An injured by-passer seats in shock immediately after the May 26, 2010 attack in Stavropol

As some around the globe attempt to retaliate against Muslim extremists via cartoons of Mohamed on Facebook, in Russian city of Stavropol anti-Islamic Russian nationalists radio-detonated a self-made bomb. The target of the May 26 attack was the Center for Sports and Culture, where a Chechen band "Vainah" was supposed to perform. Seven people died, and dozens were injured in the attack. The victims were common people dining at a nearby café.

The region is heavily populated by Christians and Muslims, ethnic Russians, Chechens, and other Caucasian nations ("Caucasian" in Russian means a person from the Caucasus, rather than a white person, and, in fact, word "Caucasian" often replaces the word "black" in everyday language). Local authorities and Russian federal government are concerned about potential ethnic-based clashes. No matter how upsetting Islamic jihad is to all of us, blowing up innocent people is definitely not a rational response. Russia Blog extends condolences to the affected families.