It would require a lot of dedication, loyalty, faith and courage to blow oneself up. It would be admirable if the purpose were not so evil, blood-thirsty, inhuman to kill unarmed men, women and children and people at mosques, shrines, schools and market places. How are they different from the gangsters and gunmen of the drug mafias and criminal gangs of the West?
These bombers are young people, often in their teens, who have been deluded and brainwashed to believe that by so committing plain murder they would be achieving shahadat and get immediate admission to paradise.
How can we counter this brainwashing? It can be done by bringing to their knowledge the commandments of Allah on killing. It is obvious that these poor, misguided young people have probably not read the Quran in translation and understood at all what it says.
The following verses of the Quran should be displayed in all madrassahs and mosques:
Surah Al-Isra, verse 33: “And do not take any human being’s life – which life Allah has willed to be sacred – other than in the pursuit of justice.
Surah An-Nisa, verse 93: “But whoever deliberately slays another believer, his requital shall be hell, therein to abide; and God will condemn him, and will reject him, and prepare for him awful suffering.”
Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 256: “There shall be no coercion in the matters of faith.”
These are Quranic wordings and no Muslim can object on them. The government and society can ensure that these verses are properly displayed. The constant exposure to these verses would at least create doubts as to the authenticity of their mullah’s teachings.
The newspapers can also be carrying such verses.
A RAUF YUSUF
Lahore