Prime Minister Hasina said: “Anyone who believes in religion cannot do such act. They do not have any religion, their only religion is terrorism.”…
Yet the jihadis “did not hit people who could recite verses from the Quran. The others were tortured. The gunmen asked everyone inside to recite from the Quran. Those who recited were spared. The gunmen even gave them meals last night.”
Could it be possible that they were believers in a religion that commands its followers to kill unbelievers wherever they are found (cf. Qur’an 2:191, 4:89, and 9:5)?
The Islamic disinformationists — Qasim Rashid, Hussam Ayloush, etc. — are out in force today, claiming that this wasn’t a jihad attack because Bangladesh is a Muslim country. They haven’t addressed the fact that the captors didn’t torture hostages who could recite the Qur’an. Nor have they addressed the fact that since Islam has a death penalty for heresy and apostasy, many Muslims kill other Muslims whom they deem to be insufficiently Muslim.
An update on this story. “20 Hostages Killed, 13 Saved in Bangladesh Jihad Attack,” Associated Press, July 2, 2016:
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladeshi forces stormed an upscale Dhaka restaurant to end a hostage-taking by heavily armed militants early Saturday, killing six of the attackers and rescuing 13 captives including foreigners. The military said 20 hostages were killed during the 10-hour standoff, and a survivor’s father said the attackers spared people who could recite verses from the Quran.
The attack marks an escalation in militant violence that has hit the traditionally moderate Muslim-majority nation with increasing frequency in recent months. Previous attacks involved machete-wielding men singling out individual activists, foreigners and religious minorities.
About 35 people were taken hostage Friday night when gunmen stormed the popular Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka’s Gulshan area, a diplomatic zone, during the Ramadan holy month. Two police officers were killed at the start of the attack.
Paramilitary troops who mounted the rescue operations in the morning killed six attackers and recovered explosive devices and sharp weapons from the scene, Brig. Gen. Nayeem Ashfaq Chowdhury said. He did not identify the hostages.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina condemned the attack, which was claimed by the Islamic State group, and she said security officials arrested one of the militants.
“Because of the effort of the joint force, the terrorists could not flee,” Hasina said in a nationally televised speech, vowing to fight militant attacks in the country and urged people to come forward.
“Anyone who believes in religion cannot do such act,” Hasina said. “They do not have any religion, their only religion is terrorism.”…
Karim said his son told him that the attackers “did not hit people who could recite verses from the Quran. The others were tortured,” he said.
“The gunmen asked everyone inside to recite from the Quran. Those who recited were spared. The gunmen even gave them meals last night,” Karim said….