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{{Terrorist attacks in India (since 2001)}}

The '''2000 Church bombings''' refers to the serial bombings of churches in the southern [[India]]n states of [[Karnataka]], [[Goa]] and [[Andhra Pradesh]] by the [[Islamic extremism|Islamist extremist]] group [[Deendar Anjuman]] in the year 2000.<ref>{{cite web|author=Karnataka |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/23-Deendar-men-convicted-for-church-blasts/article15346773.ece |title=23 Deendar men convicted for church blasts - KARNATAKA |publisher=The Hindu |access-date=2016-12-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report-81-held-guilty-in-2000-church-blasts-1208746 |title=81 held guilty in 2000 church blasts | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis |publisher=Dnaindia.com |date=2008-11-23 |access-date=2016-12-09}}</ref>

== Bombings ==

On 21 May 2000, a Christian congregation at [[Machilipatnam]] was bombed.<ref name=r>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2000/jul/17blast.htm |title=AP police arrest more bomb blast suspects |publisher=rediff.com |date=2000-07-17 |access-date=2016-12-09}}</ref>

On 28 May 2000, bombs exploded in churches at [[Medak]] and [[Vikarabad]].<ref name=r />

On 8 June 2000, two bombs exploded at the St Annes Church in [[Wadi, Karnataka|Wadi]].<ref name=a>{{cite web|last=Nanjappa |first=Vicky |url=http://www.oneindia.com/bengaluru/karnataka-church-blasts-deendar-anjuman-operative-arrested-2176906.html |title=Karnataka Church blasts: Deendar Anjuman operative arrested after 16 years |publisher=Oneindia |date=2016-08-09 |access-date=2016-12-09}}</ref> The church was damaged and two persons were injured.<ref name=b>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report-81-held-guilty-in-2000-church-blasts-1208746 |title=81 held guilty in 2000 church blasts | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis |publisher=Dnaindia.com |date=2008-11-23 |access-date=2016-12-09}}</ref>

On 9 June 2000, a bomb exploded in the St. Andrews church in [[Vasco da Gama, Goa|Vasco]], [[Goa]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/2000/06/09/stories/01090003.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221083454/http://www.thehindu.com/2000/06/09/stories/01090003.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2016-12-21 |title=Attack on churches in 3 States |date=2000-06-09 |work=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=2016-12-09}}</ref>

On 8 July 2000, two churches bombed in [[Andhra Pradesh]], Gewett Memorial Baptist Church in [[Ongole]] and the Mother Vannini Catholic Church in [[Tadepalligudem]] town. The blast in the Ongole church injured three persons.<ref name=r />

On 8 July 2000, a blast took place at the St Johns Lutheran Church in [[Hubbali]].<ref name=a />

On 9 July 2000, an bomb exploded at the St Peter Paul Church in [[Bengaluru]].<ref name=a />

On 9 July 2000, a bomb went off accidentally while the terrorists were transporting them in a [[Maruti Omni|Maruti van]].<ref name=b />

== Aftermath ==
[[Deendar Anjuman]] was banned in May 2001 for engineering the serial bomb blasts, and carrying out a hate campaign against the [[Christians|Christian]] community.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://hindu.com/2001/05/04/stories/01040007.htm|title=Deendar Anjuman banned|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010051733/http://hindu.com/2001/05/04/stories/01040007.htm|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=2001-05-04|archive-date=2012-10-10}}</ref> The group's founder Siddique is reported to have hated Christians after the [[British Raj|British colonial government]] in 1934 jailed Siddiqui and 18 of his followers for indulging in inflammatory speeches and writings.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2000/aug/17anjub.htm|title=Cult for the communal}}</ref>

In October 2007 the ban was extended and the group declared an unlawful association under the [[Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act]] for "indulging in activities which are pre-judicial to the security of the country having the potential to disturb peace and communal harmony and to disrupt the secular fabric of the country".<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Deendar-Anjuman-declared-unlawful/articleshow/2481965.cms|title=Deendar Anjuman declared unlawful - Times of India}}</ref>

In 2008, [[Capital punishment]] was awarded to 11 people and life sentence to 12 others by a local court. The prime accused in the case, Zia-ul-Hassan was the son of Syed Siddique Hussain, the founder of Deendar Anjuman. Zia-ul-Hassan had migrated to [[Pakistan]] and used to visit [[Hyderabad]] during his father's death anniversary. The accused believed that "blasts at churches in India would trigger a [[civil war]] between [[Hindus]] and [[Christians]], and a religious leader from [[Afghanistan]] would invade and conquer India, which would be converted into an [[Islamic state|Islamic country]]".<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Church-serial-blasts-11-get-death/articleshow/3774113.cms|title=Church serial blasts: 11 get death - Times of India}}</ref>

The serial blasts were carried out by activists of Deendar Channabasaveshwara Anjuman, founded in the 1920s. The conspiracy was hatched in October 1999 in Hyderabad, during the death anniversary of its founder Hajrath Moulana Siddiqui.<ref name=":0" />

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{#seo:
|keywords=2000 in Christianity, Explosions in 2000, Terrorist incidents in India in 2000, Islamic terrorism in India, Islamic terrorist incidents in 2000, Islamist attacks on churches
|description=
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[[Category:2000 in Christianity]]
[[Category:Explosions in 2000]]
[[Category:Terrorist incidents in India in 2000]]
[[Category:Islamic terrorism in India]]
[[Category:Islamic terrorist incidents in 2000]]
[[Category:Islamist attacks on churches]]
{{terrorism-stub}}

2000 Church bombings of South India - Revision history

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