Tamil Terror? Bomb Blows up Bus in Sri Lanka

Terrorist attacks aren't a Middle Eastern monopoly. A bomb killed 23 people and wounded 67 in southeastern Sri Lanka Wednesday. (I'm writing this late Tuesday, so it's already Wednesday in Sri Lanka.)

This is a terrorist attack, but the odds are that Muslims aren't involved. For starters, there aren't that many Muslims in Sri Lanka. That island nation, off India's coast, is about

• 69.1% Buddhist
• 7.6% Muslim
• 7.1% Hindu
• 6.2% Christian
• 10% something else.

Among Sri Lanka's problems are Tamil rebels, who want an independent homeland. The Sri Lankan government has withdrawn from a less-than-satisfactory cease fire with the Tamil Tigers (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE).

The Sri Lankan Tamil people are about 80% Hindu. 90% of Indian Tamils are Hindus. So, if there is any religious component in the Tamil rebels' motives, it's probably inspired by Hindi beliefs.

So What?

Not all terrorists are Muslims. And, terrorism is a global problem: not limited to the Middle East, Europe, and America.