The spectre of religious militancy
The spectre of militancy with an overtone of religious extremism has again raised its ugly head in the remotest south western part of Bangladesh. The report published in the national dailies on January 19 indicates that religious militants are organizing again in Patuakhali and greater Barisal district under the banner of Hizbut Tauhid. It is an Islamist organization not yet banned but propagating jihad through distributing books and leaflets among villagers and school children, reportedly with the verbal permission of certain government high ups of the locality. This information has come as a chilling reminder of the irreparable damage done in the by gone days when Bangla Bhai and his ilk dominated the political arena of Bangladesh during the alliance rule. As it appears, every day the ideology of terror is being disseminated, acts of terror are being planned and efforts are there to carry it out. The leaflets and books contain articles and messages that run counter to the state law and the constitution of the country. Citing the fact that Prophet Muhammad (SM) in nine years went into 107 battles to establish Islam and has directed all his followers to wage jihad against the moshreqs and kafirs, the author of the book clearly espouses a military programme. These radical scholars of Islamic theocracy must not lose sight of Prophet Muhammad's (SM) example of moderation and tolerance in articulating the treaty of Hudaibia. The part of the treaty that impresses us all regardless of religious conviction is the Prophet's great magnanimity, tolerance and self-restraint. After six years of stay in Medina, the Prophet (SM) came to Mecca for performing Umrah with an unarmed band of 1500 followers. Article (3) of the treaty fills us with awe and admiration for the Holy Prophet (SM). It reads, "If a Quraish from Mecca, under guardianship, should join the Prophet without the guardianship, he/she should be sent back to the guardian, otherwise, they should not be sent back." Article (4) of the treaty reads, "Prophet of Islam and his party were not to enter Mecca that year, but they could enter unarmed the following year." Prophet Muhammad (SM) went back to Medina that year. Other remarkable feature of the of the draft of the negotiation was that the draft started with "Bismillahir Rahman-ir- Rahim" meaning " in the name of the Allah, the most Gracious , the most Merciful." The Quraish insisted on excising that sentence and it was so done at the instance of the Prophet (SM). The article of negotiation contained another word "Rasul- ul- Allah" meaning the Prophet of Allah". The Quraish refused to accept this word in the article of negotiation on the plea that that they did not adhere to the faith (Islam) preached by Prophet Muhammad (SM). On that point also, the magnanimous Prophet (SM) instructed Hazrat Ali to delete that word. But Hazrat Ali, out of his profound respect and reverence for Prophet Muhammad (SM) could not oblige him. Realizing the sentiment of Hazrat Ali, the Prophet (SM) himself, with the assistance of Hazrat Ali, made the excision. Overwhelmed by the magnanimity of Prophet Muhammad (SM), the members of the Quraish tribe embraced Islam in large numbers. One wonders as to why all these great and singular examples of self-restraint and superb sense of tolerance demonstrated by the Prophet (SM) even in that dark age are being lost sight of. Some fundamentalists trained in the academy of terror set up by the followers of Osama bin Laden have found poverty-ridden and Sidr-hit Patuakhali, Borguna, Ballavpur and Mirzaganj upazillas as the most fertile grounds for planting the seeds of terror. The followers of Osama bin Laden have established the academy of terror in these places after the Bin Laden model. What is beyond doubt is that religious fundamentalism has very little to do with theology and is purely a political tool. Run as a joint venture with the dreaded Huji, now banned, these groups have now possibly transformed into Hizbut Tauhid, its teachers are mostly returnees from Afghan war now perhaps working as religious teachers in schools and madrasas in the remotest part of the country and its syllabus is one of frightening magnitude. It was here that impressionable young men - many call them Jihadi - imbibed the mechanics of mayhem laced with religious overtones. The greatest threat these radical groups pose is that they can inspire and galvanize the impoverished elements in the society. It is true that the country's slide into extremism began with the alliance rule in 2001. It began with a perception that has only been challenged in the wake of serial bomb blasts in 63 districts simultaneously. Khaleda Zia government's pro - Jamaat policies were an attempt to win support from the radicals and