M I Ali
Last week most newspapers failed to give due importance to a news item in which the Commerce Minister Faruk Khan confirmed that his claim of Islamist Fundamentalists' involvement in the BDR massacre was not based on report or assessment by any Bangladeshi intelligence agency. The BDR incident is probably the most serious threat to the stability of the country since its independence and can not be taken lightly. It is therefore unlikely that a senior minister of the government would make wild guesses on such an important matter.
In this age of the internet, all one has to do is to browse the Indian newspapers to realise that the intelligence agencies of that country are trying desperately to establish a link between the BDR incident and the Islamic Fundamentalists. They have created scenarios based on the BDR incident to present Bangladesh as a country where fundamentalist elements have infiltrated into our armed forces. This will be very damaging to Bangladesh as this country has the second largest contingent of UN Peacekeepers, ahead of India.
The above incident brings to light the seriousness of the threats that Bangladesh faces from the twin attacks of the Islamist Fundamentalists and the Anti-Islamist Fundamentalists. Much has been written about the Islamist Fundamentalist threats to our country however not much has been investigated about the threats we face from the Anti-Islamist Fundamentalists. The Islamists have their links with the Taliban of Afghanistan and have the stated objective of converting Bangladesh into a society where their interpretations of Islam will be followed. The Anti-Islamists of Bangladesh have their links with the Hindutva Fundamentalists of India who dream of establishing Akhand Bharat where Upper Cast Hindu rule will prevail in South Asia. This brand of fundamentalists is as hazardous to Bangladesh as the Islamist brand. They also want to bring in fundamental changes in our society which will replace our unique Bangladeshi culture that has developed here over the last thousand years blending all religious cultures of the land with one that is predominantly upper caste Hindu.
Bangladesh is a land of moderates, there is no place for fundamentalists here, be it Islamist or Anti-Islamist. Minister Faruk Khan's statements should be the proverbial wake up call for all Bangladeshi nationalists that Bangladesh faces threats on two equal but opposite fronts. Both are threatening our liberal nationalist culture and are equally determined to deny us our way of life. Both are equally ruthless in their pursuit of taking over this country and nothing will stand in their way, be it our economy or be it our armed forces. And if the nationalist forces do not unite to face these threats, we will only have ourselves to blame for all consequences.
Last week most newspapers failed to give due importance to a news item in which the Commerce Minister Faruk Khan confirmed that his claim of Islamist Fundamentalists' involvement in the BDR massacre was not based on report or assessment by any Bangladeshi intelligence agency. The BDR incident is probably the most serious threat to the stability of the country since its independence and can not be taken lightly. It is therefore unlikely that a senior minister of the government would make wild guesses on such an important matter.
In this age of the internet, all one has to do is to browse the Indian newspapers to realise that the intelligence agencies of that country are trying desperately to establish a link between the BDR incident and the Islamic Fundamentalists. They have created scenarios based on the BDR incident to present Bangladesh as a country where fundamentalist elements have infiltrated into our armed forces. This will be very damaging to Bangladesh as this country has the second largest contingent of UN Peacekeepers, ahead of India.
The above incident brings to light the seriousness of the threats that Bangladesh faces from the twin attacks of the Islamist Fundamentalists and the Anti-Islamist Fundamentalists. Much has been written about the Islamist Fundamentalist threats to our country however not much has been investigated about the threats we face from the Anti-Islamist Fundamentalists. The Islamists have their links with the Taliban of Afghanistan and have the stated objective of converting Bangladesh into a society where their interpretations of Islam will be followed. The Anti-Islamists of Bangladesh have their links with the Hindutva Fundamentalists of India who dream of establishing Akhand Bharat where Upper Cast Hindu rule will prevail in South Asia. This brand of fundamentalists is as hazardous to Bangladesh as the Islamist brand. They also want to bring in fundamental changes in our society which will replace our unique Bangladeshi culture that has developed here over the last thousand years blending all religious cultures of the land with one that is predominantly upper caste Hindu.
Bangladesh is a land of moderates, there is no place for fundamentalists here, be it Islamist or Anti-Islamist. Minister Faruk Khan's statements should be the proverbial wake up call for all Bangladeshi nationalists that Bangladesh faces threats on two equal but opposite fronts. Both are threatening our liberal nationalist culture and are equally determined to deny us our way of life. Both are equally ruthless in their pursuit of taking over this country and nothing will stand in their way, be it our economy or be it our armed forces. And if the nationalist forces do not unite to face these threats, we will only have ourselves to blame for all consequences.
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