CHRISTIAN LEADERS RESPOND TO LONDON BOMBING
By Jeremy Reynalds (07/08/05)
Four blasts rocked the London subway and tore open a packed double-decker bus during the morning rush hour Thursday, sending bloodied victims fleeing after what British Prime Minister Tony Blair called "barbaric" terrorist attacks.
While the exact number of those killed vary, it appears that somewhere between 40 and 50 people were killed and maybe as many as 700 injured.
A statement appeared today on the (currently defunct) jihadist website Al-Qal'ah (www.qal3ah.net), purportedly posted by the group claiming responsibility for the bomb attacks in London today.
A translation provided by World Net Daily read in part, "In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate, may peace be upon the cheerful one and the dauntless fighter, Prophet Muhammad, God's peace be upon him. O nation of Islam and nation of Arabism: Rejoice for it is time to take revenge from the British Zionist Crusader government in retaliation for the massacres Britain is committing in Iraq and Afghanistan. The heroic mujahidin have carried out a blessed raid in London. Britain is now burning with fear, terror and panic in its northern, southern, eastern and western quarters."
Christian leaders were quick to respond to the day's shocking events.
In an e-mailed statement, Peter Kerridge, CEO of Premier Christian Radio said, "Like many, I am shocked by the scenes of violence and destruction we have witnessed today in London. We at Premier Christian Radio are calling for our listeners to pray for the victims of today's terrorist attack as well as their families and the paramedics, police and hospital staff."
Speaking in a statement reported by the Associated Baptist Press (www.biblicalrecorder.org/content/news/2005/7_7_2005/ne070705bwa.shtml), David Coffee, general secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, said, "The events that took place in London today fill us with horror, and our prayers go out to the bereaved and the injured, together with all those who are seeking to offer help and comfort, including the emergency services, security forces and chaplains."
He added, "In a world of violence, where there is too little respect for life, we want to stand alongside all those who are the victims of such brutality, sharing their pain and anger, and embracing them with compassion. This is a time when we are called to answer the evil of violence with an unswerving commitment to the ways that make for peace and justice. We join our Christian hope with all who seek the common good at this critical time."
The Associated Baptist Press (ABP) also reported that worldwide Baptists will continue with plans to meet July 27-31 in England, despite the deadly bombings.
British Baptists, who will play host to the Baptist World Congress in Birmingham in less than three weeks, voiced their desire, ABP reported, "to stand alongside all those who are the victims of such brutality," but confirmed plans for the meeting of Baptists worldwide will go on.
"When we gather in Birmingham as a family of world Baptists," ABP reported Coffee said, "it will give us an opportunity to pray together for our broken world and to show solidarity with all who suffer."
Then in a statement e-mailed from India, Hopegivers International President Dr. Samuel Thomas said, "Our prayers go out to the victims of the London terror attacks and their families. We understand their pain because we face terrorist attacks almost daily from religious fanatics in India. Whenever there is hope for peace and freedom from hunger and suffering there will always be evil people who want to interject despair. Who can believe that there is not dark, Satanic forces behind these kinds of attacks?"
Thomas added, "We, as Hopegivers, have a choice. Where there is death and suffering like this, we are committed to responding with hope and tangible love. Today's terror attack is just another reminder for us that we are still at war with evil and our only response can be sending more help and hope!"
Hopegivers (www.hopegivers.com) helps abandoned children and other needy or oppressed people.
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