Simultaneous blasts leave at least two people dead and more than 80 injured as runners cross marathon finishing line.
Security has been stepped up around the US after twin blasts near the finishing line of the Boston Marathon left two people dead and at least 80 injured, six critically.
A White House official said the explosions occurred just before 3pm on Monday and would be handled as an "act of terror".
Police officials said mobile phone service have been shut down in the Boston area to prevent any potential remote detonations of explosives.
A witness describes the aftermath
A fire at the John F Kennedy Presidential Library also took place several miles away more than an hour later. However, Ed Davis, the Boston police commissioner, said investigators had not linked the fire to the blasts.
A senior US intelligence official said two more explosive devices had been found near the scene of the explosions and were being dismantled.
Davis said that powerful devises caused the blasts. "We are questioning many people but there is no suspect in custody," he said.
Barack Obama, the US president, vowed to hold accountable whoever carried out the blasts and said he had directed his administration to increase security around the country.
The White House was cordoned off with tape after news of the explosions broke. Loud explosion
The blasts happened about three hours after the winners crossed the line as thousands of runners finished the 117th running of the Boston Marathon, with crowds watching and cheering at the finish.
There was a loud explosion on the north side of Boylston Street, just before the bridge that marks the finish line.
Another explosion could be heard a few seconds later.
Smoke rose from the blasts, fluttering through the national flags lining the route.
A Rhode Island state police officer, who was running in the event, said he saw at least two dozen people with very serious injuries, including missing limbs.
Many of the Injured spectators were carried to a medical tent that had been set up to care for fatigued runners.
The stragglers in the 40km trek were rerouted away from the smoking site of the blasts, as a Massachusetts General Hospital spokesperson said it had four patients from the incident under evaluation and was expecting more.
Several competitors and race organisers were crying as they fled the chaos.
"There are a lot of people down," said one man, whose running number 17528 identified him as Frank Deruyter.
Laura McLean, a runner from Toronto, Canada, said she heard two explosions outside the medical tent.
"There are people who are really, really bloody," McLean said. "They were pulling them into the medical tent."
Runners who had not finished the race were diverted straight down Commonwealth Avenue and into a family meeting area, according to an emergency plan that had been in place. The race was later abandoned
Hope all our bros and srs in Boston are OK anyone living there knows the latest?
Are they gonna blame it on Muslims? They're already talking about that before any investigation and this is the Arabic source I hazard go into CNN or BBC
Does the world cry? It's newsworthy simply because it happens more rarely in the USA, but that doesn't imply that the entire world has started mourning.
Does the world cry? It's newsworthy simply because it happens more rarely in the USA, but that doesn't imply that the entire world has started mourning.
I think the usage of "the world cries" is not meant to be taken literally. I think the picture is describing those who turn a blind eye to the tragedies happening around the world and yet shed tears when it happens to a place they are familiar with.
According to the Quran, a human life is a human life: “Whoever kills a person…it is as though he has killed all mankind. And whoever saves a life, it is as though he had saved all mankind.” (Qur’an, 5:32).
The bombing in Boston is a tragedy, and everyone should condemn the actions of people who have destroyed the lives of people enjoying themselves watching the marathon.
We feel for all victims of terror, regardless of faith or the colour of their skin.
But judged by the media coverage of the Boston bombing, it is hard not to conclude that western lives are valued much more highly than those of people in Afghanistan, Iraq or the Middle East.
Cruel people always think that this can only be done by the Muslims. Where they know that Islam is not permitted us to do this type of stuff. All non-Muslims countries targeted Muslims all around the world that's not fair. I don't know what to say about media, who always ignores the murders in all other Muslims countries. We can only pray for our brother's and sisters who martyred in different attacks. Amin
Cruel people always think that this can only be done by the Muslims
Yet, Obama has gone out of his way to avoid blaming Muslims for this attack and currently the main media speculation is around right wing groups.
format_quote Originally Posted by Taabuu
But judged by the media coverage of the Boston bombing, it is hard not to conclude that western lives are valued much more highly than those of people in Afghanistan, Iraq or the Middle East.
American lives are valued more highly in America. Each country cares more about its own. Is that surprising?
This is sad and if it was a false flag attack the aim was probably to pin the blame on North Korea. US has a history of planting bombs in its own territory and we can't ignore that reality.
format_quote Originally Posted by MustafaMc
I believe that we can now automatically expect this reaction to events like this, but the question is how do we as Muslims respond.
US has a history of planting bombs in its own territory and we can't ignore that reality.
Yup bay of pigs, several coups against chavez completely funded by the U.S and I wouldn't be surprised if they were behind his slow death!
and then they plant their net spies and shills with all sorts of logical fallacies and intimidation & baiting!
I don't think there are any idiots left, just folks sick of all the BS
I like this graphic, except that it shows an underlaying Muslimism equal to the Americanism it decries. The world is not split into USA and Islam. There are billions of other people suffering all around the world that are neither American nor Muslim. Change two of those upper bits from "Muslim..." to "African" with a starving child and "Japanese" with the atomic bomb, and you'd have something compelling.
