By Alfie Solomon The attackers in the Holy Artisan Bakery incident were, at first glance, ordinary people. Many came from affluent families. Remember Nibras? He hailed from a well-off background and studied at Monash University in Malaysia. Several others involved in the same attack were from North South University.
When we think of militants, we often picture someone from a madrasa backgroundโstrictly religious and fundamentalist. But as it turned out, Nibras and most of them didn’t come from such environments. Instead, they emerged from general education systems, colleges, and universities, often raised in liberal settings.
If you look aroundโonline or offlineโyou’ll see many school, college, and university students now displaying ISIS flags on their profiles, talking about killing people and establishing Sharia law.
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I’ve created a model to explain how a seemingly ordinary person turns into a militant. You could call it a blueprint. Before diving in, let me clarify: This model is based on how someone becomes a militant offline. Many are getting brainwashed online and joining militant groups that way tooโI’ll write about online militant recruitment later. Even though this is offline-focused, online elements play some role here as well.
Step 1:
The process begins with an ordinary person who’s grown up like anyone else. They attend school, college, or university. They listen to music, watch movies, and maybe have a girlfriendโjust like a typical Bengali youth.
Step 2:
After SSC or HSC exams, students from various parts of Bangladesh are approached by families or others to join Tabligh Jamaat gatherings. They’re encouraged to go for a 3-day or 40-day “chilla.” Parents think, “Better than sitting idle at homeโlet them do some religious activities; what’s the harm?”
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Tabligh Jamaat doesn’t preach militancy or politics. They focus on teaching prayers, recitation of the Quran, and following Islamic customs.
As a result, this ordinary student’s worldview starts shifting. They begin to see their previous life as full of sins. So, they abandon their normal lifestyle and centre their life around Islam.ย
Let’s say 100 ordinary students go to Tabligh. Out of them, 40 might ditch their previous habits and adopt an Islamic lifestyle. The remaining 60 return to normal life.
Step 3:
These 40 who return from Tabligh and embrace an Islamic way of life now show changes in their behaviour and attire. At this point, Islamic political parties like Jamaat-e-Islami and others target them.ย
Tabligh Jamaat doesn’t engage in politics directly. But Islam is inherently a political ideology. So, after adopting this Islamic lifestyle from Tabligh, a political vacuum emergesโthey feel the need to join some Islamic political group. Jamaat and similar parties fill this gap by recruiting them.
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Out of those 40, say 15 started participating in Islamic politicsโjoining rallies and meetings. The other 25 might return to normal or stick to just prayers.
At this stage, their mindset undergoes a massive shift. They start thinking about establishing Islam worldwide and flying the flag of Sharia everywhere.
Step 4:
These youths, now involved in Islamic politics and dreaming of Sharia rule, become targets for militant outfits like Hizb ut-Tahrir, Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), and Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).
These groups introduce jihadist elementsโbooks, videos, and recorded speeches from international militants. They convince them that prayers and rallies aren’t enough; to establish Sharia, one must wage jihad, carry out suicide bombings, or attack atheists.ย
By now, these youths are mentally prepared for jihad. They’ve long abandoned normal life.
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From the previous 15, say five join groups like Hizbut Tahrir or other militants. We’ll drop the other 10.
Final Step:
In the end, these five become full-fledged, hardcore militants. Planting bombs, massacring people in restaurants, or slitting the throats of atheist writers at book fairs feels like a religious duty to them.ย
And now, there’s no fear of deathโbecause dying makes them a martyr!
This is how it starts with Tabligh Jamaat and ends with hardcore militants like Nibras. From 100, we end up with five militants. I’ve kept the numbers low for simplicity; a proper study could reveal the actual figures.ย
This is just one pipeline among many ways a person can become a militant.ย
So, keep an eye on your children. Praying and fasting aren’t the issueโit’s the mindset. Think twice before sending your son to Tabligh after SSC. If they do go, monitor their behaviour, thoughts, and online activities upon return. Otherwise, a Nibras could emerge from your home!
Alfie Solomon: Activist fighting religious extremism through the lens of geopolitics.
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