From Jihad Watch:
Baghdad church attack: Jihadists "came into the prayer hall and immediately killed the priest" when gov't forces stormed building
Again: Contrasting ideals of martyrdom on stark display, as several attackers subsequently detonated suicide vests.
Those ideals have clear and far-reaching implications for the character of their respective cultures, societies, and civilizations, where giving one's life for what is believed to be a noble cause is a supreme form of sacrifice and personal attainment. Many priorities fall into line from there, for better, or much, much worse.
And of course, nothing says "peace" and "tolerance" quite like barging into a Mass and later shooting the priest in cold blood. "Baghdad church hostage drama ends in bloodbath," from BBC News, November 1 (thanks to Lokar):
The BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad says that the full death toll remains unclear
More than 30 people have been killed as Iraqi security forces stormed a Catholic church in central Baghdad to free dozens of hostages being held by gunmen there, security sources say.
Seven members of the Iraqi security forces and at least five attackers were among the dead but officials said most hostages were rescued.
About 100 people had been inside Our Lady of Salvation for an evening Mass.
The gunmen had reportedly demanded the release of jailed al-Qaeda militants.
The local TV station, al-Baghdadiya, said it had received a phone call from someone claiming to be one of the attackers, who said they were from the Islamic State of Iraq, a Sunni militant umbrella group to which al-Qaeda in Iraq belongs.
Reports said the attackers were not Iraqis, but foreign Arabs.
The raid came two days after a suicide attack on a cafe in Diyala province left 21 people dead.
'Priest killed'
Residents of Baghdad's Karada district, where the attack took place, first heard a loud explosion at about 1700 (1400 GMT), followed by gunfire.
Police said a group of armed men began by attacking the Iraq Stock Exchange building, and then took over the Catholic church just across the road, clashing with guards and killing some of them.
Security forces later surrounded the church and sealed off the area, with helicopters hovering overhead. Then they stormed the building.
Witnesses nearby said they then heard two explosions from inside the church and more shooting.
One eyewitness, who was inside the church, was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying that the gunmen "came into the prayer hall and immediately killed the priest".
The witness, who declined to give his name, said the people in the church had huddled into the main prayer hall when the gunbattles began with the security forces.
The gunmen reportedly threw grenades and blew their suicide vests....Posted by Marisol on October 31, 2010 9:40 PM
This, related, also from Jihad Watch:
At least seven Iraqi Christians dead as al-Qaeda takes hostages in Baghdad church, demands release of prisoners
In Islamic law, blood money, or diyya is less for non-Muslims than for Muslim lives. It is just one such indication of how, under Sharia, infidel blood is cheap. "At least 7 hostages killed in rescue from Iraq church," by Waleed Ibrahim and Muhanad Mohammed for Reuters, October 31:
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least seven Iraqi Catholics died on Sunday when police stormed a Baghdad church where gunmen were holding dozens of parishioners hostage, threatening to kill them if al Qaeda prisoners were not released.
The U.S. military said between seven and 10 hostages and seven members of the Iraqi security forces, as well as five to seven attackers, were killed in the rescue operation.
Witnesses reported seeing many bodies inside the church after the gunmen wearing suicide vests threw grenades or blew themselves up as Iraqi forces stormed the building.
The insurgents laid siege to one of Baghdad's biggest churches as more than 100 parishioners attended Sunday mass in a central district near the heavily fortified Green Zone, home to embassies and the Iraqi government.
U.S. military officials watched the rescue operation from cameras in hovering helicopters.
Two very different ideals of martyrdom meet:
Lieutenant Colonel Eric Bloom, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, said three militants detonated suicide vests as Iraq forces entered the church. He said a total of 120 hostages were held by the assailants, adding that 30 people were wounded.
Colonel Kadhim Basheer Saleh, an Iraqi civil defense spokesman, said 15 civilians, four policemen and eight attackers were killed.
Al Qaeda's Iraqi affiliate, the Islamic State of Iraq, claimed responsibility for the attack on "the dirty place of the infidel which Iraqi Christians have long used as a base to fight Islam." [...]
In the jihadist mindset, the non-Muslims do that simply by continuing to exist.
Iraqi security officials said they had been warned of possible attacks against large gatherings, especially churches.
Did they care to tell the churches that before now?
"We expect attacks will continue and increase in the coming days," said Lieutenant General Hussein Kamal, Iraq's deputy interior minister.
As Sunday's operation unfolded, military helicopters flew low overhead and gunfire rang out through the densely populated residential area. Streets around the Assyrian Catholic church were quickly cordoned off.
A Christian woman who was held hostage in the Our Lady of Salvation Church told Reuters there were many bodies inside.
"While I was trying to find my way out, in the dark, I walked over bodies," she said, asking not to be identified. "There are many bodies there."
Our Lady of Salvation, one of Baghdad's largest churches, was one of five churches in Baghdad and Mosul hit in coordinated attacks in August 2004 in which 12 people were killed.
Christians number about a 1.5 million out of a total Iraqi population of about 23 million, the vast majority of them Muslims. Christian denominations include Chaldeans, Copts, Roman and Melkite Catholics, Maronites and Greek Orthodox.Posted by Marisol on October 31, 2010 4:41 PM
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