Religious extremism as we can see doesn’t only affect non religious people or atheists, but more often than not members of even the same religion but under a different sect would fall under these attacks.

So when one talks about the dangers of religion, it would be dangerous to think the consequences only apply to outsiders. Often the oppression religion wroughts falls more on its adherents, especially women and children.

Gunmen on motorbikes attacked a bus in the Pakistani city of Karachi, which was carrying members of a Shiite sect. In the Sunni dominated Pakistan, Shiites often come under attacks, despite the fact that they’re all Muslims.

According to CNN:

“Gunmen on motorbikes attacked a bus carrying members of a religious minority in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi on Wednesday, killing 42 people and wounding at least 20 others.

The six attackers used 9mm pistols to shoot at the people on the bus, police said.

After the attack, the bus was driven into a hospital parking lot with bullet holes riddled all along its side, said Salma Wahid, an official at the Memon Medical Institute Hospital in Karachi.

Most of the people in the bus were unconscious and splattered with blood, she said.

The vehicle was carrying men, women and children from the Ismaili Muslim community”

The Ismaili are a Shiite sect, who unlike other Shiite sects haven’t come under too much attacks in the past.

When willing to massacre members of their religion, it shouldn’t be surprising atheists and people of other religions would get even worse treatments.