Playing with words or playing with fire?

IN our verbal society, the toolbox to exchange banter is getting full up with instruments employable with dramatic, if sometimes dangerous effect. There is a picturesque Bangla maxim aketo nachuni buri tar upore dhole bari. This approximately translates into: 'raring to dance an old lady that she is, a drumbeat to top it up makes her crazily waltz.' 

Blogging, a perfectly decent, liberating word has turned into a pejorative in the mouths and handiwork of bigoted elements. A useful device for self-expression and exchange of thoughts is now corrupted because of being abused by the fanatical fringes to advance there vicious agenda. The feverishly topical postings in the social media go viral in the literal sense so that any dark, obscurantist agenda risks being exposed to a very wide audience, sometimes with a potential contagion effect.

On the other hand, even those who post responsible and progressive views get pitted against religious extremists latter with a penchant for labeling or categorising of their imagined adversaries. Thus, expectations of any rational debate nursed by a greater proportion of the Internet users come a cropper. Instead, what they are dreadfully dished out is a lengthening catalogue of hit lists. This is a bad omen, particularly in a politically divisive society. The four brutally slain bloggers, were all named in a hit list and despite threats on their lives, preemptive surveillance had not been put in place. On the contrary, such issues were treated as something of a double-edged sword cutting both ways and therefore a subject of malevolent attitude. Do nothing strategy may be comforting but it is clearly counter-productive and self-defeating  when it comes to containing 'ideological' violence. 

This brings into a sharper focus than ever before the frightening lack of security of members of the intelligentsia and people with ideas. The state should be unwavering in defense of the rights to freedom of thoughts and expression so long as these do not militate against our long-cherished ethos. 

For let's not forget that with each get-away of the diabolical masterminds and perpetrators of the hackings, the vicious cycle of impunity gets an oxygen of support to spring more lethal surprises. The heinous crimes are nothing short of ISIS' beheadings that flies in the face of well-it-has-not-come-to-such-a-pass kind of smugness. Already this has invoked a foceful repudiation of Islamic thinkers all over the world. Our own proponents of true Islam should come forward in strength to provide necessary ideological backup for an effective counter terrorism campaign. 

The word 'disappearance' has been turned on its head by equating it with hiding or an act of self-disappearance, as though someone's bag of sins was too heavy to carry in public. If that be so it is all the more reason why they should be brought to the surface. But the inexplicability of the disappearances and their very long duration into oblivion make them appear like vanishing acts forced on them. There is a smack of retribution about them as well. When the state is constitutionally obliged to be protecting all its citizens including the accused who are entitled to due process of law in a context where rule of law is upheld, it cannot renege on this.

Just as an aside, in the McCarthyism era of the early 1950s in the US 'accusation had been deemed as evidence'. Surely the world has moved way ahead from that regressive philosophy to even recapitulate it.

On a serious note, even the phrase liberation war values which are our most prized possession have been subjected to controversy by antagonistic forces. Little surprise even the word 'secular',  which by definition is a neutral expression is a pejorative in the eye of the extremists. 

The writer is Associate Editor of The Daily Star.