Welcome verdict

However, there are several things that those at the helm, both in the temporal and religious fields, must not fail to see.

First, we find the reaction of these killers to the judicial process, prescribed by the law of the land, a cause for worry. One must not fail to notice the implications of the comments made by the accused in the court that demonstrates the deep-rooted internalisation of a very distorted and convoluted interpretation of Islam that the accused have exploited to justify the killings. Our worry is that there may still be, and there is no gainsaying that it is not the case, many such elements brainwashed with the same distorted teachings, lurking amongst us, ready to take up from where the accused have left off. We feel that this is a challenge, as much to the administration as to the genuine religious leaders of the country, who in particular must come forward to counter and contradict such comments by projecting the true teachings of Islam. It has to be made clear that Islam is entrenched strongly in the hearts of millions of its true followers in this country and needs no blood to be 'established'. It is regrettable that our religious leaders have been less than forthcoming in this regard.

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Second, there should be no complacency that might be brought about by the fact that the conviction of the top ranking leaders will see the end of religious terrorism in Bangladesh. It would be a mistake to think so. In fact the brain behind the terrorists has not been identified yet. The comment of one of the main accused in the court, alluding to the connivance of some within the government in their crimes, deserves cognizance. We have not been able to identify the external and internal links and the source of funding of these elements either, something that is essential if these elements are to be stamped out, once and for all.

We mustn't loosen our guard. By doing so we will only imperil ourselves.