The machete wielding maniacs of Bangladesh, with the full throated support of ISIS, demonstrate why the world cannot continue to tolerate the fundamentalist view taking hold in many parts of the world.

Ahmed Rajib Haider (February 15, 2013) Hacked to death near his home

Avijit Roy (March 20, 2015) Murdered in Dhaka

Whashiqur Rahman (March 30, 2015) Hacked to death in public in Dhaka

Anavanta Bijoy Das (May 12, 2015) Hacked to death in public by machete wielding maniacs

Niloy Chatergee (Aust 6, 2015) Hacked to death in his home, while his wife was held captive in another room.

Niloy Neel (April 6, 2016) Hacked to death in a public intersection, then shot.

These names both need, and deserve to be remembered. I hesitate to use the word “Martyr” because I consider it to be an obscenity. These brave Bangladeshi activists and outspoken voices for freedom deserve better. They deserve a legacy. If we continue to turn a blind eye to the violence which put an end to their too brief time on this Earth, we do them a vast disservice; not only them, but their families, their friends, their world, and ultimately ourselves.

In the name of god…

Well no. That is precisely the point. This god of many names or none, a god which exists solely in the dark minds and fantasies of a vast majority of religious fundamentalists of every stripe, continues to demand blood sacrifice from his self appointed soldiers; a service they seem only too happy to provide. For those of us who lack -for whatever reason- the propensity for such beliefs, or even any religious belief at all, it can be difficult to fathom what could cause anyone to take a life (or thousands) in the service of such an outdated and unnecessary deity.

Let me make something perfectly clear. These voices were silenced not by any Divine decree, the hand of god did not smite them righteously. They were murdered by scum!

These brave, outspoken critics of insanity died at the hands of the righteously delusional. Their killers believed they were serving an all powerful and omniscient being who although it demonstrated a definite proclivity when it came to righteous smiting in centuries past, seems now to be unable to defend itself against simple strings of words. Illiterate cowards, who swarm defenceless individuals, or invade their homes with intent to terrorize and slaughter. These are the shiny new Knights Templar.

Is it any wonder their God is too ashamed to show itself?

These brave people did not “give their lives in the service of worthy cause,” their bloodletting served no grand purpose or design. They were brutally murdered by religious fanatics who seek to stifle any and all opposition to their twisted interpretation of an ancient fiction. They are not the chosen of god, they are selected from the most gullible, violent and morally deficient of their populations. They are forged in the fires of hatred, into weapons of destruction so vile, so putrid, so completely despicable in every respect, that I am amazed others of their proclaimed faith have not done more to rid the world of these maniacs.

Please do not let the voices of reason be silenced.