If your answer is yes, you are admitting that Islam is responsible for this fanatic psycho’s crime and he represents 1.6 billion Muslims around the world. This is how you are unknowingly blaming Islam for his crime.
However, if your answer is “NO” you are admitting that Islam is not responsible for his crime and it was not Islam that influences him to be a fanatic psycho. Therefore, Islam and Muslims should not be blamed. But, you still need to specify who is then to be blamed. You may consider the following three options: (1) His parents who have failed to teach him that Islam always guides Muslim to be someone who can peacefully tolerate other faith, views and life models, (2) The place where he is born and grown up with a law that allows him having guns/arms as a civilian (3) Like other criminals enslave by own personal hateful interest, revenge, angers, hate or fanatic ideology (4) Fanatic ISIS type psycho, those who are distorting the Qur’an to trap their target and try to convert peaceful Muslim to their fanatic ideology follower.
Some people may be confused by the way some media is reporting about criminals with an Islamic name. Because, when they are reporting a crime done by a criminal having an Islamic name, they use “Islam or Muslim” as the main keyword in the title to label those criminals but, they do not use the same keyword to report for a hero having Islamic name for instance in case of Muhammad Ali just one day before. Why? Because, those Media think, when a hero has an Islamic name, it belongs to him, but, when a criminal has an Islamic name, it belongs to 1.6 billion Muslims around the world. This is how those Media mistakenly or unethically creating a society that dehumanizes 1.6 billion humans through Islam phobia.
In addition, no media use the keyword “Christian” to report about a fanatic or criminal having a Christian name, Anders Breivik for example killed 77 people and the media did not use the keyword “Christian” in their title to report about him, same as to Mexican gangsters in USA and African American criminals, no media report them as a representative of their religion. Why? Because the Media is honest and they know that none of those criminals are representing Christian religions. Therefore, the media do not blame over 2 billion Christians for the fanatic crimes done by the criminals having a Christian name. This is why we see no Church issues official condemnation letter in those cases. But, some Muslim Imams and Mosques does when the fanatics have Islamic name because the way media is reporting seems like those tiny numbers of criminals having Islamic name represent all the Muslim. Therefore, all the Muslim should be apologetic and they must say sorry for being Muslim.
It is a humanitarian responsibility to condemn any unjust killing no matter what is the life model, or race or religion or nationality of the victim. And in the same time, we must be responsible in reporting the criminals in the media as no criminal represent their race, religion or nationality. I request the Media please be responsible with the way you are reporting about crimes and criminals as irresponsible title/heading in the media can make millions of innocent people feeling a guilty mind or being victims of hatemonger’s hate.
Masud Alam, a researcher, and writer published 6 books (available in more than 20 countries worldwide). He is an Alim, studied Dattapara Alim Madrasha and then Dhaka University and completed Master’s Degree in 2016 from Anglia Ruskin University in the UK. He can be contacted at: writermalam@gmail.com