Editorial
Arms haul in madrassa compound
Involve people in the fight against militancy
A Rab operation in a remote village in Bhola district has led to unearthing of a small ammunition factory run by a militant outfit under the cover of a madrassa-cum orphanage. Rab's success in seizing a large number combat-grade weapons and ammunition from the place might well have preempted some grisly act of terrorism for which we commend them. Four suspected militants were arrested during the operation carried out with great precision by the elite anti-crime force.
The Rab operation in Bhola has frozen the suspected militants on their tracks with the help of a tip-off from local people. The need for human intelligence is underscored.
Fighting the extremists must go beyond policing. We have to bring society as a whole behind the task of combating terrorism collectively. The goal remains elusive as community involvement in anti-terrorism activities is yet to be fully achieved. There is obviously the need and scope for greater social resistance against attempted exploitation of people's religious sentiments by fringe elements. The fight against militancy has to be conducted with direct involvement of the common people to prevent a totally distorted version of Islam from gaining ground.
We believe it is the Ulema or the Islamic scholars who can raise the strongest of voice against misinterpretation of Islam. They can help clarify matters by pronouncing in unequivocal terms that there is no place for mindless violence in Islam and also that those declaring war against the innocent are causing great harm to the religion itself.
The Bhola arms haul should put the security personnel on the alert as it substantiates the generally held view that the fanatic elements are regrouping themselves for striking again, after suffering reversals in recent years. What must be uppermost in the minds of the law enforcers is the experience of other countries where militants have shown a degree of resilience. It is not possible to knock them off with one or two successful operations. The need is to launch a sustained campaign, with due emphasis on elimination of the potential causes like poverty, imparting true spirit of Islam and streamlining any obsolete system of education so that obscurantism cannot gain any foothold.
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