Sri Lanka will remember its Bloody Sunday.
So far, we count 321 dead and over 500 injured following the terrorist attacks that took place on Easter Sunday. The heinousness of these attacks was only worsened by the fact that they took place on the single most important day in the Christian calendar. Churches were at their fullest.
The hotels that were also subject to the bombings were not just tourist destinations, either. They had hosted Easter vigils and offered Easter breakfasts and brunches for their guests. As those on the ground grapple with the material and emotional needs of the survivors, church doors in Sri Lanka remain temporarily closed for fear of further violence, and the country remains in a state of emergency.
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Like all other terrorist attacks, this was an attack against humanity, and an attack against freedom. And like many similar attacks across Africa, the Middle East and Asia, Christians were targeted in particular.
According to a recent report from the PEW Research Center, a respected non-partisan think-tank, Christians are the most persecuted religious group globally. Christianity is being systematically targeted across the Middle East and in Asia. The recent genocide perpetrated by ISIS is the most drastic evidence of this reality. It is by far not the only example.
In neighbouring India, a national election is taking place in the world’s largest democracy. The incumbent government has an overtly nationalist agenda and the persecution of Christians has grown year on year since it came to power. In the first quarter of 2019, India saw over 80 mob attacks on Christian communities. In Pakistan, Asia Bibi still fears for her life despite being acquitted from death row. Nepal, Indonesia, the Philippines and many other Asian countries have seen waves of attacks against Christian minorities over the past few weeks.
