Unauthorised firearms in unlikely places

The recent haul of arms and ammunition in a madrassa at Bhola once again proves that the ugly hands of so-called religious extremism have not remained inactive. There are credible indications to believe that links with regional and international terror networks, in the guise of charitable or ecclesiastical work, have been maintained with a view to causing fratricidal fissures in our democratic polity.
If one browses through media reports of the not-too-distant past one will come across reports relating to the existence of many hundreds of strongly motivated workers, including suicide bombers, that have remained undergrounddefying the security dragnet. The worrying part is that, as per confessional statements of arrested terrorist leaders, such fugitives can launch deadly attacks.
In such a scenario, anti-extremist operations should have been strengthened, and a continued campaign was necessary to bust the terror network and destroy the menacing arsenal. It is also important to locate the origin of the arms supply and financial support and to hunt the patrons/ harbourers of the so-called religious terrorists.
In Bangladesh we cannot be oblivious to the fact that the terrorists displayed their potential by carrying out simultaneous bomb attacks in 63 districts and killing at least 35 people in other attacks. The nation has already paid a very heavy price by ignoring them or entertaining doubts about their mischief-making capability.
It may be pertinent to remember that the JMB terror network had established several training centres in north and north-western Bangladesh. There were reports of the horrendous acts of JMB operatives that show their authority and writ in those areas. They had the temerity to declare the activities of some NGOs and cultural organisations illegal, and at places did not allow the local people to observe national occasions. They compelled villagers to pay toll and grow beards.
Therefore, those areas where the JMB supremos let loose a reign of terror to secure their command and influence, must come under sustained enquiry. The terrorists and their trainers, patrons, collaborators and harbourers must be dealt with under the law.
The ominous rise of religious extremism in Bangladesh, whose inhabitants suffered unprecedented sacrifices to de-link themselves from religion-based Pakistan, remains a paradox of contemporary history. A dispassionate analysis and explanation of this contradiction may indicate the action that will be necessary to counter and arrest religious obscurantism and keep us steady on the democratic way.
Looking back, one will find that we were not so conspicuously religious under the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Many of us have not realised that in post-1975 Bangladesh, particularly during the last 30 years, there has been a phenomenal growth of madrassas. At the same time, many apparently religious institutions have been built by organisations/groups whose credentials are not known.
Was moral rearmament or spiritual renaissance the predominant factor behind such unusual growth of religious institutions? Doubts creep in as we do not see any corresponding rise in public or private morality. So, the suspicion is that while the establishment, the civil society and other activists have remained in dark about the designs and programs of the obscurantist elements, the so-called religious extremists have grown in strength and spread their tentacles taking advantage of the ignorance and inertia.
During the last couple of years, when the mediainternational and nationalpointed to the potential danger, the authorities brushed it aside as another effort to vilify a democratic government. When the situation became unbearable there was still not a well-thought plan to arrest and contain the menace.
There is no doubt that the battle against extremism will be long. However, since the activities of the so-called religious extremists are a manifest attack on the long cherished values of the mainstream, our strategy and thought process should undergo substantial change.
Persons or institutions having apparent religious or ecclesiastical appearance and activity must not be out of bound for the surveillance agencies. Those arousing suspicion must come within the ambit of threat perception and appropriate legal action should be started forthwith. Pre-empting their nefarious activities should engage the utmost attention of the regulatory authority.
The surveillance should ensure that no one is allowed to interpret and propagate a distorted version of the holy books. Our inherently religious folks must not be misled. The so-called religious extremists committing violence should be treated like criminals and no element of respectability should be accorded to them. Institutions imparting religious training and the madrassas should be a focal point for inspection and monitoring with a view to rendering their students into employable individuals.
Last but not the least, as a nation, we must not suffer from any identity crisis as some mischievous quarters would like us to. The Pakistanis thought we were lesser Muslims. Their "Islamisation drive" resulted in a colossal tragedy. It is time, perhaps, to once again show our true grit. Our politicians must not be heedless.

Muhammad Nurul Huda is a columnist for The Daily Star.