UPDATE: Terror attack in Istanbul: 38 dead, 155 wounded

"With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil--that takes religion." Steven Weinberg

Istanbul, Turkey -- A car bomb and suicide attack killed 38 and wounded 155 people on Saturday outside a soccer stadium. 

Authorities say the car bomb was detonated remotely and was followed by a suicide bomber 45 seconds later. 

Of those killed, all but two were police officers. According to the Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, 17 of the wounded were undergoing surgery and 6 were in intensive care.

The first bomb went off at about 10:30 p.m. local time hours after the Turkish Super League soccer match ended.  There was a second explosion in the same area but no details were provided by officials as to the nature of the blast.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan said in a statement: "A terrorist attack has been carried out against our security forces and our citizens. It has been understood that the explosions after the Besiktas-Bursaspor football game aimed to maximize casualties. As a result of these attacks unfortunately we have martyrs and wounded."

A 'martyr' is someone who's killed because of their religious beliefs. Thus, even Erdogan believes the reason for the attack is religion-based. 

At least ten people have been detained in connection with the attack but there was no immediate claim of responsibility. However, Istanbul has been targeted by ISIS and also Kurdish militants last year.

"It is thought to be a car bomb at a point where our special forces police were located, right after the match at the exit where Bursapor fans exited, after the fans had left," Soylu told Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency. "We have no information on the number of dead. God willing we hope there won't be any. The wounded are police."

What seems probable is that Turkey's government and the attackers, whoever they are, believe that God is on their side. Why else would anyone blow themself up if they didn't believe they were doing His work?

It's time we all stop pretending that Islam isn't a global problem when it's practiced in the orthodox extreme.


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