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December 12, 2005

Bangladesh: Islamic Politicians Threaten Violence, Islamists Threaten Women

The situation in Bangladesh is becoming critical. Recently, the leader of the coalition government invited the opposition to talks on the situation, which were turned down. Despite the absence of the Awami League and 13 other parties, the talks begin today at the office of the Prime Minister, Khaleda Zia.

The suicide bomb attacks on courthouses in Chittagong and Gazipur on November 29 and again at Gazipur courthouse on Thursday December 8 have put the country into a state of panic.

Since a wave of bomb attacks by Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) on 17 August this year, the actions of these Islamist terrorists have become increasingly more violent and extreme.

On August 17, where about 450 bombs were set off in 63 of the country's 64 districts, killing two people and injuring more than 100, leaflets were left at the scenes of each blast, from JMB. These letters demanded that Sharia law be applied in Bangladesh.

Similar letters have been posted to various authorities since that time, warning that sharia law was to be imposed. These letters warned of threats against the judiciary, and the first wave of bombs hit courthouses in three towns on October 3, killing two and injuring 15, including a judge. Letters were present when they managed to kill their first two judges in a bomb attack on November 13 in Jhalakathi.

Letters have been sent by JMB to the Bar Association before the attack on the Gazipur Bar Association building on November 28th, they have threatened schools, jails and police stations. All letters have demanded an institution of sharia law.

On Friday, Reuters announced that a demand had been sent to a Dhaka newspaper, hours after the bomb attack in Netrakona on Thursday (Dec 8).

This letter threatened that any woman not wearing a veil will be killed. The date from which summary executions will be in the New Year. "Women will be killed if they are found to move around without wearing burqa (veil) from the first day of Jilhaj," it read. Jilhaj occurs early in January. "Women, including non-Muslims, are hereby advised not to go out of home without burqa. Seclusion has been made compulsory for you," the letter warned.

One of the main people involved with Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh is Bangla Bhai (real name Siddiqul Islam), who is also involved with Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB), another Islamist group which aims to establish a sharia state. In the northern areas of Bagmara thana and Gabtoli in Bogra where Bangla Bhai has influence, women there are pressured to wear veils.

The somewhat ludicrous state of political affairs in Bangladesh, which was elected the most corrupt nation in one survey, for the fourth year running, by Transparency International, a Berlin-based monitoring organisation, is becoming a farce.

The Awami League have been critical of the government, whose minister for Home Affairs, Luftozzaman Babar stated on January this year: "We don't know officially about the existence of the JMB. Only some so-called newspapers are publishing reports on it. We don't have their constitution in our record." (Asian Times).

The government has been in power for four years, a coalition between the majority Bangladesh National Party (BNP) with the two Islamist parties, the Jamaat-e-Islami and the smaller Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ).

The IOJ and also the Jamaat-e-Islami have both been accused by the Awami League of having members who openly support the JMB. The Islami Oikya Jote have responded by claiming that the Awami League have been behind the bombings, even though they were subjected to bomb attacks in 2004.

The Jamaat-e-Islami claimed in the immediate aftermath of the August 17 Bombings that the Awami League must have been involved with the bombings, according to South Asia Analysis Group. The JeI stated that, at a rally in Dhaka, the Awami League conducted the unprecedented blasts as part of a blue print to make the country politically unstable.

At the same time, members of the BNP were also accusing the Awami League of involvement with the blasts:

Another ruling party MP, Deputy Minister for Land Ruhul Quddus Talukder said, "I don't think they (JMB) have such a strong network. Awami League must have done this using fake leaflets to destroy Bangladesh's image internationally."

The Awami League have earlier stated that members of the BNP and Jamaat e-Islami have tacitly encouraged the bomb situation to draw attention away from the economic and other problems facing the country.

The situation in the country has now reached a crisis of fear and uncertainty, and the tone of the rhetoric has become more serious. The Awami Leaque, has demanded that unless the government can stop the campaign of bombing, they will organise a protest movement to have them ousted, states New Nation.

Today, the Daily Star reports that the leader of one Mosque Association has threatened "dire consequences" for anyone in the media who cover "unfounded" reports against the Jamaat-e-Islami party.

Mufti Abul Kashem was addressing a rally in the southwestern city of Khulna on Sunday, in a protest against the bombings by the extremists.

He further threatened to demolish the newspaper offices that will publish any story implicating the Jamaat and other Islamist parties with the outlawed Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh and its destructive activities.

Hearing the threat, the journalists present at the rally moved to safer places.

In an article earlier we mentioned the activities of JMB in Tangail, and also mentioned that an organisation called the Revival of Islamic Heritage Society (RIHS) is widely believed to have helped fund the August 17 bombings and probably others.

Last week, the Daily Star reported that the RIHS, which is Kuwaiti based, and has been on a US State Department "exclusion list" since Jan 9 2002, is still operating with impunity in Bangladesh. And just days before the attacks on court buildings on November 29, the government approved a massive grant to the Revival of Islamic Heritage Society.

Among the contractors are some associates of the arrested militant leader Dr Asadullah Al Galib and his second-in-command Abdus Samad Salafi, said a reliable source.

The fund was released after RIHS' regional director general for Asia, Abu Khaled Falah Al Mutairee and its country director general, Abdul Aziz Khalaf Maalullah, both Kuwaiti citizens, lobbied the government till November 25 during their six-day visit to Bangladesh, said sources.

The money was to be used to erect mosques and madrassas, and to train imams.

Today, the Daily Star reports that intelligence sources have claimed that five terrorist training camps have been found in Tangail, and there at still 30 members of suicide groups distributed throughout the district, waiting for their signal to become "operational".

JMB started its operations in Tangail in 2000 it seems, establishing bases at Ahle Hadith mosques, at Balla and Rampur under Kalihati upazila, and at Delduar upazila sadar and its adjacent areas. Ahle Hadith Andolon Bangladesh (AHAB) is an organisation founded by Dr Asadullah Al Ghalib.

JMB trained militants in the forests at Kalian under Sakhipur, and Ataur Rahman Sunny, younger brother of Shaikh Abdur Rahman also the chief of the military wing of the banned outfit, would visit, one source claimed.

Tangail police arrested at least 50 militants from different upazilas of the district since August 17. At least two of the arrested are members of suicide squads.

Intelligence sources said at least 200 JMB cadres still remain in the district. At least 30 of them were trained in suicide attacks. Twelve of the trained 30 are from Delduar upazila, six from Kalihati, six from Sakhipur, three from Basail, two from Nagarpur, and one is from Ghatail upazila.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at December 12, 2005 2:14 AM

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