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Making of a militant?

Shahnoor Wahid
WITH the support of the local agents of international militant groups, homegrown militant elements are gradually and surely getting more and more organised. There are strong allegations that these local agents are working from within the civil administration, financial institutes, educational institutes and law enforcing agencies to offer shelter, and financial and legal help to the militants in the making. A pair of prying eyes will be able to see (he local recruits working in the cities, towns and villages in pairs or in small groups.
Today, I wish to tell the tale of a young man in Lalmatia area who gives me the impression of having something else in his mind other than what appears from outside. Warning! I could be wrong. I relate here my impression only. The young man came to live in the area about three years back. From his dress 1 could deduce that he had gone to a religious school. He ran a small shop near his modest residence where he lived with his parents and younger brothers.
He went to say his prayers regularly and often talked to rickshaw-pullers or teasellers about saying prayers and things like that. 1 thought it was a normal thing to do for anyone who went to a religious school and gave piety the utmost importance in life. He hardly talked to others. I was curious about him.
Since then, on many occasions, 1 saw him at semi-dark corners talking in a low voice with some religious-looking men. Those men were older in age and the young man always talked with them looking towards the ground. The older men talked most of the time and the young
man only nodded. I thought It was a nor mal thing to do for someone who had gone to a religious school. 1 knew that religious schools demanded strict discipline and blind obedience from the pupils.
After about one year, for the first time since he came to the area, the young man went missing. On my way to work or while returning, I looked at all the places he was seen before, but he was not to be seen anywhere. His younger brother looked after the shop. After about two months he came back. He looked replenished, stronger and fit. One afternoon, I saw him wearing a vest that had army combat prints all over. There was a different kind oftintinhis eyes.
This time more religious-looking men came to Lalmatia to talk with him. And this time my curiosity further intensified when I saw that when dispersing the men walked behind one another in a single line, just as army men (jawans) do. It was obvious that they had been trained to do so, and to my knowledge, such training was not given in normal religious schools. Such training was given as part of military training.
Finally, my impression about the young man began to consolidate even further when about a week back, I spotted him in a street corner with a bigger group of religious-looking men. My attention fell on a tall, well-structured, fair-skinned, turbaned man who was doing all the talking. He definitely didn't look like a Bengali.
The locals listened to him with great interest and answered with utmost respect when he asked them some questions. From the distance I could not hear the words they spoke but could read the body language. As a small crowd began to gather, the group dispersed and again they
formed a single line and walked behind die tall, turbaned man.
I don't know yet whether that young man belonged to any militant group, maybe he did. maybe he didn’t, but he surely instilled fear in my mind. Now, I look at him with suspicion. I wonder who the people who came to Lalmatia with him were. I wonder who that tall, fair and turbaned man was! 1 wonder whether any intelligence agency keeps track of such people who come and go with great liberty in the name of talking religion. Why should religious men walk in the shades? Why should religious men evoke fear in our minds?
Now, can anyone blame me for my fear about the growing threat of militants in our society? Every other day, we hear of militants getting caught at various places of the country. They seem to be sprouting from the ground, and no matter how many you catch today many more are waiting to be caught tomorrow. Rab is doing a great job of following the trail of the militants all
over the country. And it would help thern^ lot if every citizen kept a watch on suspicious characters in the locality or those in and around the religious institutes.
1 wonder why eminent personalities, lawyers, political leaders, teachers and cultural personalities do not organise local level meetings with young generation leaders and religious leaders and talk about the wrong interpretation of religion given by the activists of militant groups to achieve political gain for themselves. The young generation should be told that leaders of such outfits always brainwash young lads to become suicide bombers while they remain at a safe distance. If heaven was that close then why don't they blow themselves up?
A wider and sustainable campaign needs to be launched across the country to counter that of the militants. If we do not do it now, our progeny will find it difficult to live in this country.
Shatxioor Wahid is a SeraxAssrstent Editor of The Daiy Star He can be contacted at shahnoorwahid ©yahoo co.uk