‘Islamist extremists can destabilise Bangladesh’

NEW DELHI - Most of the Muslim population in Bangladesh supports the secular state and abjures violence but Islamist extremists have the potential to destabilise that country, say experts from a leading Dhaka-based think tank.

“The Islamist extremists represent a minuscule proportion of the population; nevertheless, the potential for Bangladesh to be destabilised by these extremists is fairly strong,” says a paper by Humayun Kabir and Shahab Enam Khan.

It speaks about the causes of militancy in that country. Titled “Understanding the threats from Islamist Terrorism in Bangladesh”, the paper was presented at a security dialogue organised here by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and the Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI).

Kabir is a senior research director and Khan a project director at the BEI that has partnerships with many international agencies.

The paper says Islam in Bangladesh has always been defined by tolerance, moderation and pluralism. Muslim-dominated Bangladesh has a population of 160 million.

“In general, most of the Muslim population in Bangladesh support(s) the secular state and abjure(s) the violence and distorted interpretations of Islam that have plagued countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan and some in the Middle East.”

Noting that Bangladesh has witnessed a sharp rise in terrorism primarily from the mid-1990s, the paper points to four complex forms of terrorism in the country - political, anti-state, ethnic and social.

It says there exists a nexus between terrorist groups and smuggling syndicates, criminal gangs and politically sponsored cadres to nourish a supporting network for each other.

Citing 2007 statistics mentioned in a BEI report, the paper says Bangladesh has 1,027 organised criminal groups, two insurgent groups, five outlawed groups, at least four ideologically digressed groups with militant intent, 16,062 criminals operating in various gangs and 762 politically sponsored criminal groups.

“Extremist groups such as Hijbut Tahrir, Harkat ul-Jihad-I-Islami-Bangladesh, the militant jihadi Jamat-ul Mujahdeen Bangladesh or their dissident groups are at the forefront of promoting religious terrorism in Bangladesh,” the paper says.

The paper mentions that Bangladesh continues to be a transit and launching point for Pakistan-based terrorist groups that target India and Southeast Asia.

“Groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami retain a significant presence in Bangladesh and have used its territory to launch terrorist attacks against India…there is ample evidence to show that the student front of Jamaat-i-Islami Bangladesh, Islami Chhattra Shibir, also acts as an extremist group that resorts to violent activities. It also acts as a funding conduit for the Jamaat-i-Islami of Pakistan.”

The paper says there is a possibility of a Wahabi connection, a puritan version of Islamic reformism, fuelling Islamist militancy in Bangladesh.

It says the sect has been “patronised by Saudi-based charities which have financed thousands of Islamic schools around the world, including Qaumi madrasas”.

“Many of the Qaumi madrassas are the ideological frontline against democratic aspirations and serve as the primary socialisation vehicle for extremism,” the report says, adding they attract “young Bangladeshis from the crumbling secular school system”.

The paper says political Islam perceived by the Islamic political parties is essentially different from the true nature of Islam.

“The Islamic faith is by no means a violent proselytizing, intolerant, obscurantist and socially reactionary ideology.”

Noting that the growth of Islamist extremism in Bangladesh had less to do with ideology and more to do with the “failure of domestic politics and economy”, the paper suggests improving the educational and justice systems in the country.

It says none of the South Asian countries can fight the problem of religious extremism alone and calls for a long-term collaborative framework.

(Prashant Sood can be contacted at prashant.s@ians.in)