Once more, we find ourselves facing the ugly truth: Communal violence is very much alive in Bangladesh.

What is perhaps worse is the fact that these acts of violence — this time, the attacks were carried out on Hindu temples and Durga Puja venues across Comilla — are no more or less than what we have seen occur almost like clockwork every year.

It comes as little surprise that these tensions erupted as a result of a social media post which — it should be obvious by now — falsely showed the Holy Qur’an being besmirched at the Durga Puja celebrations at a Comilla temple.

While such an incident occurring once would have been one thing, its continued recurrence highlights the various ways in which our society as a whole continues to harbour hostilities between different communities despite Bangladesh’s rich and diverse history and landscape.

From the person who posted the initial video — who has since been detained and his post is being investigated — to the riled up masses who see no other recourse but to take matters into their own hands and that too with violence, there definitely exists individuals who use the sensitivities of the common people to create such disharmony, taking advantage of the people’s trust in certain authority figures and a lack of awareness regarding the ideologies and practices of their fellow countrymen and women.

It is encouraging to note that law enforcement has acted swiftly to calm the situation down and arrested 43 individuals in this regard, but these yearly arrests have done little to prevent such falsely provoked attacks from recurring.

The government must not only take a firm stance against those who encourage communal disharmony and bring them to book, but moving forward, it must generate awareness through community outreach programs in order to ensure that manipulating a group of people into becoming an angry mob is not as easy as it has been so far.

This article was first published in Dhaka Tribune and may be read here

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The 11th Islamophobia Observatory Report 2017-18 of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) describes a decreasing trend of Islamophobia.

The trend was measured in terms of number of incidents, and in comparison it was seen that the number was much lower to those at the last trimester of 2016, or at the first trimester of 2017.

According to the news outlet Daily Sabah, the report, which covers the period from July 2017 to April 2018, will be presented at the 45th Council of Foreign Ministers Conference on May 5-6 in Dhaka.

The report highlights the declining trends of “Islamophobia, intolerance, and discrimination against Muslims” in the US and Europe. The categories, which always topped the Hotspot List, now indicate noteworthy improvement despite the remaining “worrisome” overall situation.

According to Daily Sabah, the positive trends were assessed and essentially driven by considering four factors, namely: the failure of racist policies in the United States and the breaks within Trump’s far-right inner circle; the consensus and unilateral settlement of the “immigrant issue” in Europe; the defeat of far-right political parties at European elections, and the growing trend of inter-faith dialogue in Europe and the US.

However, the report reveals “manifestations of Islamophobia around the world,” and describes a general trend of fear against Islam and its “attire,” which is not necessarily regional or geographical in terms of character, with particular focus on “Islamophobic gestures and policies against veils, the hijab and burqa.”

The report also highlights some “positive developments” based on “actions, attitudes, sentiments, initiatives as well as other steps and positions” taken by governments or by non-Muslim individuals against Islamophobes.

The report delineates a set of recommendations – steps and actions – for the OIC and relevant stakeholders including member states.

The report concludes that despite its declining pattern, “the overall situation of Islamophobia remains alarming.” Consequently, it requires “serious actions at international and national levels.”

Collective and international endeavors to fight Islamophobia are expected to reduce its negative impacts on social life based on tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

This article was first published on Dhaka Tribune
 

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After three days of intense demonstrations around the country against quotas in public service, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced on Wednesday in an impassioned address to parliament that there would be no more quotas for government jobs in future.

Speaking in parliament, the prime minister criticized the protesters for not accepting the government’s offer to reconsider the quota issue and come up with a workable solution in one month’s time.

“All of a sudden the students say that they don’t want quotas. They launch a movement, stop attending classes, and block the roads. They stop patients from getting to hospitals, people from getting to work.

“Why make the public suffer? Let’s just stop this suffering and all this demonstration and trouble once and for all. Let’s cancel the quotas. I think that’s for the best,” she said.
 

‘Quotas were introduced for a reason’

A visibly angered Hasina deplored the protesters and pointed out that the quotas were put in place by previous Awami League governments in order to ensure equal opportunity, as mandated by the constitution.

“The constitution says no group should face discrimination. Small ethnic groups, women, people with disabilities – they should not be deprived. The quotas were created for that reason.”

“When I came to power in 1996, there were no female secretaries, no women in top government posts, senior police officials, or a High Court judge.

“In the Pakistan era, there were laws against women entering the judiciary. After the liberation, the Father of the Nation changed that and introduced a 10% quota for women.

“I worked the hardest to empower women. I put women everywhere. Now the girls are saying they don’t want the quota. They said they will compete in the exams. I am glad to hear that. If even the girls don’t want quotas, let’s just scrap the whole quota system,” PM Hasina said.

The prime minister added: “Classes and exams were suspended at all universities and the public are suffering from severe traffic jam due to the demonstrations.”

She said the students had demonstrated enough and “now we want them to return to their classes.”

The premier, however, added that the government would still create job opportunities for people with disabilities and from small ethnic groups after abolishing the quota system.

‘I was worried for their safety’

Hasina said her government took into account the students demand and the issue was discussed in the cabinet meeting, a day into the demonstrations.

“Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader was given the task to discuss with them and I asked the cabinet secretary to examine the issue and hold discussions with all concerned.”

“Many students accepted our word and many did not. . . many students stayed at TSC the whole entire night. Why it happened when the discussion was underway and what was the justification to continue the movement?” she asked.

Sheikh Hasina, who is an alumna of Dhaka University, said female students came out of their dormitories late at night and she could not sleep all night because she was worried for their safety.

