The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ)  has expressed its horror and outrage at the devastating series of terrorist bombing attacks in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday against three Catholic churches and three hotels frequented by western tourists, which left at least 290 people dead and more than 500 injured.

Easter is the most important of Christian holidays, a time when churches are attended by large numbers of worshippers. There can be little doubt that Christians were a primary target.

The scale of the attacks, and their close sequencing, indicates both the malevolence of those responsible and their high level of planning, organisation and co-ordination.

Although the Sri Lankan government has now attributed responsibility for the attacks to a little-known Islamist extremist group, National Thowheeth Jama’ath, it is entirelypossible that other Islamist terrorist organisations were involved in the atrocity.

The bombings are the latest and the worst of a growing, and under-reported, number of attacks against Christians and other religious communities in various parts of Asia, fuelled by a toxic mixture of nativist nationalism, religious extremism and social media rumour-mongering.

It is especially tragic for the people of Sri Lanka, who for the last 10 years have worked hard to put behind them the hatreds and destruction of the civil war which ravaged the country between 1983 and 2009.

We extend our deepest sympathies to the families of the innocent civilians who were killed by the terrorists. We wish them and those who were wounded strength in this time of tragedy. May they recover fully and speedily in both body and spirit.

Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC), has issued the following statement following the horrifying terrorist attack in Sri Lank, that claimed the lives of 290 people, including two Australians, Manik Suriaaratchi and her 10-year-old daughter Alexendria, and injured more than 500. The attacks took place on Easter Sunday at a church in the city of Negombo as well as in popular tourist hotels. Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission, issued the following statement: “We decry this depraved attack in Sri Lanka, and are both deeply saddened and utterly appalled by this senseless and vicious murder of innocents. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of the victims, and we wish the wounded a full and speedy recovery. During this dark period of national mourning, we send our sympathies to the Sri Lankan people and government as they grapple with this traumatic and heartbreaking tragedy. The Australian nation is also grieving for the loss of Manik Suriaaratchi and her 10-year-old daughter Alexendria. It is our hope that those who aided in the planning and in the carrying out of this sickening assault are apprehended and brought to justice. This latest chapter of barbarism is a stark reminder that no one is safe until the evil of terrorism and extremism is defeated, and that the civilised world must vigorously work together to mount a coordinated campaign to confront this scourge that threatens our security and peace.”