Islamic State Takes Credit for Murder of Bangladeshi Professor, Saying He Was “Calling to Atheism”

Just a day after 58-year-old Professor Rezaul Karim Siddique was hacked to death as he headed to work at Rajshahi University in Bangladesh, we’re learning more about the motive for the attack.

And it’s just as we had feared.

According to the Amaq New Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic State, Muslim radicals killed Siddique for “calling to atheism.” It’s a claim that doesn’t make a lot of sense to the people who knew him best; one professor who worked with Siddique told reporters “he never wrote or spoke against religion in public.” Whether he did or not, he was killed in much the same way as several outspoken Bangladeshi atheists.

Until Muslim leaders around the globe make clear that those who leave Islam or speak out against the faith have done absolutely nothing wrong, these murders are going to continue. We can’t rely on the Bangladeshi government to take action — many leaders have pinned the blame on the critics of religion, not the people killing them.

(Image via Facebook)