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This weekend marks the beginning of Ramadhan, the Muslim month of fasting, the month of prayer, solitude and while never about a withdrawal from daily life, definitely a slower pace of life. Many will welcome the month but many will dread the long fasts, some will keep them and some will not. Yet whatever the rhythm and observance of the month, Ramadhan should be about drawing closer to God. Yet as so many parts of the Muslim world continues to be politically and ethically divided, as people are still losing their lives in internal conflicts of power and dominance, of tribalism and sectarian violence, what does it mean to draw closer to God? As we continue to grasp the tragedy of Manchester, a city doing its best to stay united and dignified in its profound grief, this period of heightened collective religious consciousness, will itself be a cause for alarm. And with each terror attack, despite the calls for unity, calls for love not hate, calls for more vigilance and surveillance, suspicion amongst ordinary people will grow and anger will rise. This shouldn’t surprise any of us. Terrorism needs publicity to keep alive the climate of fear but it also needs secrecy. The secrecy of intention, planning, talking to likeminded people – radicalisation, extremism and perpetration of violent acts do not happen in a social or familial vacuum. People will suspect, even know and while some will inform, others will remain quiet The end point of mass murder is the final stage once the bomber has already imagined themselves in the promise of the next world, of being closer to God - that world is made attractive by making this world contemptible. In its essence, Islamist terrorism in the west thrives on our desire to enjoy our daily freedoms, even if these freedoms are being slowly chipped away. But it also succeeds because of a certain complacency amongst some Muslim communities who refuse to see that extremism has many guises – the longer the young are left to think the world is divided between believers and unbelievers, that their version of Islam is not just one way of life but the only way of life, that the west which is their home is also the enemy of Islam, the easier it becomes to gradually fill young minds with all kinds of resentments culminating in the desire to kill. As Ramadhan begins, communities will intensify their worship in their desire to be closer to God. But it seems to me that love of God means little if it does not mean love and compassion for those with whom we share the same towns and cities. We can spend our lives fasting and praying, but ultimately we draw closer to God when we draw closer to one another.