What do you think media would be like if it assigned priority to stories solely by death count? Well, here's what: Starvation in African country, civil war in African country, civil war in another African country, people die of AIDS in African country, more starvation in African country... did we mention starvation in African country?
Maybe next time when Western media actually reports on killing of Muslims, you should protest and demand that they stop and instead allocate those content slots on starvation in Africa?
My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families of this horrific event. May Allah ease their pain and comfort them in these difficult times.
Someone said to the Prophet, "Pray to God against the idolaters and curse them." The Prophet replied, "I have been sent to show mercy and have not been sent to curse." (Muslim)
Forgive me, but that a very simplistic statement.
NOBODY cares about people dying in the Middle East? Really now??
I know many people who care for ALL people who suffer injustice and hurt and discrimination and hatred - whatever their colour, religion or ethnicity.
I wish people wouldn't spread this "Everybody hates us and nobody cares about us" propaganda. It's firstly untrue and secondly simply feeds that untruth.
So for the record, I care that people blow each other up and kill each other, whoever they are and wherever they are.
I wish and pray and strive for a world where people accept each other and live in harmony together.
I pray for people in Boston.
I pray for people in the Middle East.
I pray for people everywhere.
Salam Brothers and Sisters,
We need more people like Glo in the world. One cannot compare the number of people being killed. It is simply wrong. This is not math, two negatives do NOTt make a positive!!! Regardless or the numbers, whether in the US or other countries, each death is relevant to the family it impacts. If we believe we are all born Muslims, then we should be sad for any death.
As someone who was at the marathon on Monday wearing a yellow jacket, I am saddened by this attack. It is personal to me, so I feel its effects more than an attack someplace where I have never been. Because people were maimed and killed in a place where I have stood, where my mother has stood, I feel it more acutely than when a car bomb exploded in front of my hotel in London years ago, injuring noone or when I was working the crime scene of a package bomb a few years ago (the occupant was killed). However, I did find myself switching to reading/listening to the BBC and Al Jazeera to find out what else was happening in the world, as our news coverage is wall to wall Marathon Bombing (even though we don't really know much, they just keep talking). Monday was a sad day in many places, not just here.
Two bits, both related to far earlier in the discussion:
With regard to how the US authorities and experts view this particular attack, I think this quote in a CNN story today is particularly useful and relevant:
"If your experience and your expertise is Middle East terrorism, it has the hallmarks of al Qaeda or a Middle East group," former FBI Assistant Director Tom Fuentes said. "If your experience is domestic groups and bombings that have occurred here, it has the hallmarks of a domestic terrorist like Eric Rudolph in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics bombings."
If you want to see the toll of terror globally, there is an extremely useful database, the Global Terrorism Database, maintained by researchers at the University of Maryland. It has the most complete, public information on attacks around the globe between 1970 and 2011 of which I am aware. They attempt to count every person that is injured or killed in a terror attack, by what mechanism, and, when possible, associate the attack with the intended target, the responsible organization, and the ideology of that person/group. You can view their data here: http://www.start.umd.edu/gtd/
I like this graphic, except that it shows an underlaying Muslimism equal to the Americanism it decries. The world is not split into USA and Islam. There are billions of other people suffering all around the world that are neither American nor Muslim. Change two of those upper bits from "Muslim..." to "African" with a starving child and "Japanese" with the atomic bomb, and you'd have something compelling.
Isn't wanting the words changed exactly what the image is describing which is turning a blind eye to what is going on? I personally think that the designer is pointing out people who are being oppressed but if you want to point out that there are people whose lives are lost due to starvation or an atomic bomb then instead of suggesting that the words are changed why not suggest addition if u feel that it would be more compelling if they were pointed out?
Isn't wanting the words changed exactly what the image is describing which is turning a blind eye to what is going on? I personally think that the designer is pointing out people who are being oppressed but if you want to point out that there are people whose lives are lost due to starvation or an atomic bomb then instead of suggesting that the words are changed why not suggest addition if u feel that it would be more compelling if they were pointed out?
The point in that image isn't that PEOPLE are being oppressed. The point is that MUSLIMS are being oppressed. That is my concern with the image. It seems to care only about Muslims in the same way that it chastises the USA for caring only about the USA. If you want to keep it about oppression, then perhaps keep one saying muslims and change the other two to other oppressed groups people turn a blind eye to.
Judged by the media coverage, it is hard not to conclude that western lives are valued much more highly than those of people in Afghanistan, Iraq or the Middle East.
By Lindsey German
The bombing in Boston is a tragedy, and everyone should condemn the actions of people who have destroyed the lives of people enjoying themselves watching the marathon.
But last week in Afghanistan a US airstrike killed eleven children and several women. This Afghan bombing is only one of many that are killing civilians every week.
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anyone living there knows the latest?
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