Moderate Islam must condemn fundamentalist Islam. Muslims blame uncultured imams who sow hatred and contempt. Fundamentalist Islam and the godless West mirror each other. The dismay comes from the sudden realisation that Bangladeshi Islam, seen hitherto as friendly and open-minded, showed another side, one that was cruel, cynical and fundamentalist.
Disbelief comes from the discovery that at least three of the attackers were young men in their 20s from good families, educated at international schools, far from the image of Muslims oppressed by misery and poverty, indoctrinated at fundamentalist madrassahs. According to Dhaka police, it appears that only one of the attackers, Khairul Islam, fits the traditional portrait. After years of leisure, fun, selfies, and love - as gleaned from their Facebook and Twitter accounts, they left their families and disappeared.
According to a retired security general, Sakhawat Hossain, at least possibly young Bangladeshis are missing, thought to be Syria and Iraq fighting alongside Daesh. If we move from dismay and disbelief to action, the first issue to address is the relationship between moderate and fundamentalist Islam.
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina slammed the massacre on one of the most important days of Ramadan, the last Friday of the fasting month, saying that "This is not Islam. However, criticising that kind of Islam is likely to produce more recruits to her political enemies.
The same thing is happening in Italy and Europe, where Muslims are silent over this and other massacres and Muslim associations wash their hands immediately saying "This is not Islam. A certain interpretation of Islam leads to violence and some young people, who eagerly and impatiently seek quick solutions, are fascinated and bewitched by it. There are imams and preachers who instill contempt for other religions, for the West, for heretics Shias or Ahmadis and, in order to purify Dar el Islam, the House of Islam, some are prepare to destroy everyone, even themselves.
