'Dozens dead' in school attack in Nigeria's Yobe state

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: BBC

At least 29 pupils and a teacher have been killed in a pre-dawn attack by suspected Islamists on a school in northeastern Nigeria, reports say.

Eyewitnesses said some of the victims were burned alive in the attack, in Mamudo town, Yobe state.

Dozens of schools have been burned in attacks by Islamists since 2010.
...
A reporter from the Associated Press found chaotic scenes at the hospital in nearby Potiskum, where traumatised parents struggled to identify their children among the charred bodies and gunshot victims.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-23209181

[Dash87]

1. Speechless. These are wild animals that need to be put down.

Even rabid wolves are saner.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

2. Religion: The belief that a pacifistic God wants followers to commit horrific murder in its name

[awoke_in_2003]

13. Read the Old Testament...

That god is a raving psychopath.

[oberliner]

14. The newer books have some pretty awful stuff too

The NT and Koran not only punish you on earth but even after you are dead if you don't worship the right god.

[awoke_in_2003]

18. Very true...

Eternity in a burning lake of hell is pretty drastic.

[theHandpuppet]

17. +1

http://www.evilbible.com/

[awoke_in_2003]

19. Thanks for the link. nt

[oberliner]

3. Motive? Was it a girl's school?

Lots of details missing from the article. Was this attack motivated by Islam or something else?

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. If it was Boko Haram, they are trying to establish a separate Islamic state

by killing lots of non-Muslims.

[oberliner]

5. Absolutely sick and disgusting

What a despicable terrorist organization. How do they have any support?

[Posteritatis]

9. Most despicable causes can manage to garner at least some

Boko Haram's name means "Western knowledge is forbidden" (or a rough translation with the general tone of that). They were originally a local nationalist group objecting to westernization in general as a threat to indigenous ways of life. There was always a Muslim element to the group but they've since carried it far enough to assume that even most of the local Muslims and the Nigerian government are too westernized to accept. They're definitely in the "vinegar" camp rather than the "honey" one as far as their PR goes.

Overall, they're kind of an ad-hoc group without a really unifying structure or command hierarchy beyond a few charismatics who seem to come and go, so I'm not sure what they actually have in terms of widespread formal support, especially given their behaviour. Overall the group isn't an army or anything close in size, but even a few hundred really determined people adhering to an ideology that amounts to "fuck this!" can cause a lot of damage, and intimidate a lot of people who would act against them into staying quiet.

[oberliner]

15. Thanks for the info

Here's hoping they face justice.

[Posteritatis]

10. Lots of Muslims, too. BH isn't the choosiest of militant groups on that front. (nt)

[Faygo Kid]

6. Words fail. Absolute evil.

As evil as it gets. Those poor kids, and their families. May justice ultimately prevail.

[LiberalEsto]

7. Why?

What did these innocent children do to deserve this?

[SheilaT]

16. Unfortunately,

a lot of people have the mindset that it's perfectly okay to kill children of your enemy, because those children will grow up to be your enemies.

[Bigmack]

8. I have been quick to speak out, and to condemn

the actions of US gov't forces when they cause the deaths of innocent civilians and children, and thoughtful, responsible Muslims should be STANDING IN LINE to speak out and to condemn THIS sort of atrocity. Ms Bigmack

[LAGC]

11. Ah yes, religious lunatics afraid kids might actually learn something besides the sacred Holy Text.

Religion thrives on ignorance, can't have people getting all uppity and learned now, can we?

[SunSeeker]

12. Such a horrific crime, yet it is not a major headline.

This, as the article notes, has been going on for years. Yet no one hears about it, and when they do, it appears to be shrugged off. Why is nothing being done to stop this religious/ethnic cleansing?

Thanks for posting.