Democracy provides space for dissent; in Bangladesh, terrorists and fundamentalists are increasingly occupying this space. Ever since the first suicide attack on 29 November 2005 in Ghazipur and Chittagong, that killed nine and injured over 50 people, Bangladesh has witnessed a series of militant attacks on symbols of public life like courthouses, government buildings and press clubs.

The attacks have been attributed to Jammaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), a group formed in 1998 and suspected to be the militant front of Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB). Both groups were proscribed by the government on 23 February 2005. The recent attacks, however, represent a change in strategy of JMB from the 17 August attacks in Bangladesh when more than 400 bombs went off in 63 of the 64 districts in the country. If the August attacks were meant to establish a reign of fear while ensuring minimal casualty, the recent attacks were overt terror strikes meant to intimidate the population through indiscriminate violence.

The JMB and its allies want the propagation of the Sharia, thus, establishing Islamic rule in Bangladesh. They have also directed women to wear veils and have issued warning against the US and UK for occupying Muslim lands. The JMB's ire seems to be directed specifically against lawyers, as its objective is to cripple the judiciary, ensuring its collapse and hence paving way for the implementation of Quranic laws. The Leftist rebels or the Sarbaharas (the have-nots) and the religious minority groups like the Hindus and Ahmediyya have also come under JMB attacks.

Though Bangladesh has a history of violence, the recent terrorist attacks represents the bubbling cauldron of discontent that plagues society today. The coalition government is led by rightwing Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and supported by two Islamic organizations of dubious reputation - Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ). The top leadership of JMB comprising Maulana Abdur Rahman, Siddiqur Islam alias Bangla Bhai and Muhammad Asadullah-al-Ghalib have proven links with the JeI. This has helped JMB and JMJB to carry their operations without any hindrance and to evade arrests and other police actions. Many analysts believe that the unholy alliance between BNP, JeI and IOJ; in other words between politics and religion has broken the social, political and cultural fabric of Bangladesh.

Another factor that has contributed to the growth of orthodox Islam and extremism is the financial assistance provided by individual donors in Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Libya. Reports have confirmed funding of JMB by international NGOs like Kuwait-based Revival of Islamic Heritage and Saudi Arabia-based Al Haramaine Islamic Institute, Rabita Al Alam Al Islami, Qatar Charitable Society and many more. The money is also used to build mosques, madrassas and training of imams. The madrassas have been held responsible for fomenting extremism, and training and recruiting youths to carry out jihadi activities.

A pertinent question to ask would be is Bangladesh a new front for Al Qaeda. The Economist ran an interesting story, "A Vote for Bin Laden" in September 2001, about the presence of Bin Laden posters during Bangladesh's general election campaign that year. In addition, JMB is suspected of being the youth wing of Harkat-ul-Jihadi-Islamia Bangladesh (HUJI-BD), which itself is linked to Al Qaeda. Furthermore, HUJI-BD has linkages with Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), a fact that came out in the open with the arrest of Aftab Ansari alias Farhan Malik, prime accused in the Kolkata American Centre terrorist attack of 22 January 2002.

Bangladesh projects itself as a moderate Islamic state and is the third largest home to Muslims in the world. Around 50 per cent of the population is below the poverty line and 75 per cent is unemployed in this eighth most populous country. Despite these drawbacks, the economy has been growing at a steady rate of 4-6 per cent per annum and it has better social indicators than India (for example e.g. micro-credit financing that has empowered hundreds of women) thanks largely to foreign aid agencies like the Asian Development Bank and donors. But if the current spate of terrorist attacks is allowed to continue it can spell doom for Bangladesh's economy and can drive away potential investors that have been queuing up to harness the unexploited natural-gas reserves.

Bangladesh may not be on the brink of disaster, but that possibility cannot be ruled out. The political bickering between Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League and the ruling BNP led by Khaleda Zia has resulted in the weakening of democracy and debasement of the very essence of politics in Bangladesh. The "Talibanization" of Bangladesh is not imminent, but the dangerous concoction of poverty, weak political structure, unemployment and increased terrorist activities is steadily pushing it towards anarchy and chaos.