The group, which has struck before in Iran, has a long history of division with the country.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility on Thursday for the bombing attack that killed 84 people in Kerman, Iran, a day before, during a memorial procession for Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, according to a post on the extremist group’s official Telegram account.

The extremist group called the attack a “dual martyrdom operation,” and described how two militants approached a ceremony at the tomb of General Suleimani and detonated explosive belts strapped to their bodies “near the grave of the hypocrite leader.”

The general, a widely revered and feared Iranian military officer who was the architect of an Iranian-led and -funded alliance of Shiite groups across the Middle East, was assassinated four years ago in an American drone attack.

The Islamic State, a Sunni Muslim organization, considers its mission to kill apostate Muslims, including Shiites. Iran, a majority-Shiite country, is led by a theocratic government in which Shiite clerics are in charge.

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  • WhatsThePoint@lemmy.worldEnglish
    72·
    10 months ago

    Why do people still believe in religions? It’s the most ridiculously fake idea. I get it back 200 years ago when we knew way less than we do now. With all we have learned about the universe, still not one drop of evidence for any of their “deities.” I guess people are pretty good at living divorced from reality.

    • ryathal@sh.itjust.works
      44·
      10 months ago

      Despite the popular “lol religion dumb” sentiment on lemmy, religion is still a useful thing. It provides benefits to members that can’t be found elsewhere, notably the “third place” that has almost disappeared in modern society.

      • WhatsThePoint@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        10 months ago

        What benefits does it provide that couldn’t be provided without believing in a deity? Community? A sense or purpose? Daycare? Not sure what the “third place” you say is so don’t know to what you allude. I do know people fighting over whose “god is right,” like the two parties in this story, has killed many millions of people over human history.

          • WhatsThePoint@lemmy.worldEnglish
            2·
            10 months ago

            Thanks - wasn’t familiar with that term. I’m sure the commenter wasn’t arguing religion is the only third place so I will just say there are far less destructive third place options available.

            • raynethackery@lemmy.world
              1·
              10 months ago

              Agreed. I wasn’t raised in any religion so I have never experience with church being a third place. I had the library growing up.

          • Keith@lemmy.zip
            1·
            10 months ago

            Examples of third places include churches, cafes, bars, clubs, community centres, public libraries, gyms, bookstores, makerspaces, stoops, and parks.

          • WhatsThePoint@lemmy.worldEnglish
            1·
            10 months ago

            Psychopaths be psychopaths. Religion isn’t holding any truly evil person back. I doubt the handful of people that actually would commit crimes, but were “stopped” because of their religion outweighs the number of people who murder in the name of religion.