Tarannum Haider Maliha

About 45 years ago our country had encountered a huge threat which could have destroyed our existence. There wouldn’t have been any nation named Bangladesh or any nationality named Bangladeshis. We have faced the danger, battled it and earned our identity. There were many ups and downs from then which we have overcome and the country’s youth have played a vital role in it.
Things haven’t changed that much now. When some of our youths are getting misled and involved in terrorist activities, thousands are standing beside each other, holding hands to protest against any kind of terrorism. On August 1, 2016, students of different educational institutions had formed anti militancy human chain at the Central Shaheed Minar. Students, wearing the uniforms of their respective institutions, formed a human chain holding banners, festoons and placards. This may not seem as effective to fight against militancy but it’s indeed a huge initiative.
Some may question how can forming a human chain help?
The plan our government has taken to create awareness and fight against terrorism would get immense benefit from this human chain. Every person in that human chain whether it’s a student, a teacher, an employer or an employee of an educational institution is a representative of the whole nation which is against terrorism. They convey the message that we are very much aware of the whole situation, we know what is right and what is wrong and we believe that terrorism is not acceptable in any form. They held banners and placards with the inscriptions like, “ We want peace, not terrorism, we want a life free of fear” or “Militancy has no place in the country”, “To hell with militancy in the country”, “It is a sin to kill people in the name of religion”. This clearly convey the message to those who are trying to terrorize the whole country. In the event some marched down the streets with slogans against militancy and terrorism in a disciplined way; setting an example that our voices and opinions can be heard, awareness can be raised in a peaceful manner instead of using religion, killing people or generating violence by shouting “Allahu Akbar”.
Also students of schools, colleges, madrasas and universities stood in front of their campuses or adjacent areas from 11am to 12pm. This unity shows that militancy and terrorism can only receive indignation from our youth. They are not welcome and will never be.