Report of IPCS Panel Discussion held at the IPCS Conference Room on 6 January 2006 (Panelists: Matt Rosenstein, Bibhu Prasad Routray & Supriya Singh)

Chair: Amb Deb Mukherjee
Panelists: Matt Rosenstein, Bibhu Prasad Routray & Supriya Singh

Matt Rosenstein: US Perspective on Bangladesh

The conflict waged by non-state actors against the state and sustained violence has undermined governance in Bangladesh. The 17 August bomb blasts was a major incident even though casualties were less, considering that there were 475 blasts in 63 of the 64 districts. The terrorists' message was clear: to demonstrate their capability and to escalate violence at will, including attacks and assassinations. The leaflets of Jammaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) collected from the different sites demanded the establishment of Shariat and establishment of an Islamic form of government. Also, it demanded that the US and UK end their occupation of Muslim countries and called for the Ummah's unity against Western countries. The JMB has claimed that this is a conflict between Islam and democracy. It threatened NGOs in Bangladesh and asked them to stop their activities against Islam. It has been targeting prominent political leaders, including Awami League (AL) leader, Sheikh Haseena, and media persons, judges, NGO officials etc. It targeted the British Ambassador in May 2004 and the World Bank President in September 2004. The JMB's demand for removal of the British form of rule and legal system is the obvious reason for judges and attorneys becoming their targets. An important development is the rise of suicide terrorism since November 2005, when the first such attack occurred. With potentially 2,000-strong committed persons to undertake this task, it is a major concern.

Bangladesh also features in the Human Rights Watch list, where politically motivated kidnapping, attacks against women, and human trafficking are increasing. Transparency International declares it as the most corrupt country in the world. Despite all the evidence, the ruling BNP coalition government denies the rise of militancy and terms it as a mere conspiracy against the state. Though parties in the coalition government, Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Oikya Jote may not have direct contacts with militant groups, they are ideologically linked with these Islamist groups.

The government has tried to take action by involving all security mechanisms, particularly the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and has captured huge quantities of arms and ammunition from militant hideouts. The word 'Islamist' means those who profess idea of Islamic law and legal system and Islamic government. The US has proscribed the HUJI-BD for several years and its leaders Fazlur Rahman is one of the five signatories of World Islamic Front urging the Muslim community to wage Jihad against Western countries. There are 21 Islamist groups that have vowed to propagate a revival of Islam and are receiving money from Saudi Arabia's Revival of Islamic Heritage Society to build mosques and madrassas.

The US is concerned about developments in Bangladesh and the State Department issued a travel advisory to its citizens. Bangladesh was till recently considered a moderate Muslim state; with a large Muslim population and a functional democracy. Its security is important for stability in South Asia. Cooperation in tracking militant movements and the recent security forces operations and arrests have restricted the growth of militancy and further attacks. The situation in Bangladesh needs to be seen in a global context. Whether, Huntington's Clash of Civilization applies here or not, the notion of Islamic fundamentalism is essentially being juxtaposed against process of modernization and globalization of the country.

Bibhu Prasad Routray: Indian View on Bangladesh

Radical Islam in Bangladesh has come a long way over the years - from low-key mobilization to political power. The main features of Bangladesh's official response to terrorism are as follows:

1. Denial of the existence of the problem and blaming India,

2. Cosmetic law enforcement measures against extremist outfits and its leaders, and

3. Protection of alliance partners despite their linkages with Islamist militants.

Bangladesh has been a traditional and a willing host to militant outfits operating in India's northeast. As per the latest figures provided by India's Border Security Force (BSF), there are 192 militant camps in Bangladesh. Dhaka, however, all along denied the existence of such camps and the presence of militants. Bangladesh has also been a centre for ISI activities. The ISI and the DGFI of Bangladesh have coordinated their efforts along with outfits like ULFA, the Islamist outfits operating in Assam, the NSCN and NLFT and ATTF of Tripura. There have been several instances of meetings between the outfits and the radical Islamists.

The current coalition government in Bangladesh consists of Islamist political parties with an agenda of setting up an Islamic state. In fact, speaking on 30 April 2005, the JEI Chief Matiur Rahman Nizami said that his party has achieved its short-term goal of coming to mainstream politics and asked his party colleagues to work for achieving the long-term programme to turn Bangladesh into an Islamic State.

