The Jamat-e-Islami
Bangladesh is carrying out atrocities across Bangladesh as its supporters are
attempting to foil the on going trial of war criminals. The news media is
flooded with images of burnt electric-sub-station and fallen policemen. It is
also targeting the religious minorities, ransacking temples and attacking households
of Hindu citizens. These rise two questions; firstly, why they are wedging a
war against few selected targets and secondly, what to expect next?
The answer to the first
question brings us to a strategy tried out globally by an Islamist outfit
called Muslim Brotherhood. This organization has been following a very
specific approach in applying terror. The same footsteps are followed in
Bangladesh by Jamat-e-Islami. This Islamist terrorist organization lines up its
targets as follows:
First target the “uniform”.
They realize that “uniforms” specifically those associated with the law
enforcing agencies are not particularly popular among the mass. People are
aware of misconducts and malpractices of the law enforcing agencies (in
Bangladesh the Police and Rapid Action Force etc.). This largely makes the “uniform”
a hated symbol. The Jamat-e-Islami Bangladesh as an obedient disciple of the
Brotherhood, began its violent campaign by attacking the police. Recently, when
a leader of the Chatrashibir (the student wing of Jamat and an organization
recently listed as terrorist) was arrested by police, the supporters of
Jamat-e-Islami Bangladesh deliberately attacked the police and wounded many of
these men in uniforms. One of them lost both of his arms down the elbow as a
result of explosions orchestrated by Jamat. They continue to attack the police
keeping two lessons of global terrorist movements in mind:
·
Jamat knows that people are
disassociated with the law enforcing agencies, therefore people will not take
an active role in protecting the police from the attacks of Jamat-e-Islami Bangladesh-
for the same reason; nor would they actively protest against such acts of
violence. However, every such attack would spread insecurity among the general
mass.
·
Jamat-e-Islami Bangladesh knows that
rural communities may not be too meticulous in practicing Islam, but are very
affectionate towards protection its dignity. Based on this premise, to agitates
rural communities it spreads rumors (such as Islam is under attack by the
government and the International War Crime Tribunals) to instigate violent mob
attacks. As the police is armed and has the constitutional mandate to protect
itself against fatal attacks- Jamat-e-Islami knows that the men in uniforms
will certainly fire lethal shots once they are fatally cornered. Jamat knows
that misinformed community people would be the prime causalities of such acts
of self-defense by the police. This would further alienate the police from the
mass and spread insecurity along with distrust towards the state.
Second, target the
institutions. Jamat-e-Isalmi Bangladesh is
continually undermining the authority of the state regarding the trial of the
war criminals. In this regard, Jamat preaches the “supremacy of holy scriptures”
to portray an impression that the laws and constitutional provisions of the
nation-state of Bangladesh come in conflict with Islamic scriptures. This is an
attempt of undermining the laws of the land and thereby making the war crime tribunal
irrelevant. Jamat has attacked the vehicle of the law Minister to demonstrate
that it targets the state- specifically the institutions that works to deliver
justice based on secular legislations. Once again, this is the second strata of
violent campaign followed by the global movement of Muslim Brotherhood. Through
these negative and violent campaigns make legitimacy of the state and its sovereignty
questionable – this in turn makes the mass uncertain regarding whom to pledge loyalty.
Third, target the
infrastructure. This is one of the most sadistic strategies
adopted by the Brotherhood. Based on this, Jamat-e-Islam Bangladesh had already
attacked bridges and electric plants (sub-stations) to rumble. The terrorist
psyche of Brotherhood preaches that once the infrastructures are damaged, people’s
access to essential public utilities is cut-off. It recognizes that in the
short-run this makes the campaigners (i.e. Jamat) unpopular as expensive public
resources are wasted and usual standard of living is hampered. However, Jamat
as an adherent follower of Brotherhood, commits to bring down public infrastructures
as it knows that, after a while, people start blaming the government for not
being effective in protecting its property and not being prompt in re-establishing
the broken service delivery mechanisms. People thereby are taken in as hostages
– once again this spreads insecurity and alienates the citizen from the state.
Fourth,
attack the religious minorities. This is a cowardice and
covert approach mastered by all the outfits of Muslim Brotherhood to divide citizens
and to engage neighbors in self-defeating conflicts. In Bangladesh, Jamat has
attacked the Hindu-temples and Buddhist-pagodas. It has killed, raped and
brutalized the religious minorities in the strongholds. Jamat has attacked the
religious minorities, like all other Brotherhood outlets, to mobilize emotional
supports of the Muslims just because Jamat is an organization of “Muslims”. It
attacks the Hindus and Buddhists to mislead the majority by implying that the
minorities are attacked because they have masterminded the war-crime-trial just
to harass few “Good Muslims”.
Last,
attack the politicians. Muslim Brotherhood’s terrorist
strategy keeps this as the last resort. They use the above four forms of
violence mainly to negotiate with the politicians in favor of their mission. Important
to note that a successful negotiation in favor of Jamat-e-Islami Bangladesh does
not only mean that the trail of the war criminals is discarded; it also means
that the democratically elected government is no longer in a position to govern
the state of Bangladesh. Only when negotiation fails or does not move in their
favor- the terrorist cult called Muslim Brotherhood choose to attack the
politicians. Jamat-e-Islami Bangladesh has now reached this stage. This is the
most critical junction. Once the politicians are attacked, the Brotherhood
pushes the agenda of “failed state” to dismantle the democratic system of
governance. Thus the outcome of negotiation and the attack on politicians is the
same- defeat of democracy at the face of fascistic violence!
Conclusion:
The dark grammar of
sickening violence followed by Jamat-e-Islami Bangladesh must be unmasked so
that we can clearly differentiate Jamat from democratic political forces. The
path taken by Jamat clearly indicates that, Bangladesh has reached the final
stage of violent onslaught of Bangladeshi branch Muslim Brotherhood when the politicians will be targeted if negotiation does not favor Jamat. An attack on politicians in Bangladesh would also involve attacks on the youthful-peaceful demonstrators of Shahbag Square along with attacks on the religious minorities, women and human rights activists and cultural activists across the country. Negotiation with Jamat will also lead to the same results as it would favor the undemocratic demands of a terrorist outfit that does not acknowledge the very sovereignty of the state of People's Republic of Bangladesh. This further
implies that without a comprehensive legal, economic, social and political ban on the
organization (on the ground of terrorism and ethnic clinging) - the future of
democracy and human rights in Bangladesh cannot be ensured.
