Bangladesh: Secular - v- Islamist?
Good in-depth Boston Review article on Islamism vs secularism in Bangladesh. Secularist trends driven by Bengali nationalism are strong, but as the two main political parties are increasingly discredited by corruption and now a semi-coup by the Army, the comparatively clean Islamists are slowly rising.
Moderator's Note
Thread title changed (march 2013) from 'Revolution: The Islamist Challenge to Secular Bangladesh to Bangladesh' to 'Bangladesh: Secular - v- Islamist?'
Bangladesh: Secular - v- Islamist?
A series of "Of Interest" papers published by SSI:
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....This paper is about the history, rise and current state of Islamic fundamentalism in South Asia, the most populated region in the world and home to the largest concentration of Muslims on earth. There are over 1.5 billion people in South Asia, which includes Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.
If one includes China, directly north, there are 2.7 billion people in this region, nearly one-half of the world’s population. South Asia is home to nearly one half of the world’s 1.2 billion Muslims. Nearly 30 percent of this region is Muslim.
From October 2006–March 2007, I traveled in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh, countries I have worked in before as a journalist. I briefly visited Indian-administered Kashmir, where I had not been before. I had visited Pakistani-administered Kashmir in December 2005. Drawing on my own experiences in the past, I wanted to study the history and rise of Islamic fundamentalism and see where it is today.
This is a report on my trip and on my conversations with academics, activists, politicians, writers, and religious leaders in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Kashmir, and Bangladesh....
Part I: The History, Rise, and Future of Islamic Fundamentalism in South Asia
Part II: Afghanistan and Pakistan
Part III: Bangladesh
Extremism and Governance in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Indonesia
A forthcoming event from the Post-Conflict Reconstruction Project at CSIS & The Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies at Columbia University:
Public Attitudes and Discontent: Extremism and Governance in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Indonesia
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This Thursday, January 29, 2009 from 4:00 – 5:30 pm at CSIS
4th Floor Conference Room
Presentation and discussion by:
Craig Charney, Ph.D., President, Charney Research
Lincoln Mitchell, Ph.D., Arnold A. Saltzman Assistant Professor in the Practice of International Affairs, Columbia University
Please join us for the release of a major new study detailing survey findings on public attitudes towards extremism and governance in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Indonesia. The research is based on comprehensive, comparative nationwide surveys in three key Muslim states. The research explores public opinions on terrorism and extremism, the United States and its allies, and satisfaction with government performance, public services, and security forces
Discussion Followed by Reception
To RSVP, please contact Justine Fleischner at
JFleischner@csis.org
Justice for war crimes leads to protests
The mass protests by young people in Dhaka have not been well reported here:
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With a huge green and red flag of Bangladesh flying over their heads, they shouted slogans from the liberation war of 1971: “Joy Bangla” (Victory to Bengal); “Tumi ke? Aami ke? Bangalee Bangalee” (Who are you? Who am I? Bengali). They even added some of their own: “Amader ek hi dabi Razakar er fashi” (Our one demand, hang the Razakars); “Jamaat-e-Islami made in Pakistan”.
Shahbag Square is what you make of it. The world is calling it Bangladesh’s own Tahrir Square, some are claiming it is part of the Arab or Muslim Spring, Indians want to know if the Anna Hazare movement is an inspiration. In part, it is an assertion of secular values and an assault on religious fanatics; in part, it is the resurgence of nationalism among the youth.
Link:http://tehelka.com/in-concert-for-ba....OhWLBZnt.dpuf and a very general report:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21626843
Today the BBC reports disorder linked to the Islamac party:
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Three people have been killed in Bangladesh after demonstrators protesting against the death sentence on an Islamist party leader clashed with police for a third day running.
Link, which includes a very partial witness account:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21639831
Is Bangladesh spiralling out of control?
An article on 'Open Democracy' that offers a different, non-MSM viewpoint on recent events and opens with:
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On May 5th an anti-government protest took place in Dhaka, Bangladesh, followed by an overnight sit-in. It was met with extreme brutality by the government's security forces. Organised by Hefazat-e-Islam (Protection of Islam), an apolitical group drawn from the independent conservative religious establishment, the rally was a response to, and in some ways mirrored, the Shahbag spectacle that began in February. The latter provoked the ire of the religious establishment when some of its leaders were accused of defaming Islam, the faith of up to 90% of their fellow citizens. Despite a state clamp down on media coverage, and the government’s denial of casualties, evidence of a massacre on May 5th has emerged. The ruthless violence that met the demonstration raises serious concerns for Bangladesh's moderate image and future.
Link:http://www.opendemocracy.net/opensec...out-of-control
Killing Bloggers in BD. A wedge issue.
Bangladeshi Islamists (possibly backed by mentors in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia) are using attacks on atheist bloggers a wedge issue. Will they succeed?
http://brownpundits.blogspot.com/201...-issue-in.html
"...By going after atheist bloggers (many or most of them Hindus), they have found a near perfect wedge issue. The Hasina government is not happy with these blasphemers being killed, and unlike in Pakistan, the regime seems to have made some arrests. But if they take a very public stand against these killings and aggressively protect the rights of these free-thinkers, then they stand with atheists and blasphemers and risk losing the support of "moderate Muslims" who don't go in for machete-wielding execution, but whose core beliefs include the belief that atheism and apostasy cannot be tolerated....But if the Hasina government lets this go on, then they permit the Islamists to grab the initiative and drive away atheists, secularists and Hindus...all of whom are more or less her voters and supporters (and whose friends and supporters are also the "intellectuals" of the Awami League regime). At a minimum, it is an uncomfortable position for the regime.
