Whenever a dastardly act like the murder of the Sri Lankan factory manager takes place, our politicians and ulema are quick to condemn it. They self-righteously declare that such acts of ‘vigilantism’ by extremists are against the teachings of Islam. Do these people ever pause to wonder: who was it that radicalised these extremists in the first place? Who encouraged them by entering into agreements with them whenever they took the law into their own hands?
If we only look at the actions of these mobs, without trying to understand their mindset and who helped create them, we are unlikely to achieve much. It is high time that the state stopped capitulating to the demands of extremists for short-term gains. Overt religiosity by government officials to ingratiate themselves to the religious right must also be avoided.
Akbar Jan Marwat
Islamabad
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