Aberrant terrorism: The tragic, bloody and painful events

By Anwar A. Khan

The recent terrorist attacks on New Zealand and Sri Lanka are evil and unforgivable crimes… we will not rest until, together, we hunt down these criminals and bring them to justice. And when we do, their punishment will be swift and severe. 

These terrorists have turned their backs on innocent people and they have perverted our faith; they do not in any way represent Islam and Christianity. They only represent hatred towards all of humanity.... we are determined to eradicate the terrorists who bring violence and hatred to the whole world.

Any religion is of peace and tolerance. Unfortunately, there are those who use religion to advance depraved agendas. Anyone who resorts to violence and extremism in the name of religion is a deviant and criminal. The open and public expression of these views has been a critical aspect of how we continue to fight successfully against extremists. The Bangladesh Government seeks to protect the nation from violence and destruction and its youth from deviant ideologies that may corrupt the country’s future.

Development can only be achieved in a climate of security and safety. So, we reiterate our resolve to annihilate the deviant group of murderous terrorists and fight the deviant thought with a sound one.… There is no room in the country of some deviant people for extremism.

Security efforts alone cannot eliminate terrorism. The intellectual effort is also necessary as it prevents extremist ideas from taking root in the minds of young people. Killing and terrorising innocent people and the destruction of property are not condoned by any religion or by Islam. Attributing all these horrific incidents to any religion is unjust. Muslims should tell the truth and unveil falseness, and inform all people that Islam is a religion of righteousness, betterment and progress.

A preacher should know that it is his religious duty to speak out against terror and misguided ideologies as he is aware of what a religion says on the matter…When a preacher believes in what he is saying and is in the need of uprooting extremist ideologies, his words will be sincere and strongly influence the people. The aberrant group seeks to develop its destructive capabilities to inflict greater damage on the homeland and its achievements and has extended its base of support…We must continue determination to confront this group.

Harmony between ideological and security efforts shall have to be achieved. …Unfortunately, the ideological effort has not reached the level that we hope for. Security measures in themselves are not sufficient in our country, because recent Kallyanpur and Gulistan incidents bear testimony to this fact; it is mainly action on the ideological level that prevents rogue ideas from influencing the minds of youths. Pulpits of mosques or churches or temples… should be used to guide people. When they are used for other purposes, it is an error that can lead to the gravest danger, namely violation of the faith.

Cursing peaceful non-Muslims is not accepted in Islam … Preachers are required to follow the guidelines of the holy Quran in this respect. Preachers play a significant role in explaining Islam to all people. Imams of mosques who deviate from the path of tolerance and moderation are few and do not represent a trend. Nonetheless, these incidents should not be allowed to distort the image of our faith and country around the world. 

Achieving decisive victory against terrorism requires not only denying terrorists all financial support, but also combating extremist thought and the environment in which it prospers. It is our responsibility to confront this problem i.e. deviant ideology by applying our knowledge, minds and courage. There are so many mosques in various parts of the world and if the khatibs use this opportunity to expose the deviants and their ideology, it will have a great positive impact upon societies.

The media and cultural agencies must do more in confronting the phenomenon of terrorism, by rooting out terrorist ideology and addressing social and international factors that promote terrorism. These terrorist activities are targeting Islam or any other religions and peace between people and countries of the world. If we do not move together, then terrorism will continue. We should, therefore, decide to spread the culture of moderation, tolerance, dialogue, and openness; to reject all forms of terrorism and extremism, as well as all exclusionary racist trends, hatred campaigns and endeavours.