India's problems get complicated as these parties are avowedly anti-India. Bangladesh is seen as the extension of Pakistan's terror arm. Reports indicate that Pakistan based outfits have relocated their camps and training centres to Bangladesh, where the BNP regime has been found to be a willing partner. Intelligence sources maintain that Pakistan has adopted a new technique of spreading terror in the country by directly recruiting Bangladeshi residents after facing criticism from international circles over its role in spreading terror. Most of those indoctrinated are in their early 20s and are from economically weak sections of the population. Initial training is provided to them in Bangladesh, after which they enter Balochistan for advanced training through the porous Indo-Nepal border. They are then sent to India to execute their attacks, after which they subsequently return to Bangladesh. Bangladesh's connection with Al Qaeda is under speculation, but it is more or less confirmed. The 4,095 km long border with India is largely porous, allowing unhindered movement of migrants as well as militants. Efforts at border fencing have remained slow and tardy due to a variety of factors including objections raised by the Bangladesh government. The border areas of West Bengal and Assam are thus in danger of becoming safer rear areas for Bangladesh's fundamentalist Islamist militants.

India is seen as a big brother, but has not acted like one. It took nearly a decade for Bhutan to act against Indian militants in its territory. Bangladesh continues to rebuff India's requests to act against the militants in the northeast. Bangladesh has not only ignored Indian concern, but has also resorted to issuing threats to the Indian government. Now, India too has to look inside to seek an answer to such developments. Its policy towards Bangladesh swings frequently between friendship and cooperation to occasional reassertions of its position. The BSF regularly submits lists of militant camps in Bangladesh, but there have been several occasions when Union ministers have given a clean chit to Bangladesh, absolving it off all anti-Indian activities. In the last quarter of 2005, Union Minister of State for Defence, Bijoy Krishna Handique, was reported to have said that India does not believe Bangladesh harbours any anti-India militants. Such statements have only weakened India's case. Even after the series of Bangladeshi militants' involvement in terrorist incidents in India, intelligence sources in India tend to think that it still can be managed and keep concentrating on the Kashmir based militants. There needs to be a review of India's policies on Bangladesh and its response to these developments.

Supriya Singh: Jammaat-ul-Mujahideen: A Profile

The JMB is an Islamist militant organization formed in 1998 in Palampur, Dhaka division. It was noticed for the first time on 20 May 2002 after the arrest of eight of its members in Parbatipur in Dinajpur district. The JMB is believed to be the militant front of the Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) or 'Awakened Muslim Masses'. The JMJB came to limelight in 2003 after the operation in Khetlal, in which 18 militants were arrested with leaflets detailing the organization's activities. The government on 23 February 2005 proscribed both the JMJB and JMB.

The top leadership of the JMB comprises of Maulana Abdur Rahman, Siddiqul Islam alias 'Bangla Bhai' and Dr Mohammad Asadullah al-Ghalib. Maulana Abdur Rahman, the spiritual leader of JMB, studied and worked in Saudi Arabia. Bangla Bhai goes by various names - Siddiqul Islam, Azizur Rahman, Siddiqur Rahman etc. Though he denies having any connection with Al Qaeda or the Taliban, he is believed to have received arms training in Kandahar in Afghanistan. Ghalib was an Arabic teacher at Rajshahi University and was running Al-Tahreek magazine as the chief of Ahle Hadith Andolan Bangladesh (AHAB), which is mass platform for JMB activities. The JMB ideology is very similar to the 'Salafiyya' movement, which aims at propagating Sharia and is opposed to democracy. The JMB is also opposed to any form of entertainment and cultural functions. Vigilante justice is another major ideology of the JMB and JMJB as well. The JMB's main targets have been members of the judiciary, intellectuals, poets, leftist rebels, minority groups like Hindus and the Ahmadiya community and other symbols of public life.

The JMB's highest decision-making body is called 'Majlish-e-Shura', of which Bangla Bhai is a member and commander of the anti-Sarbahara (the leftist outlaws) venture. The JMJB has a three-tier system for its cadres:

• Ehsar - Fulltime activists who act on the directives of higher echelons

• Gayeri Ehsar - comprises of part-time activists

• Third tier - This involves people from all sections who indirectly cooperate with the JMB and JMJB

The Rohingya Muslims from Arakan State of Myanmar are easy recruits. The political support to the JMB comes from Jammat-e-Islami (JEI), which is a partner in the coalition government. The Jamaat is inspired by Ikhwan-ul-Muslimeen or the Muslim Brotherhood, which was set up in Egypt in 1928 with the aim of bringing about an Islamic revolution and creating an Islamic state. Several madrassas are also believed to be recruitment bases for JMB. The JMB is active in northern and northwestern Bangladesh and in the south and central areas. It has divided Bangladesh into nine organizational divisions with a divisional office each in Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet and Chittagong, two in Dhaka and three in Rajshahi.