its leaders at a time when her popularity was slipping and the development rhetoric was convincing fewer and fewer people. Even after the execution of Shayekh Abdur Rahman and Bangla Bhai and flushing out of the terrorist dens from various parts of the country, the flame of jihad still flickers. With 46 grenades recovered from Shimulia village under Debhata upazila, Satkhira district on February 15 last by RAB, after the arrest of Mufti Moin Zandal, a top leader of Mufti Hannan-led Huji, there is a fear lurking in public mind that the spectre of terrorism might emerge again. True, with a very swift and robust action by RAB, some hidden academies and arsenals of terror may have been smashed, but its alumni have proved to be adept and apt pupils. Where they choose to use the lessons learnt must now be the biggest worry for us. The country in the last few years has seen an upsurge in extremist movement, zealotry, and fanaticism that has shaken the foundation of the fledgling democracy. The country's fresh wave of reforms should have started from the madrasas where some of these radical Islamic institutions offer religious education almost free to the poorest children and they are at the core of support for the religious parties. In a sense, these madrasas work where the country's education system has failed, but with it some of them have brought in the dangerous culture of extremism. Happily, many of the madrasas under the control of the ministry of education have reformed their curricula and syllabi, but most of the Qaomi brand have not. Both BNP and AL, who were in power during the last 15 years, didn't take any measure to modernise the syllabus of these madrasas for fear of electoral debacle. It is widely acknowledged that the unchecked mushrooming of these religious schools some of which are reportedly affiliated to hard-line organizations and Jihadi groups - have been the major factor in the spread of the culture of militancy. Some of these madrasas, which cater primarily to students from underprivileged economic background, have been accused of propagating distorted versions of Islam and have been the prime recruiting grounds of extremist groups such as the Taliban, Huji, Hizbut Tauhid cadres and a host of other organizations going by different names but propagating the same culture of militancy. But what has become alarming for the government now because of the lax attitude shown during the tenure of the alliance rule is that a good number of these madrasas have been linked to acts of terrorism within the country challenging the writ of the state. Zealotry, fanaticism and extremism have no place in a progressive society destined to carve out an independent and dignified place in the contemporary world. Today, preservation of any closed system is not only unacceptable but untenable too. The use or threat of force can no longer be an instrument of governance. The world order is full of diversity. So what we can talk about is unity in diversity and that is what our Creator wanted us to assert. None should coerce us to abandon our conscience, our convictions, our philosophy or traditions, nor do we urge anyone to abandon theirs. If we speak of the true spirit of Islam and its values, we at once find it in the essence of the great Quranic Surah that says "La Ekraha Fiddeen and La Kum Deenokum Olya Deen" meaning that "there is no compulsion or coercion in religion. Your religion is yours and my religion is mine." Sheik Mohammad Rafaat Osman who teaches Islamic law at the most prestigious Islamic school in Cairo's Al-Azhar university insists that the Quran unconditionally bans suicide even as a tactic in a legitimate holy war. "As I interpret our religion, I don't see any exception to this rule", he says. You can expose yourself to a situation where you might be killed, but you can't knowingly take your life. This is not the only problem Sheik Mohammad sees with suicide bombings: attacking innocent, unarmed people is forbidden. Prophet Muhammad (SM) demanded that we not kill women, children or the elderly. Attacks should be against soldiers and armed civilians." One of the less-noted pitfalls of merging mosque and state is that interpreting the Quran often has more to do with politics than genuine scholarship. Precisely speaking, history is full of lessons in the futility of waiting for the extremist groups to humanize themselves. Once it was Hitler, and it was thought he could be contained by appeasement, but when the Holocaust revealed itself, it was too late. In the case of the terror personified by bin Laden and his promoters or followers in the country, it is not too late. A sustained war against terror will not spare those who turn approver and change sides at the last minute.
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