Existential battle between secularist and ultra-Islamist forces in Bangladesh

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury

As voters go into casting their poll on January 7, 2024, whereas the US Institute of Peace (USIP), an American federal establishment in an article mentioned: “Political disaster in Bangladesh gained’t finish on January 7, 2024 – the Election Day, as opposition, Bangladesh Nationalist Get together (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and different allies of BNP shall proceed to wage a marketing campaign of protests and strikes after the polls in hopes of proving Awami League (AL) authorities illegitimate. It additional mentioned, amid Bangladesh’s geopolitical ascent, India, China and the US will likely be watching carefully to see the longer term penalties of the home political turmoil”, the Worldwide Disaster Group is a report mentioned, “These US strikes have galvanized the opposition, which since mid-2022 has staged quite a few massive demonstrations in Dhaka and different cities – the primary in round a decade.

“Regardless of authorities efforts to thwart them, main rallies in December 2022, July 2023 and October 2023 attracted a whole bunch of hundreds of supporters. The newest of those gatherings, on 28 October 2023, ended prematurely when police dispersed the crowds with tear gasoline and stun grenades following sporadic clashes. Amid the road battles, BNP supporters allegedly killed a police officer; the federal government responded by arresting many of the celebration’s senior members and remanding them in jail”.

Purpose behind such scare-crow forecasts by the US establishments is the Biden administration’s want to topple Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her secularist Awami League authorities from energy and set up ultra-Islamist Bangladesh Nationalist Get together (BNP) in energy and switch the nation right into a neo-Taliban state. Because of this, worldwide media shops are already seeing the January 7 common election as – “tug-of-war” of Islamic fundamentalism and democracy.

In the meantime, Tarique Rahman, appearing chairman of Bangladesh Nationalist Get together (BNP), who faces two-life phrases on terrorism fees – one for trying to assassinate Sheikh Hasina on August 21, 2004 and one other for his involvement in sending 10-trucks loaded weapons, ammunition and explosives to United Liberation Entrance of Assom (ULFA) has already instructed his celebration activists to launch large assault on anybody attempting to go to polling station for casting votes, and he reportedly has flagged January 7 as “Day of Jihad to take-back Bangladesh from Awami League”. It could be talked about right here that BNP has been termed as Tier-III terrorist group by US courts on quite a few events.

In accordance with a neighborhood vernacular media report, BNP-inclined insurgency and terrorist teams within the nation’s Chittagong Hill Tract areas have already warned native voters asking them to chorus from going to polling and solid votes. Anybody violating this instruction shall be penalized BDT 10,000 by these harmful teams.

It could be talked about right here that, Biden administration has been overtly meddling into Bangladesh’s home affairs together with January 7 common elections, which even American media sees as “bullying”.

Writing for the Wall Avenue Journal, Sadanand Dhume mentioned, “Biden’s administration, aiming to differentiate itself from the Trump period, has sought to penalize Sheikh Hasina’s authorities for human rights abuses and suppressing opposition by way of “mass arrests”. Nonetheless, the prime minister has “thumbed her nostril” at these efforts”.

Dhume wrote, “Sheikh Hasina skillfully countered American stress by constructing alliances with Russia, China and, most importantly, India, which sees the prime minister as a stabilizing pressure in a “unstable area”, and he

hypothesizes that from the Indian viewpoint, regardless of Sheikh Hasina’s “shortcomings”, stating another authorities led by the BNP poses better dangers. The BNP, traditionally allied with the Jamaat-e-Islami, has been linked to assaults on Bangladesh’s Hindu minority and supplied shelter to separatist and terrorist teams concentrating on India.

January 7 could flip into an important day for Bangladesh – the third-largest Muslim nation on this planet, at a time ultra-Islamist and jihadist forces are overtly displaying fangs, producing excessive wariness among the many individuals within the nation and the area, as an Islamist takeover of Bangladesh would flip it into one other neo-Taliban state. Such concern is steadily getting intensified, as in recent times the Bangladesh Nationalist Get together (BNP), which is termed as a “Tier-III terrorist group” by quite a few US courts, and its ideological allies  – akin to Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and pro-Caliphate Hefazat-e-Islam (HeI) – are getting uncovered sympathy of the Biden administration.

