There is no end to the bizarre nature of human behaviour, particularly when it has the shroud of online anonymity. Nibras Islam, one of the terrorists who was killed by security forces after they killed 20 people in a popular Dhaka bakery has become the subject of online adulation, reported Deccan Chronicle.
On Monday, a Facebook page emerged which was dedicated to him and had pictures of him with his friends, posing for selfies and sitting in a car. While the page has been taken down at the time this article was published, it had already garnered 300 likes in three hours, with commentators describing him as ‘cute’, as if high cheekbones can negate the small matter of chopping up people who couldn’t recite the Quran!
Nibras Islam from his Facebook page
According to various reports, till late 2014, Nibras Islam wasn’t a particularly religious individual but a typical student who was fun-loving, loved football and was considered quite good-looking by ladies around him. A confession page for Monash University students, had one anonymous comment that said: “Nibras Islam!! You are cute. But very hard to spot. Tell me when can i see you. Your smile just makes my day.”
Nibras Islam was a Shraddha Kapoor fan (Facebook)
According to the cops, two of the terrorists studied in the Kuala Lumpur campus of Australia’s prestigious Monash University. Another of the terrorists was the son of political leader who was part of the ruling party. A student who met Nibras in Dhaka in January was surprised by his usage of the full ‘Salaam Wallequim’ greeting. The student who wanted to remain anonymous said: “It’s usually just – ‘hey, salaam, how you doing man?’ But Nibras said the full version ... His approach that day seemed totally different. I used to pray often in university, and I never saw him during prayer times at the prayer room.”
Another person who knew him from Monash University claimed that Nibras loved taking pictures, and this made him the butt of jokes. He also was a Shraddha Kapoor fan, supporter of Liverpool FC and took selfies in café with friends. He reportedly broke up with his girlfriend in 2014, and had written on Twitter: “You don’t need me anymore. Be happy with him. Everyone is better then (sic) me. You know where to find me.”
Among the accounts Nibras followed, one of them was @ShamiWitness, the ISIS propagandist account run by Mehdi Masroor Biswas who was arrested in Bangalore last year. He had also liked a tweet by Britain’s high-profile Islamist preacher Anjem Choudhary and two months before the Charlie Hebdo incident in Jan 2015, he had tweeted: “Goodbye for good”.
