A RELIGION OF PEACE INDEED !

The Varanasi Sankatmochan temple blasts mastermind Muhammad Walullah was on 26th August 2008 sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment by a Lucknow court for illegal possession of a firearm. He has also been slapped with a Rs. 1 lakh fine. Waliullah, who was the Pesh Imam (prayer leader of a mosque) of a Phulpur mosque at the time of his arrest in April 2006 along with 5 others were charged under Section 302 (murder), 307, 324, and 326 of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 3/4/5 of the Explosive Substances Act for their role in the twin blasts at Varanasi in March 2006 that killed 28 innocent people. Waliullah, who had studied at the Saudi funded world renowned Islamic seminary at Deoband in Uttar Pradesh and was admittedly, motivated by the taped discourses of Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Maulana (Islamic holy man) Masood Azhar, the terrorist who India had to free in exchange for the release of the hijacked Airbus 300 passenger aircraft, had admitted to his interrogators that he had arranged shelter for the Bangladeshi bombers just across his Phulpur home ahead of the blasts who had returned to their homes in Bangladesh soon after their mission was over. “It was in Bangladesh that the local HUJI chief had nominated me as area commander of the organisation for Uttar Pradesh,” Walliulah told the police.

Islam it is claimed by its adherents and its apologists to be a religion of peace. In that case how is it that its “holy men” who are well versed in all facets of their religion, are involved in such heinous crimes of murder of innocent human beings unless they are convinced that their religion permits them to indulge in such inhuman crimes? What examples or compulsions are they setting for their laity to follow? In the confines of such a monolithic faith that brooks no inquiry or dissent, can the so-called rational or moderate adherents dare risk any acts of defiance for fear of a social boycott or excommunication?