Christians, Muslims, and Kenya

Christians, Muslims, and Kenya

The Gist

On April 2nd, Al-Shabaab militants stormed a Garissa University in northern Kenya killing 147 students in the deadliest terrorist attack in the country since the 1997 US Embassy bombings. Al-Shabaab is an Al Qaeda affiliated militant group that was founded in Somalia decades ago. This is the same group that killed over sixty people during an attack on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi. Years of instability in Somalia (watch Black Hawk Down to get an idea) created the perfect breeding ground for the group to gain strength. Kenya has been targeted for two reasons: it is the largest economy in the region and, more importantly, it provided troops to help drive the group out of Somalia. It should also be noted that this part of Kenya is almost overwhelmingly ethnically Somali. The majority of the students at Garissa University were non-Muslims and various news outlets have indicated that the militants targeted Christian students. Some bright spots: Muslim students at morning prayers sheltered their Christian countrymen and this morning Muslim Kenyans marched on the streets of Garissa in solidarity with victims....and now you know the gist.