An appeal to those 'jihadists' who seek 'shahadat'

As the nation grieves for the slain hostages in the July 1 Gulshan attack, somehow I find myself also thinking about the young attackers as well. So young, so impressionable, coming from good families. They could have contributed so much to the nation through their education, their abilities. I also grieve for their parents, their families and friends, so helpless, so shocked. The society must think about what happened to these youngsters; remember they could have been your children...

What made these boys commit this kind of barbaric act? Where did they learn to handle firearms and explosives? Who trained them? Who brainwashed these kids into this deviant cult which they mistook for true Islam?

Those are the real devils behind these young men who I believe may have been, patsies, unwittingly carrying out this macabre drama as if in a trance. Were they under some drugs? Could it be mind control? Who knows?

As news filter in, we are informed that all of them had earlier 'disappeared' to suddenly reappear in the guise of these Mad Murderers; what transformed them in such a short time from normal kids leading normal lives to this state? We hear hundreds of such youths have already gone missing at this point. I shudder to think what evil designs are being cooked up by their evil minded trainers.

Our authorities with the active help of people need to act quickly to get to the root of all this and bust the masterminds and save our youth as well as our society from this azaab that has suddenly descended upon us. 

Now we need to reach out to these so-called jihadists and dreamers of Shahadat, for whom I make the following appeal. 

Believe me you are being led to a fool's paradise, you are being used to fulfill the objects of a bloodthirsty group drunk for usurping power. They do not care who they send on such missions of death and destruction. And who lives and who dies.

Wake up; don't be trapped into throwing away your lives at the commands of these half baked so called Islamists. Go to real ulama e haqqani and find out the true meaning of jihad and when and where it becomes incumbent and upon whom.

You cannot take the life of another human being, be he or she a Muslim or a non Muslim.

You cannot take your own lives which is suicide and is haram in Islam.

Islam never allows the killing of innocent non-Muslims. Neither does it advocate conversion by force.

Islam does not allow killing of women and children even in combat (war situation).

Don't be so ungrateful to your parents, who have raised you with so much pain and love and care. Do you realise how devastated, shocked and bewildered your family has become due to your own error of judgement? How awkward their position has become in society?

Where will they go? Where will they hide? 

Is this how you repay their love and kindness?

If you really love Allah and Rasul (PBUH) then prove it by your actions in obeying every command of Allah and following the footstep of the holy Prophet of Islam.

If you really want to make jihad then first show us by making jihad against your nafs ( baser self). 

Please don't follow these people who are brainwashing you and do not really care whether you live or die.

Come back to the loving arms of your families. 

Don't throw away your precious lives. Don't be someone else's slaves. Don't listen to their crazy talk. Please, we beg you to come back to your senses. There is still time. Before you harm yourself and the country.

The writer is an islamic thinker.

(Name withheld on request)