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Eye on the World: attacks on Nairobi mall
On Saturday, militant Islamist gunmen attacked the upscale Westgate shopping center in Nairobi, Kenya, killing at least 69 people, according to the Kenyan Red Cross. Although the militants took hostages, by Monday morning Kenyan security forces had gained control of all floors of the mall, evacuating almost all of the hostages, according to the Kenyan Interior Ministry. The attack, which was carried out by Somalia’s Al Shabab group and appeared to target non-Muslims, was the worst terror strike on the country in 15 years.
Although the mall standoff is still ongoing as of this writing, the situation is certainly not beyond the reach of prayer. Our insistence on God’s presence and His government supports safety for everyone involved, and can even help to lessen violent attacks in the future.
In “A spiritual response to terrorism,” a Christian Science practitioner and former Army platoon leader shares how feeling God’s all-powerful love defuses fear and supports efforts to diminish terrorism. Those who argue that God supports violent actions are wrong, and in our prayers we can recognize that killing — or unrest of any kind — is never a part of God’s creation.
“Global violence or global peace?” holds that peace — in Nairobi or anywhere else — is more than just the absence of violence: it’s a spiritual law that is enforced by God. As we feel compassion for those affected by the situation, let’s also recognize that God is comforting and ministering to them, too. He does not allow violent, misguided motives to prosper, and we can expect to see lasting stability replace terrorism in eastern Africa and everywhere.
“A student prays to heal violence in Kenya” was written a few years after the 1998 bombing of the US Embassy in Nairobi. The author, a Kenyan, tells how she prayed to witness God’s power to help in the wake of the attack, and how as she prayed she began to see instances of God’s love in action. “People from all walks of life, including the international community, volunteered their time, money, and expertise,” she writes. “This outpouring of love led Kenya forward, and began to heal its brokenhearted people of their pain.” We can expect to witness this same love, and this same progress, in Kenya this week.