Last week’s terror attack in Dhaka is a definitive eye opener for a lot of parties affected. The first is the Sheikh Hasina government who have to reconsider homeland security arrangements as well as take solid measures for the safety of foreigners in the country. More so because of the country’s crucial garment and textile industry that has considerable foreign investment. The second group is the social elite who are shocked at the involvement of bright young minds who were radicalized by provocative material they accesses through various media. The third group is that of people from Europe and Japan whose family and friends lost their lives in the attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery.
Apart from the human impact, there are a lot of ideological influences of this attack on people worldwide. These attacks were planned and executed by Muslims, in a Muslim dominant country and that too in the Holy month of Ramadan. The accused have been identified as Rohan Ibne Imtiaz, Shamim Mubashir and Nibras Islam. The three prime accused had studied at reputable schools and institutions. They went off the radar about a year back till which time they led perfectly normal lives similar to their peers.
What happened which led these youth to harbour such blind hatred so as to massacre innocent lives so brazenly? Turns out Rohan Ibne Imtiaz had been avidly following Zakir Naik, a popular but controversial Islamic orator and founder of Mumbai-based Islamic Research Foundation. Naik is banned in the UK and Canada for his hate speech against other religions. He is also one of the 16 banned Islamic scholars in Malaysia. He spreads his hateful propaganda through Peace TV in Bangladesh. Nibras Islam used to follow Anjem Choudary and Shami Witness on Twitter in 2014. These two are suspected recruiters for ISIS. Choudary is facing trials in India and Shami in England for breaking anti-terrorism laws and running pro-ISIS twitter accounts.
Social media and television have turned out to be the most influencing in spoiling young impressionable minds. While Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said Naik’s speech was a “matter of concern for us” and the Indian agencies were looking into it, Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant has demanded an immediate ban on Zakir Naik.
On the other hand Naik himself has condemned the attack and said “By using the name Islamic State, we are condemning Islam… They are the anti-Islamic state of Iraq and Syria that has killed innocent foreigners. The name is given by enemies of Islam.”
Naik was born in Mumbai and had been living there since last 50 years. He was a qualified doctor but stopped practicing to set up the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), which runs the Islamic International School and NGO United Islamic Aid for the not so fortunate.
It is up to an individual to interpret information in an informed manner. While democracy gives everyone the right to express themselves freely, it is the wisdom and thinking of an individual to take these words for self-improvement or destruction. The attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery is a clear case of minds led astray by a few vicious protagonists.
We pray for the souls of the innocent departed and also for those who cannot differentiate right from wrong.
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7 July, 2016
Team Rapid