“I kept calling the authorities, and I sent Nanak along with Chhatra League president and secretary to hold discussions with them,” she said.

The premier said her government was running the state on a principle and it was very much aware of the wellbeing of the students.

“We have established universities, extended scholarships to students. A developed country is built on an educated population, education is our top priority.”

“Whatever positions under quota remain vacant, we always fill them up from the merit list,” she said particularly referring to the 33rd, 35th and 36th BCS examinations.

“Otherwise how do 70% get appointed from the merit list?”

“All BCS candidates have merit. “The quota system served to represent underprivileged groups in the public sector, to give them a fair chance.”

Currently, 56% of all jobs in the public sector are reserved for quota groups, while 44% are filled from the merit list. Of the quotas, 30% are for freedom fighters and their descendants, 10% for women, 10% based on districts and 5% for national minority groups.

Students and job seekers began protesting against the quota system, demanding a reform, in mid-February. A road blockade that began at Shahbagh on Sunday evening turned violent after a police crackdown, and demonstrations escalated in the last three days.

Courtesy: Dhaka Tribune

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ISIS publication Dabiq says base in Bangladesh will launch guerilla attacks in India to "avenge the persecution on Muslims."

Hailing the July 1 Gulshan terror attack, international terrorist group Islamic State has now released a video calling for jihad in Bangladesh and threatening more attacks on “crusaders” and “crusader nations.”

The video message believed to be issued from Raqqa in Bangla was first found in an IS-affiliate website and then released on YouTube early Wednesday.

It comes as a follow-up to the dreadful attack on a Gulshan eatery in Dhaka last Friday that killed at least 22 people including 17 foreigners. The five others include two police officers. Police say six of the attackers were killed in “Operation Thunderbolt” carried out the next morning to end a 12-hour hostage crisis at O' Kitchen.

IS' Amaq news agency released the photos of five of their members several hours after the attack broke claiming responsibilities. Police, however, claim that most of the attackers were linked to local outlawed militant groups.

In the video, three of the speakers are of Bangladesh origin, but they could not be identified immediately.

One of them said they would not stop until establishing Shariah law all over the world. “The Jihad that has come to Bangladesh now has been promised by Prophet Mohammed,” he said.

“We will not stop killing the crusaders till then; we will win or die for our religion as martyrs and achieve shahadaat [martyrdom] … we don't have anything to lose.”

He termed the current form of democracy a shirk [deification or worship of anyone or anything other than Allah] or unforgivable crime.

“I want to ask you a question: how do you support this 'Shirk' notion of democracy? Don’t you know that it gives power to people to enforce law and have power whereas the power belongs to Alllah only? [according to the Qur'an]”

The second speaker labelled the government as kafir [non-believer].

“Since the govt has changed Allah’s law and has implied man-made law they are all 'kafirs' now. It is our religious duty to fight against it. Crusaders are killing innocents Muslims globally with planes and bomb attacks.

“So the Holey Artisan incident is our revenge to the lost blood of the hundreds and hundreds of Muslims who were killed,” he said.

The other speaker urged Muslim brothers and sisters to join the jihad saying it was what they had been dreaming of. “InshaAllah, Allah will accept our jihad.”

They all want Islamic rule

In its 14th edition of Dabiq magazine published on April 13, IS claimed that they have organisational base in Bangladesh (they term it Bengal), from where they have plans to attack on India and Myanmar to "avenge the persecution on Muslims."

“We believe the Shariah in Bengal won’t be achieved until the local Hindus are targeted in mass numbers,” said Sheikh Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif, the man leading the operations in Bangladesh, in an interview.

Bangladesh is referred to as “Bengal” throughout the interview and its members as “Soldiers of the Khalifah in Bengal.”

Abu Ibrahim said Bangladesh was important for global jihad because of its geographic position and proximity to India.

“Having a strong jihad base in Bengal will facilitate guerilla attacks inside India simultaneously from both sides [east and west],” he said in the interview.

Since September last year, IS has claimed responsibilities for at least 25 attacks killing foreigners, non-Muslim and non-Sunni preachers and police. They also launched bomb and gun attacks on Shia and Ahmadiyya mosques.

Meanwhile, Ansar Al Islam (believed to be outlawed group Ansarullah Bangla Team) which is representing al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) in Bangladesh has claimed credit for 13 attacks since 2013 killing a dozen of war crimes trial campaigners, secular bloggers, writers, publishers and LGBT rights activists. 

Police say another banned group Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh or JMB is also responsible for some recent murders and bomb attacks across the country. The outfit has been working in concert with other banned groups and IS with a view to establishing Islamic rule in the country by 2020 incorporating some parts of Myanmar and India, according to detectives. JMB joined the international jihadist platform in 2012.

On the other hand, two intelligence reports recently mentioned the name of banned international group Hizb ut-Tahrir for their involvement in the series of targeted killings, saying over 450 of its leaders and activists have remaind absconding after getting bail.

One of its members Ghulam Faizullah Fahim was caught by the locals last month while fleeing after hacking a Hindu college teacher in Madaripur. He was later killed in an alleged gunfight between his cohorts and the police.

The group, banned in 2009 for anti-state activities, called for the army to take over power and put them at the helm to establish Caliphate from an online political conference on September 4 last year.

In a video message on June 17, only two weeks before the Gulshan terror attack, Hizb ut-Tahrir urged the Muslims to join their Islamic revolution by uprooting the government terming it tyrant, corrupt and anti-Islam.

Republished with permission from Dhaka Tribune.
 

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