Last Tuesday, perhaps as many as eight individuals associated with the Islamic State brought about the deaths of 35 people by setting off two explosions in Brussels, Belgium. The blasts, which occurred in populated transportation locations, also injured more than 300 others.

The national news media was all over it. Coverage existed for days on end, and continues to this day, with stories of victims, amputations, and of course, the seemingly endless videos depicting images of the suspected bombers. Doubtless that Herald readers could have missed or forgotten any of the coverage, especially with audio loops of horrific cries for help immediately after the explosions.

And that coverage is a good thing. Americans need to know what is happening around the world, particularly as these events relate to our on-going war against radical, violent religious sects and their intent to terrorize those they see as their enemies.

But, how many Americans know what happened Sunday in Lahore, Pakistan?

On Easter Sunday morning, Christian families gathered in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, as is their custom, to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. Families were enjoying fun and fellowship when a person — who we now know was associated with the Taliban — walked to the area where children were playing on rides and set off a bomb.

The blast killed at least 65 people and wounded hundreds more, though, according to the Pakistan Minister of Health, those numbers are sure to rise. Mustansar Feroz, chief of police, noted, “Most of the dead and injured are women and children.”

Pakistani television stations showed the ensuing chaos, with people running while carrying children and cradling the wounded in their laps. One bystander told a reporter, “When the blast occurred, the flames were so high they reached above the trees and I saw bodies flying in the air.”

Ahsanullah Ahsan, a spokesman for the militant Taliban group, said it deliberately targeted Christians and warned of more attacks to follow.
Nasreen Bibi, waited at a local hospital for an update on the condition of her injured 2-year-old daughter. She asked a Reuters reporter, “What kind of people target little children in a park?”

The Vatican quickly responded with a statement denouncing the attacks as “cowardly, murderous hatred rages on the most defenseless.”

The White House did condemn the bombing, but how much coverage was given to this tragedy by the national news media in the U.S.? Think about it. We had days on end of important coverage on the Brussels attacks, yet how much coverage did you see on this tragedy, on the air or in print?

Why did the Pakistan bombing not get the coverage the Brussels bombing received?

I do not think the difference had anything to do with “slow news days” or “busy news days.” I also do not think there was any kind of religious bias involved.

I think the cause of the relative lack of coverage may be an ethnocentric bias. Part of that ethnocentric bias may be a reflection of the fact that Americans identify more readily with Western Europeans than Pakistanis. But I think the most important factor in what I see as ethnocentric bias is the fact that some Americans were killed in Brussels, while no Americans died in Lahore.

Now, you may say, “Come on, Bob, an American dying is simply more newsworthy, right? They are our family or our neighbors — brother and sisters bound together by one common cause. Of course their death would get more publicity.”

Not for a Christian.

Those women, children and men who were targeted by a cowardly suicide bomber in Lahore, Pakistan, were Christians. They are the brothers and sisters of all Christians around the world. And that includes American Christians as well. They also are bound together by one common cause.

It is important for churches to support the faithful in all areas of the world. For American Christians, while the Pakistanis may look less like us than the Europeans who died in Brussels, they are indeed our family. And we grieve when they grieve.

May we never forget the suffering of those Christian brothers and sisters around the world. God help us to protect all those persecuted because of their faith in You.