At least four people were killed and at least 50 injured after a bomb exploded during a morning Catholic Mass in a university gymnasium in Marawi, a city in the south of the country besieged by Islamist militants for five months in 2017.

MANILA, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for a deadly bombing at a Catholic Mass in the Philippines on Sunday that killed at least four people and injured 50 others.

The attack was carried out in a university gymnasium in Marawi, a city in the south of the country besieged by Islamist militants for five months in 2017.

  • hakunawazo@lemmy.worldEnglish
    613·
    7 months ago

    They are not islamic, just assholes. It’s not about religion, it’s about power through violence with religious public relations.
    That being said, religion could be a harmless hobby-like tradition if only practiced privately and unorganized and if it doesn’t affect the rest of us.

    • Newguy@lemmy.worldEnglish
      93·
      7 months ago

      They are Islamic terrorists assholes. Religion backs those beliefs. I doubt it would be harmless because look where we’re at.

      • hakunawazo@lemmy.worldEnglish
        41·
        7 months ago

        They justify it with religion, that’s right. They pick whatever suits them out of their believe system. But as cruel as these cases are (and it feels like they are increasing again) it’s still not all moslems vs. us. It’s (not only religious) cultural differences, poverty, isolation, lack of education, information bubble and echo chamber which leads to radicalization. These are big political problems. Please see my reply to Zeroxxx if you are interested in my opinion about religion at all.

        • Newguy@lemmy.worldEnglish
          3·
          7 months ago

          Thank you for your response. I appreciate a different view. I agree it’s a difficult situation to discuss. Education is important which is why I think private practices wouldn’t solve anything. Abrahamic religions started private-ish . Maybe all religions started private-ish. Only a select few. Misinformation trickles down to the uneducated for answers to why and not how. Animism should be considered again

    • zeroxxx@lemmy.my.idEnglish
      73·
      7 months ago

      They are islamic, no need to hide it.

      It is funny, just like don’t say Crusader is not related to Christianity but the second Islam is mentioned in negative view, it is quickly said NOT ISLAM!

      …for what?

      • hakunawazo@lemmy.worldEnglish
        5·
        7 months ago

        It is strange for me, who grew up Christian in a Western country but am now agnostic, to argue in favor of Islam. My intention was to say that we wouldn’t have many problems if all religion would be purely a private matter (private in the sense of not forcing faith on anyone, not even family members). It would be interesting to see how long backward ideologies and restrictive rules would last. I am tired of having to set the Old Testament and the Crusades and missionary work against the Koran.
        Some passages in the Koran and the Bible sound completely unacceptable today and nobody should feel morally bound to them in this century.

        I don’t want to trivialize the current events in the Philippines and France and maybe it’s the wrong moment to discuss religion on such tragedies. If someone uses violence to achieve their goals, they are a terrorist and shouldn’t have a place in society, regardless of whether they receive their inspiration from the right, left or above.

        I am shocked by what feels like a renewed increase in such attacks, hence my comment. I don’t wanted to start whataboutism to defend them.