The Biden administration’s latest actions could have extreme penalties for Bangladesh, doubtlessly turning it right into a neo-Taliban state. Following the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, many Afghans who had supported and collaborated with US forces had been left in a weak place, focused by extremist teams. Now Biden is making an identical mistake in Bangladesh, a South Asian nation, by seemingly supporting Islamist forces with a protracted historical past of anti-American, antisemitic, and anti-Western sentiments, the place these Islamist bigots had been on file for setting fireplace to American flags and chanted slogans akin to “Demise to America” and “We will develop into Taliban, Bangla [Bangladesh] will likely be Afghan”.

It could be talked about right here that, throughout the 2001-2006 rule of the coalition authorities of the Bangladesh Nationalist Get together and Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), there have been a number of incidents in Bangladesh the place American flags had been burnt by protesters. These protests had been usually triggered by numerous components, akin to political developments, worldwide occasions, and public sentiment.

The Biden administration’s disturbing diplomacy has raised issues concerning the long-standing relationship between the US and Bangladesh, doubtlessly jeopardizing the 51-year historical past of cooperation between the 2 nations. Because the US acknowledged the newly impartial Bangladesh in 1971 after its victory over Pakistani occupation forces, the connection had been marked by cordial cooperation and important improvement partnership. Nonetheless, this constructive trajectory now appears to be taking a troubling flip resulting from President Joe Biden’s disastrous diplomatic method. In recent times, the Biden administration has claimed to uphold democracy however has proven hostility in direction of Bangladesh’s ruling secularist Awami League authorities, whereas seemingly collaborating with the ultra-Islamist Bangladesh Nationalist Get together and its jihadist allies, together with Jamaat-e-Islami. This method is dangerously pushing Bangladesh in direction of a future harking back to a neo-Taliban state or perhaps a caliphate.

Of additional concern is the lively help for Islamist teams, together with BNP, JeI, and Hefazat-e-Islam (HeI), by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and officers on the State Division. The US ambassador in Dhaka, Peter D. Haas, has been noticed associating with people who burn American flags and even threatening Bangladeshi media shops with visa-related penalties to coerce them into selling the agenda of those Islamist forces. By supporting the BNP, the Biden administration could inadvertently bolster a corporation with an agenda that contradicts American values and overseas coverage aims. The BNP’s purpose is to ascertain Sharia Legislation in Bangladesh with the backing of Islamist allies, doubtlessly remodeling the nation into an antisemitic caliphate, mirroring the Afghan mannequin. Such a improvement might considerably undermine US pursuits within the area as effectively the rise of ultra-Islamist forces within the nation would doubtlessly pose severe safety threats to neighboring India, Myanmar and past.

In the meantime, BNP has referred to as for common strike on January 6 and seven with the aim of obstructing the final election and forcing Sheikh Hasina to resign and hand over energy to ultra-Islamist thugs. Members of Bangladesh Military Forces have already been deployed all through the nation on January 3 to take care of legislation and order and stop any subversive or terrorist acts of BNP and its allies. State of affairs is genuinely tense as BNP, Jamaat and different Islamist and jihadist forces would have interaction full-forces to create absolute lawlessness and implement a reign of terror. Within the meantime, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who was sentenced to 6 months jail on January 1 and granted bail for one month is on play contacting his overseas connections akin to Hillary Clinton and PR companies to launch large political stress and media assault concentrating on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The USA has mentioned that it’s going to proceed to comply with the additional developments of the sentencing of Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus by a Dhaka labor courtroom.

Yunus, who again in 2007 tried to come back to energy by excluding Awami League with the direct help from Hillary Clinton has once more develop into politically formidable. He too has joined fingers with BNP and different ultra-Islamist forces to actualize his ambition.

With such disturbing and alarming realities – January 7 shall stand as extraordinarily essential to Bangladesh’s very sovereignty and even existence because the Biden administration is determined in planting its mercenaries in energy in Dhaka. Nations within the World South wants to remain further vigil and proceed to increase their fullest help in direction of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Awami League in holding a free and truthful election with due festivity on January 7 and proceed in energy for the sake of Bangladesh’s nationwide curiosity in addition to curiosity of the area and past.