Paper no. 1031	18. 06. 2004
BANGLADESH’S ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISTS AND AL QAEDA PRESENCE: A Survey by Dr. Subhash Kapila   Introductory Background: Bangladesh’s Islamic fundamentalists activities and presence of Al Qaeda were once again brought into focus this month by two significant developments, namely: * Bangladesh’s directions for closure of Al Haramain organisation’s activities in the country after the United States pressurized Saudi Arabia to wind up this organization, involved in financing of Al Qaeda and Islamic Jehad, organisations .  * Bangladeshis with Al Qaeda links arrested in Japan. Presence of such activities in Bangladesh by it self may be the country’s own domestic problem but international concern is raised when such activities transcend Bangladesh’s borders and spill over into contiguous regions Bangladesh’s proximity to South East Asia where Islamic Jehad is raising its ugly head with unrestrained vigor, a region which was noted for moderate and liberal Islam, is a special concern for the United States. Bangladesh as a springboard and alternative base for Pakistan’s proxy war against India, in which Islamic Jehadis are used as the cats-paw stands highlighted in earlier papers. Worrisome is the fact that Bangladesh has not bothered to arrest these trends in any meaningful manner to convince the regional and international community that it is seized of the matter. These trends stood highlighted at intervals in the media, especially the international one and hence could not be dismissed as India-inspired.    “Bangladesh: Islamic Fundamentalism” Feature in ASIAWEEK, June 29, 2000: Indicative of the above was the named feature in ASIAWEEK magazine four years back. It highlighted the following: * Islamic fundamentalists stood accused of a bomb blast in port city of Narayanganj which blew up the district office of the Awami League and killed 22 people and injured 10  * Islamic fundamentalist groups like the ‘OKIYO JOTE and ‘HARKALUL JEHAD’ threatened to launch a Taliban style revolution in Bangladesh. * OKIYO JOTE activists stood charged with murder of policemen in a mosque where arms were stored * Once barred from politics, Islamic fundamentalists being encouraged by the Bangladesh military * Since 1976, all political parties have supported “madrassas”education in Bangladesh.  * All Bangladesh political parties seek support of Islamic fundamentalist parties.  The trend seems to continue even today, going solely by Bangladesh media reports.   Al Haramain Islamic Foundation Offices and Activities to be Closed in Bangladesh: The United States Treasury Department announced on June, 2004 that it was moving against the Al Haramain Islamic Foundation, a Saudi charity suspected to have funneled donations to Al Qaeda and militants activities in the Indian sub continent. Al Haramain’s activities in Dhaka as an Al Qaedist base were focused in the late 1990s by Yossef Bodansky and mentioned in an earlier paper of the author. The US Treasury Department FACT SHEET describes the foundation as “one of the principal Islamic organization providing support for the Al Qaeda network and promoting militant Islamic doctrine worldwide”. It had a network in 50 countries like Pakistan, Indonesia, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Netherlands and so on. Al Haramain’s activities in Bangladesh as reflected by the country’s media were as under:   * Al Haramain active in Bangladesh since 1992 in Chittaganj area.  * Dhaka.office opened in 1997. * Has a network spreading in 38 Districts of Bangladesh. Runs 60 mosques across the country. * Bangladesh country director of Al Harmain was a Sudan national named Hassan Adam. * The Foundation had a staff of 169 personnel including foreigners. While United States pressures may have forced the closure of this Al Qaedist linked Foundation, this step would be meaningless unless the Bangladesh Ruling Alliance (composed of Islamic Fundamentalist parties also) take measures to prevent its re-emergence in some other form, Bangladesh would also have to dismantle its district networks. Bangladesh media indicates that as per a pact signed last month the United States can take action against any terrorist outfit in Bangladesh. This could be a good deterrent. Bangladeshi’s With Al Qaeda Links Arrested in Japan:   The arrests of Bangladeshi’s with Al Qaeda links in Japan is a very worrisome event, as so far, one thought that such activities extended maximum up to the Southern Philippines. The ‘Straits Times’ from Singapore in a recent report datelined Tokyo came out with the following information: * Japanese police apprehended two more Bangladeshis, suspected of ties with the Frenchman Limel Dumont who allegedly provided funds and support for the Al Qaeda network. * Earlier three Bangladeshis stood arrested on the same count by the Japanese police. * Japanese police believe that the Frenchman had been attempting to set up a terrorist cell in Japan from March 2002 onwards, and has provided money and equipment to Islamic radicals including Al Qaeda. * The Frenchman’s cover was as a used car salesman.                   Rise of Islamic Militants as Covered Presently by Bangladesh Media: The Bangladesh media and other progressive forces are exercised by the rise of the activities in Bangladesh of Islamic militants. Media coverage this month on this count makes the following telling observation: * Although Government denies presence of militants in Bangladesh the recent vigilant actions of “Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh “ (JMJB) an outgrowth of “Jamaat ul Mujahiden” (JMB) underlines their rise. * JMB is the youth front of “Harakat-ul-Jehad”, an Al Qaeda funded front banned in neighboring countries and black listed by USA since 9/11. * The JMB in its camps trains its recruits in warfare. They have declared that the party wants to establish an Islamic rule in  Bangladesh based on Taliban ideology. * More than 100,00 JMB activists operate across Bangladesh * Some Islamic leaders from madrassas are also campaigning for the Taliban concepts and motivating young student to destroy the democratic structure * Political and cultural gatherings in Bangladesh are a special  targets for bomb blast by Islamic militants. This included the Sylhet bombing against the British High Commissioner. * “Despite a host of newspapers reports, the Government apparently cloaked all terrorism episodes in mysterious silence”. Once again it needs to be pointed out that the above observations do not emanate from India or are India-inspired. They are the painful observations of Bangladesh’s own media. Jamaat-e-Islamic (JEI)Amir, Matiur Rahman Nizami admitted in end-May 2004 that some extremist Islamic outfits might be indulging in adventures in the name of Islam, but his party JEI does not support them. Since the JEI Chief acknowledges the presence of Islamic Jehadi extremist organizations in Bangladesh, then as part of the ruling BNP Alliance he is in apposition to bring a clampdown on their activities. Will he or wont he?   Concluding Observations: Bangladesh has emerged significantly as a base for Islamic Jehadi and Al Qaeda organisations and activities in the last decade or so. This development gained impetus from a convergence of interests of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. That giving such impetus was at cross-purposes to United States strategic interests in South and South East Asia did not bother Pakistan or Saudi Arabia till now. Al Qaedist tentacles spreading from Bangladesh to Japan should make the United States to sit up. Bangladesh’s survival depends largely on American and Japanese economic aid as the most generous donors. Bangladesh, if for nothing else, should recognize that its economic survival lifeline provided by these countries could abruptly end if Islamic Jehadi and Al Qaedist Activities are not officially clamped down.   Bangladesh, as its media says, needs to stop cloaking all such terrorist activities in a mysterious silence.
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