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| Muslims protest against a possible move to change status of State Religion Islam in the Constitution at Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. (Photo: AFP) |
On July 1
Bangladesh marked the 4th anniversary of a black day, but it passed silently as
the nation continues to shiver under the spell of the Covid-19 pandemic.
On the fateful
evening of 2016, five local extremists, linked with global terror outfit
Islamic State (IS), barged into a café in capital Dhaka and opened fire,
killing 20 guests, mostly foreigners.
The worst
terror attack in Bangladesh's history was the culmination of a deadly campaign
by homegrown Islamic extremists since 2013. The campaign left some 50 people
dead, including atheist bloggers, liberal writers, publishers and academics,
LGBT activists, religious minorities, and foreigners. Dozens of atheist
bloggers and writers fled to Europe and America following death threats.
It was a lethal blow to Bangladesh's long-held image as a liberal Muslim
country, and its economic and political fallout threatened the political future
of ruling Awami League.
The government
response was heavy-handed. Some 50 leaders and operatives of extremist outfits
were eliminated in a series of police raids, and dozens were arrested and put
on trial in the following months. Amid this massive crackdown, extremist
outfits almost broke down.
On the other hand, political and non-political Islamists were fought on
two fronts.
First, the
leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami, the country's largest Islamist party and
long-time opponent of Awami League, were put on trial, leading to executions
and jailing by War Crimes Tribunals, for their crimes against during 1971 war
of independence from Pakistan. The party is gasping for survival because of its
weak organization, infighting, and lack of influential leaders.
Awami League
was also successful in neutralizing some top radical Islamic groups like
Hefazat-e-Islam (Protectors of Islam) allegedly by buying out their leaders.
In 2013, Hefazat organized a rally of half of
million Muslims in Dhaka to demand a strict blasphemy law and execution of
atheist bloggers for defaming Islam. The rally turned violent as protesters
attacked vehicles, shops and clashed with police, leaving dozens dead and
scores injured.
Four years
since the café attack, has Bangladesh overcome religious extremism? Not really.
Three recent incidents show that extremism is alive and active in the naiton's social psyche, and the efforts to uproot it by brute force and political tact have failed.
