Bangladesh: Secular - v- Islamist?

**Bill Moore** · 10-04-2015

David,

Intervention is probably not a good word choice, it has connotations that are not helpful. The appropriate word is assistance, but this gets tricky due to the endemic corruption in the country. A lot of the violence is politically motivated between the two main political parties. How to do you assist in a way that targets the growing extremism without supporting one of the political parties? UK, US, China, India, and others have been providing various forms of assistance over the years. Most of it focused on economic development. Bangladesh security forces, to include the RAB which you discussed, have demonstrated some proficiency in getting after the terrorist threat. Unfortunately,they often conflate getting after terrorists and getting after political opponents as the same thing

, which creates a tension that limits how much assistance the West will provide.

All that said, standing by and potentially allowing radical Islam to grow (it has always been there), potentially exponentially, threatens our economic (regional instability) and security interests. I'm not proposing any solutions in this or the previous post, but rather pointing out the potential risk. A risk best dealt with sooner rather than later. Cheers!

**davidbfpo** · 07-02-2016

The low-level Jihadist campaign in Bangladesh now appears to have taken an ISIS "turn", although labelled as "militants", with an attack on a cafe in Dhaka's diplomatic quarter, taking Westerners hostage and many deaths when the military - the Rapid Action Battalion - to the fore.

Links:https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...ttack-hostages

The BBC cites the Bangladeshi Prime Minister Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, on an act during Ramadan:

It was an extremely heinous act.....What kind of Muslims are these people? They don't have any religion. My government is determined to root out terrorism and militancy from Bangladesh.

Plus:

Over the past three years, more than 40 people have been killed in Bangladesh by suspected Islamists. But the attacks mostly targeted individuals - secular bloggers, writers, activists, academics and members of religious minorities. The attack on the cafe was on a different scale. It seems to have been well planned and well co-ordinated.

Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-36692613

A BBC analyst adds:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-36692741

**omarali50** · 07-02-2016

Some thoughts on the logic behind the Islamist campaign in Bangladesh

http://brownpundits.blogspot.com/201...-issue-in.html

**Bill Moore** · 07-04-2016

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016...bangladeshi-e/

"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.

**Firn** · 07-04-2016

Originally Posted by Bill Moore

Regardless, these kids weren't motivated by poverty or not having jobs. They were well do to kids. In some ways it reminds me many who join for 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, 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.

Aren't the higher strata of Arab society also overreppresented in the rank of the Daesh? Maybe somebody has some study at hand...

Obviously that vile murder of foreigners, among them many Italians will have a negative effect on the economy.

*On a side note a distant relative of mine was a Catholic priest in Bangladesh during British Rule. Another, more distant one was murdered in China over a hundred years ago while serving as Franciscan friar. Nothing new under the sun...

**Bill Moore** · 07-04-2016

There have been studies pointing this out, but it doesn't fit our popular narrative about addressing underlying issues related to poverty and governance. Those factors generally play a large role in insurgencies, and at times this type of terrorism and insurgencies overlap, but it is not a one size fits all.