Obama, Clinton, Democrats Denounce Attacks on 'Easter Worshippers,' Not 'Christians'
Former President Barack Obama, former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, and several other leading Democrats denounced terror attacks on what they called “Easter worshippers” — not Christians — Sunday in Sri Lanka.
Suicide bombers murdered nearly 300 people and wounded 500 more in attacks on three churches, three hotels, and a housing complex. Many were killed as they attended Mass for Easter Sunday. The government reportedly suspects that the bombers, all Sri Lankans, were members of “a domestic Islamist terror group named National Thowfeek Jamaath.”
Yet Obama, Clinton, and other Democrats — including 2020 presidential contender Julián Castro — could not bring themselves to identify the victims of the attacks as “Christians,” calling them “Easter worshippers” instead in eerily similar responses:
The attacks on tourists and Easter worshippers in Sri Lanka are an attack on humanity. On a day devoted to love, redemption, and renewal, we pray for the victims and stand with the people of Sri Lanka.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 21, 2019
On this holy weekend for many faiths, we must stand united against hatred and violence. I’m praying for everyone affected by today’s horrific attacks on Easter worshippers and travelers in Sri Lanka.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) April 21, 2019
On a day of redemption and hope, the evil of these attacks on Easter worshippers and tourists in Sri Lanka is deeply saddening. My prayers today are with the dead and injured, and their families. May we find grace.
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) April 21, 2019
Heartbreaking to learn about the attacks on tourists and Easter worshippers in Sri Lanka. Colorado stands with the people of Sri Lanka during this very tragic day and we grieve for those affected by these acts of violence.
— Jared Polis (@GovofCO) April 21, 2019
I am deeply saddened over the horrific acts of violence against Easter worshippers and tourists in Sri Lanka. I send my deepest condolences to the victims and their families. We stand united with the people of Sri Lanka.
— Ami Bera, M.D. (@RepBera) April 21, 2019
During Obama’s eight years as president, Obama — and Clinton, who served as his first Secretary of State — drew criticism for his reluctance to identify radical Islam as the source of many terror attacks.
In an address to the National Prayer Breakfast in 2015, Obama attempted to draw a moral equivalence between the terror and torture used by the so-called “Islamic State” (or ISIS), and medieval Christianity. He admonished Americans not to “get on our high horse” about radical Islam, since “people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ” centuries ago.
Democrats also criticized President Donald Trump and his administration for declining to use the word “Muslims” to describe the victims of the Christchurch terror attack in New Zealand last month, although Trump did identify the targets as “mosques.” Similarly, he identified the targets in Sri Lanka as “churches and hotels.”
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.