It was hardly a week ago when the news first came into my attention. It seems that internationally infamous militant organisation al-Qaeda was planning on an extension of operations. In particular, their leader Ayman Al Zawahiri proclaimed in his latest video message that they were planning on entering Bangladesh. For many of us, the biggest question was not why they would want to intervene in this small South Asian country, but rather why they had waited so long. Honestly, some of us are even surprised that al-Qaeda’s claim seems to indicate that they had not been involved in Bangladesh in the past, something I find highly doubtful. Maybe they are only finding it necessary to announce it now, but I doubt that I am alone in the conviction that they have been complicit in several events in the past couple of years.
Personally, I am not very surprised at this declaration of interest in Bangladesh on the part of al-Qaeda. Rather, I am surprised that they are this late in expressing their insurgent intentions. The fact that we are neighbours to what is definitely the largest democracy in the world, and arguably one of the biggest secular nations in the world, makes us an important piece in the sort of politics al-Qaeda is interested in. Nor does it help that our relationship with this neighbour has been somewhat strained in recent years, giving many quarters the opportunity to claim that our conflict is a religious one, whereas in reality it is more a geo-political one, the kind that exists whenever neighbouring countries are competing over some scarce resource. Be that as it may, the perceived religious tension that exists makes Bangladesh an ideal recruitment spot for Islamic militant organizations like al-Qaeda. It is no secret that a large number of Muslim youth all over the world feel that they are oppressed and their religion is eternally under threat, and al-Qaeda’s entire mode of operation is to leverage these feelings to manipulate such individuals for their own ends. At present, there is no dearth of such young people in Bangladesh, so it makes sense that al-Qaeda is turning its eye to us.
As a momentary aside, I cannot help but wonder how the Islamist organisations within Bangladesh feel about this recent development. Organisations like Jamat-e-Islami Bangladesh, Khilafat-e-Majlish, and most recently Hifazat-e-Islam have done their part in using Islam as a tool for indoctrinating their party workers, and have even gone to the extent of calling for armed struggle against the established government. More fringe groups like JMB have dabbled with suicide bombing and other terror tactics. However, few would argue that al-Qaeda is the biggest name today as far as militant organizations go. Once headed by Osama Bin Laden, the most wanted man in the world, al-Qaeda has claimed the responsibility for the horrific 9/11 attacks, and its spiritual advisor Anwar Al Awlaki is suspected to have goaded U.S. Army officer Nidal Malik Hasan to go ahead with the Fort Hood mass shooting in 2009. As far as training militants and deploying them is concerned, al-Qaeda is the most formidable, if not the most influential, name in today’s world. Do our homegrown Islamists feel empowered that such a name is planning to enter Bangladesh and forever change the game, or are they threatened that their brand of indoctrination and subversion will no longer hold any appeal for their target demographic?
Idle ruminations aside, there can be little doubt that this is cause for concern. As already mentioned, a significant number of young Muslims feel that their way of life is under threat, even in Bangladesh. Some of these individuals will go to any length to counter this perceived threat, and when that desperation is coupled with the sort of planning and resources al-Qaeda is known to have, it might well be a recipe for disaster. So what are we to do when faced by this imminent danger?
The reality is that every country, every family, every organisation, is bound to have its internal issues. The keyword here is internal. It is fine to squabble over these issues among ourselves. The U.S. Congress does little else. However, one thing that a lot of countries have managed to understand, but apparently we have not, is that these issues are internal. In times of peace, it is perfectly alright to debate over these issues for days on end. The best ideas are born out of such dissension. However, when threatened by an external entity, such internal issues must take the backseat. Last month, I took my 17-year-old nephew to the Liberation War Museum. After a 30-minute tour of the whole place, and a discussion of how things were back in 1971, his only remark was how Bangladesh seems to have been a more united country back then. My college freshman nephew saw something that most adults either do not see, or do not comprehend. In times when we are threatened by outsiders, we must make common cause. If we believe in the sovereignty of, and want safety and security for, Bangladesh, then an organisation like al-Qaeda cannot be anything but the enemy. It is therefore incumbent on all pro-Bangladesh quarters to unite and counter this common enemy. Every other issue can wait for until after we have secured ourselves against the common enemy.
Another issue that I feel must be discussed here is why militant organisations seem to be doing so well in Bangladesh. It is evident that a large fraction of our youth feels that Muslims, and the Islamic faith, are being oppressed all over the world and even in Bangladesh. I highly doubt the part about Bangladesh, but hardly anyone could argue that around the world there really is a lot of injustice being meted out to Muslims. However, one of the things I feel compelled to point out here is that most of this injustice has little to do with the Islamic faith. The issue of contention in Middle East is not the deity we worship, but rather a competition for land, one of the scarcest resources in the world. Muslims might feel giving it a religious tinge helps, but it actually does more harm. Recognising Israel as a war criminal is the human thing to do, not the Muslim thing to do. We need to be more inclusive when it comes to seeking support for Palestine, and not make it a position exclusive to Muslims.
Nevertheless, the perception of injustice is there, and at times that can be as detrimental as real injustice. More importantly, this perception is being used to indoctrinate young Muslims into engaging in hate crimes. Obviously there is a lot of energy in these young men and women, and a drive to do something. Maybe we, as a community, should find things that they could do to feel like they are somehow contributing to society at large, maybe even doing something to address the injustices they feel are rampant. Whether we agree or disagree with their opinions, these individuals are also citizens of Bangladesh, and a substantial part of our human resources. Something should be done to make them feel empowered; make them feel like they belong. We could engage them in community service projects, give them social issues to address and then get out of their way except to provide necessary logistic support. Nothing is as vulnerable to manipulation as a young, energetic mind with a lack of meaningful things to do. These people are our resources, it is time we found ways to utilise them and make them feel that they are part of the community, doing things to improve the community. If we alienate them, someone somewhere will employ them for their own cause. As is clear from the past week’s developments, that is a risk we can no longer afford to take.
——————————–
Hammad Ali is a senior lecturer of Computer Science and Engineering at BRAC University.
Source: bdnews24
