be very effective soldiers, indeed.
Who’s fooling who?
Valerio says
I think everyone has missed the point..Currently in CAR Muslims are being slaughtered in great numbers. It makes perfect sense this is retaliation. It will continue maybe into the busy big cities!
gravenimage says
Valerio wrote:
I think everyone has missed the point..Currently in CAR Muslims are being slaughtered in great numbers. It makes perfect sense this is retaliation.
……………………………
What *absolute crap*. For one thing, the initial violence in the Central African Republic was Jihad against the Infidels.
Moreover, there is no violence against Muslims in Tanzania.
Instead, supremacist Muslims—who form a majority in Zanzibar itself—are doing what they always do: violently targeting young Jewish girls, a priest (both recent acid attacks), churches, and a tourist bar. *None* of these things represents a threat to Islam—but all of them are regarded as un-Islamic.
Defcon 4 says
The najjis kaffir in CAR are fighting for their freedoms against the islam0nazis who would take them all away — as the islam0nazis have done (and are doing) to the najjis kaffir all over the Mid-East, N. Africa, S.E. Asia and Nigeria today.
The Buddhists of Myanmar and the najjis kaffir of CAR are freedom fighters — fighting for their freedom from islam0nazi slavery, persecution and death.
Paleologos says
************* OT ************
Khalid Sheik Mohammed, caving in to pre-trial pressures …
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2563420/Lawyers-allowed-question-September-11-mastermind-Khalid-Sheik-Mohammed-determine-hes-appropriate-witness-Osama-Bin-Ladens-son-laws-trial.html
… now claims he is the cosmic twin of John Belushi … “Those Killer Bees Make Me Laugh!” … Khalid chuckled.
… and you thought muslims had no sense of humor …
http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi2079260697/
R/
Paleologos