Preventing militancy

You asked a very pertinent question in your editorial “Combating militancy” published on September 19, 2015. You wrote "...we must also delve seriously into why the extremists' narratives resonate in the psyche of a segment of our youth..."

I would like to mention only one incident. Operation Protective Edge, a military operation, was launched by Israel on July 8, 2014 in the Hamas ruled Gaza strip. Seven weeks of Israeli bombardment resulted in the death of over 2100 people, most of whom are Gazans. Israel was neither questioned in the International Court of Justice nor was a sanction slammed on Israel. The entire Muslim world watched in frustration women and children being killed. In this age of satellite channels and powerful media, the quick drawn conclusion is that the support and nourishment given by western powers are responsible for such kinds of atrocities committed by Israel. Youths of the world, especially Muslim youths, want a just world. If USA, UK, France keep supporting this sort of extremism, it becomes easy for other religious bigots/extremists to radicalise the youths to find a solution by violent means.

Bazlur Rahman
Uttara, Dhaka