Victory in the war on terrorism also depends on eliminating the mentality of extremism and violence that perverts religion; on raising the level of global consciousness about different faiths and cultures; and on solving the political problems that enflame passions. Fanaticism and extremism cannot grow on an earth whose soil is embedded in the spirit of tolerance, moderation, and balance. To the spread of moderation embodies the religious concept of tolerance. We will fight the terrorists and those who support them or condone their actions for days if we have to until we eliminate this scourge…

We are now looking forward as a world to think and unite in fighting terrorism. These terrorist activities are targeting religions and peace between people and countries of the world. Bangladesh has taken steps to combat the mindset that instils and justifies acts of terror, hatred and violence. Islam is a religion of peace, benevolence and tolerance, and we will not allow deviants to corrupt our faith…

As Islam is a religion of peace and harmony, and understanding, and, therefore, if there is anybody who is misusing Islam for any purpose whatsoever, we cannot accept that. And we do not accept that. Killing of the souls that God prohibits is a greater crime and one of the greatest sins, as God says, “And kill not anyone whom God has forbidden. Shedding the blood of the innocents is prohibited everywhere, and whoever does not believe in its prohibition is a sacrilegious deviant.”

We are fighting terrorism, those who support it and those who condone it. We will continue to do so until we eliminate this evil…It is our hope that we will usher in a new era of international cooperation in the war against terrorism that will enable us to rid our world of this threat.

We reiterate terrorism is not just an act, but the product of an aberrant ideology that must be fought. That is why the onus of the responsibility lies with all societies, with all our institutions, to confront and combat terrorism since, just as the security institutions have their obligations, cultural – academic, mass media, and educational – institutions have a great responsibility to inculcate the right ideals and sound human values and to immunise societies against any delinquent ideas or evil deeds.

Malicious acts of the terrorists including killing non-Muslims, accusing Muslims of being “infidels,” and calling for them to be attacked must be stopped. All Muslims should, therefore, cooperate to eradicate extremism and make young people aware of its dangers.

The world has witnessed acts of terrorism that aim at undermining the pillars of stability and security as well as intimidating innocent people. Unfortunately these acts have been perpetrated by people who claim they belong to Islam or any other religion. We would like to make it clear that these terrorist acts in fact run counter to the teachings of all religions, and have been carried out by individuals whose ideas are deviant. Terrorism leads to corruption on earth and to destruction; we should work in unison to uproot it, refuting the deviant ideas believed in by terrorists, and clarifying Islam’s position on terrorism.

All peace-loving countries should work together to combat the phenomenon of terrorism through a comprehensive plan based on the United Nations. It is essential to cooperate in the fight against terrorism. No country in the world should ever provide shelter to terrorists, nor should any country ever enable them to practice their subversive acts from its territory. The killing and terrorising of the innocent that is taking place in countries, is something evil and a sign of great danger. Such acts must never be ignored or justified but confronted and stopped by all available means.

A wicked group driven by a deviant ideology to destabilise country’s security must not be allowed. We reiterate that any terrorist act is criminal and contrary to religion. The perpetrators of these acts, members of a deviant group have killed and intimidated people, destroyed property, and wreaked havoc on earth; and therefore, they will surely be punished in hell in the hereafter.

Religious scholars in the countries must continually and unequivocally condemn terrorism. In our war against terrorism, these condemnations are a powerful weapon. We condemn the explosion and urge confrontation of the deviant ideas that lead to such criminal acts. We call for fortifying young people against destructive ideas that run counter to the teachings of all religions. In the Holy Quoran and the sayings of Prophet Muhammad clearly stipulate such an act as “forbidden” and highly sinful.” It is forbidden to cover up such acts, or to express justification for them, and whoever does so, is an accomplice to the crime.  

The entire world, including Bangladesh, has been harmed by many acts of terror intended to undermine stability, and spread fear and evil. Some of these events have been perpetrated by individuals unfortunately claiming to be Muslims or identities of other religions. It is necessary to clarify the position of Islam concerning these events and their perpetrators. These acts, and those who carry them out, are aberrant. It is important to oppose them. These acts are a function of false ideas, contrived by individuals who have strayed from the truth, and contradict the teachings of religion.

As a human community, we must be vigilant and careful to oppose these pernicious and shameless evils, which are not justified by any sane logic, nor by any religion.  What you call suicide bombings are illegitimate and have nothing to do with jihad in the cause of God. It is another form of killing oneself. 

(The writer is a senior citizen of Bangladesh, writes on politics, political and human-centred figures, current and international affairs.)