International NGOs like Kuwait-based Revival of Islamic Heritage Society (RIHS) and Doulatul Kuwait, Saudi Arabia based Al Haramaine Islamic Institute provide generous funding to the JMB. It is suspected of being the youth wing of Harkat-ul-Jihadi-Islami Bangladesh (HUJI-BD), which itself is linked to Al Qaeda and Pakistan-based LeT and JeM. In 2005, the JMB carried out serial bomb blasts on 17 August in 63 of 64 districts in the country. On 3 October, serial blasts occurred in courtroom in Chandpur, Laxmipur and Chittagong districts. Further, the JMB organized three suicide bomb attacks respectively on 29 November, 1 December and 8 December. Many prominent militants have been arrested during the massive combing operations of RAB, but it remains to be seen whether Bangladesh can control their activities.

Discussion

Fundamentalism Vs Democratic Institutions: The problems began in the country when democratic secular institution came under threat of Islamic fundamentalism. This has been the primary responsibility of the Government. Unfortunately, Bangladesh politics became evidently unable to manage the crisis because of the association of ruling coalition government with the fundamentalists. The presence of Islamist parties' in power and their strong political support led to the gradual transformation of a secular Bangladesh to a more fundamentalist and radical state. Weakened democracy and bickering amongst major political parties also provided space for these elements to build their own support base. Though there is a lot of expectation, it is doubtful that if this state of affairs will continue, whether Bangladesh can remain a democratic and moderate country.

Bangladeshi Migration: Apart from other identifiable challenges, India's most important threat is the silent demographic invasion from Bangladesh. According to a report on migration by Madhav Godbole, 1,50,00,000 illegal migrants are present in India and 3,00,000 enter every year, at a monthly rate of 25,000. Even if the rate of illegal migration drops dramatically, the problem for India will remain dire in the future. The large presence of Bangladesh migrants in India and their involvement in criminal activities endanger the law and order situation in major cities. The first generation migration is often for economic reasons, hence they are hard working and are an asset to a host country. It is mainly among the second generation that there is a clamour for economic and social equality and demand for equal rights and opportunities. The numbers of second-generation Bangladesh migrants today is very high in India and the risk of violence from them is great, which is a cause for serious concern. India has to deal with the problem both of reducing the numbers of illegal migrants into its territory and also of ensuring that they do not create violence against the state.

Violence & Bomb Blasts in Bangladesh: The recent bomb blast attacks are not really intended to terrorize the people, but to warn the government about their presence. Considering the prevalence of a wide variety of arms in Bangladesh, including AK-47, LMG, HMG etc, why have they not used these in attacks? There were very few casualties in the attacks, which emphasizes the fact that these attacks were aimed to warn the government before the forthcoming elections. Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) never targeted fundamentalists and their operations are only taking place in the last six months and mainly against criminals. If the Government had wished it could have avoided the problems earlier itself.

Madrassas in Bangladesh: Madrassas in Bangladesh are comparatively well regulated by the state. There are two distinct types of madrassa education in Bangladesh. One is relatively liberal and the other is distinctly conservative and economic weakness of the state hinders their regulation. Madrasas and Islamic schools in Asia have large sources for rising funds particularly from Wahhabis of Saudi Arabia. Madrassas of Bangladesh provide Islamic scholars all over Asia, including to Kashmir. India too has not done enough to regulate its madrassas.

Pakistan & Bangladesh: There has been a significant involvement of Pakistan in Bangladesh's affairs and has been using Bangladesh for its own purposes. Moreover, it is not happening only in Bangladesh, but also in Myanmar and Thailand. Linkages between Pakistan-based terrorist organizations with Bangladesh groups are another major concern for all.

US & Bangladesh: US concerns are more on presence of Al Qaeda and its growing support inside Bangladesh. American response to terrorism in Asia emphasizes military action more than socio-economic countermeasures. Even in Nepal, its approach is more militaristic and perhaps that is not the way of addressing the issues. With the emerging strategic partnership with India, it should be possible to harmonize our actions more effectively.

Conclusion

A senior Muslim scholar has recently argued that the 'Clash of Civilization' is actually within Islam itself. Between those who profess the modern and tolerant view of Islam and others that have a more fundamentalist approach. While the former are in much larger numbers, the latter seem to be increasing their influence and are led by West Asia Muslims and hence, influenced by the more extremist versions of Islam. It is important that this struggle be launched within Islam itself and ultimately it will decide the fate of Islam in the world.

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