In the aftermath of the fire at the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the authorities are saying that the fire was an accident, despite the fact that there were no workers in the area at the time, nor were there any sources of heat (i.e. electrical items) near the wooden frame. The only work that had been done was the scaffold being assembled. And although the investigation is ongoing, perhaps the authorities do not want to say it is arson because they don’t want to be labeled as Islamophobic.
It should be noted that back in 2016, an attempt by three Muslim women who wanted to blow up the Cathedral of Notre Dame was thwarted.
Meanwhile, other churches have been targeted recently by jihadists in France. Last month, a Pakistani migrant was arrested for vandalizing the Saint-Denis Basilica in a Paris suburb. And in February, several churches were vandalized, in which altars, statues, and crosses were desecrated. There was even one instance of a cross made of excrement being drawn on a wall.
In 2016, there was a series of attacks on churches by jihadists in France, Belgium, and Germany.
Of course, such attacks have been going on for the past 1400 years.
America has also had its share of churches being targeted. Three black churches in Louisiana were destroyed by arson earlier this month in an apparent hate crime. The suspect, Holden Matthews was apprehended and will stand trial in September.
In response to these fires, various individuals have pledged to help fund the repairs for the Cathedral of Notre Dame and the churches in Louisiana.
Meanwhile, a man named Marc Lamparello was in St. Patrick’s Cathedral carrying two gas cans, two bottles of lighter fluid, and two lighters. He was arrested for planning to commit arson.
Lamparello had been previously arrested for refusing to leave the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, New Jersey. He also had purchased a one- way ticket to Rome prior to his arrest in New York City.
His motive for his actions in New York and New Jersey (as well as his scheduled flight to Rome) are unknown at this time. Perhaps he was angry over the sexual abuse scandal. Or perhaps he is mentally disturbed.
Then there is the case of the Midway Presbyterian Church in South Carolina being vandalized, in which its windows (which were over 125 years old) were broken and a couple of messages were spray-painted on the outside of the church that said “Submit to God thru Islam” and “Muhammed is his prophet”.
So far there have been no arrests made. But it is a good bet that jihadists were behind this act of vandalism.
Such attacks would continue on Easter. One such attack took place in Munich, Germany, in which a man entered St. Paul’s Church and shouted “Allah Akbar” before throwing a firecracker into the middle of the church, resulting in 24 people being injured.
But an even bigger attack (and perhaps the deadliest terrorist attack this decade) occurred in Sri Lanka, in which three churches, two hotels, and a zoo became the targets of suicide bombers. So far there are two hundred fatalities, and over four hundred people wounded. These attacks appear to have been coordinated, and ISIS has claimed responsibility. Meanwhile, at least thirteen individuals have been
arrested in connection to the attacks.
In conclusion, such actions (whether they are carried out by jihadists, white supremacists, leftists, the mentally ill, etc.) are despicable, and the perpetrators should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