...
Can Bangladeshi secularism (meaning in practice, the Awami League regime, there being no other secular alternative on the horizon) defeat this rather well-chosen point of attack? Maybe they can (in which case the Islamists will have gambled and lost and the secular cause will emerge stronger than before). But it is a big if...If they lose, Bangladesh is in play again as a possible Islamist base in Eastern India. The Islamists know what they are up to..."
Bangladesh and the Islamic State
Two foreigners, an Italian and Japanese were recently murdered in Bangladesh, and in both cases the Islamic State took credit. There also was the recent killings of a couple of secular bloggers. We could be witnessing the emergence of a downward trend in the world's third largest Muslim country.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/1...0RX0JJ20151003
Islamic State claims responsibility for killing Japanese man in Bangladesh
Islamic State claimed responsibility for shooting a Japanese man in Bangladesh on Saturday, the second foreign national it says it has killed there within a week, and threatened more such attacks.
http://thediplomat.com/2015/09/bangl...and-democracy/
Bangladesh on the Brink: Between Terrorism and Democracy
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The third largest Muslim country in the world, Bangladesh has a national identity stemming from a heritage of moderate Sunni Islam and a historical tradition of tolerance and pluralism. With a per capita income of just $1,080, Bangladesh is ranked among the poorest countries in the world, yet it has sustained a democratic tradition since independence (although interspersed with several military coups). Bangladesh’s blend of moderate Islam with a secular-oriented, democratic state could serve as a model for the region.
Yet Bangladesh is also threatened by a rising tide of radical Islamist violence that has its roots in both the struggle for independence and a more recent wave of radicalized violence. For a relatively small diplomatic investment, the international community could help to deny radical Islamist groups a safe haven in South Asia and preserve a moderate Islamic democracy, by encouraging a negotiated settlement between the main political parties, working with the government of Bangladesh to root out terrorist organizations before they are able to metastasize, and providing protection for progressive media voices that are increasingly being targeted by terrorists.
The article goes on to recommend the need to intervene with assistance before the problem is unmanageable. Do we have either the foresight or means to engage left of bang to help prevent major problems there? Problems that will almost certainly spill over their borders.
A little dated (only 2014), but still a good summary of terrorist and extremist groups in Bangladesh at the following link.
http://www.terrorismanalysts.com/pt/.../view/348/html
Bangladesh: an Emerging Centre for Terrorism in Asia
Abstract
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This Research Note examines the political developments that have occurred in Bangladesh in 2013 and explores how these have fed into the rise of religious militancy. The ongoing conflicts not only intensify the instability and schisms within the country, but also illustrate that there is a rise in religious militancy that the country can ill afford at this juncture. Furthermore, it highlights how some members of the Bangladeshi diaspora in the United States and United Kingdom have been recruited by al-Qaeda and its affiliates to plot mass casualty attacks. Significantly, it is argued that all these threads are tied together because of the murky role of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (JEI), which is Bangladesh’s largest religious political party. A further deterioration of Bangladesh’s democracy and political stability could create additional space within which Islamist militants may be increasingly free to operate not just for domestic terrorist activity but for preparing internationals plots as well.
Added by Moderator: there is an old thread, which started in 2007 and maybe useful now:http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ead.php?t=3015
Intervene before the problem is unmanageable
Bill,
I can understand your concerns, but would argue this passage is wrong:
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The article goes on to recommend the need to intervene with assistance before the problem is unmanageable. Do we have either the foresight or means to engage left of bang to help prevent major problems there? Problems that will almost certainly spill over their borders.
We need to consider how Bangladeshi and its people would react to such an intervention assistance? Are we being asked to help by all parties or just those in power now. How will the enemies of democracy plus, labelled as "extremists" react? Another Western intervention, even more so if seen and portrayed as just being the US & Western Europe.
I have a vague recollection that the 'Rapid Action Battalion' cited by the author as bad was externally trained for CT work. Did an earlier assistance help to create this bad / problem?
If intervention assistance was to be given it must be requested, preferably by the two main political parties and provided by NGOs, not the "West". Perhaps there is a role for the Commonwealth?
A new fad for college kids?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016...bangladeshi-e/
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"They are all Bangladeshis. They are from rich families, they have good educational background," said Asaduzzaman Khan, the country's home minister, of the gunmen.
Another source I can't place here because it was based on a phone call, stated the captured terrorist indicated it was becoming a fad for college kids to associate with the Islamic State.
Regardless, these kids weren't motivated by poverty or not having jobs. They were well do to kids. In some ways this reminds me of many who join far left militant groups or protests, and then when they're interviewed they prove they have no knowledge (except for a limited number) of what they're fighting for, or what they're protesting against, it is just something cool to do. We tend to ignore the psychological aspects when we focus on the political factors, which at times can be a red herring.
Bangladesh: The New Nexus for Transnational Terrorism
Bangladesh: The New Nexus for Transnational Terrorism
Entry Excerpt:
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