At stake - freedom

The present crisis in Bangladesh is a fight between progressive- secular and fundamentalist forces who want to turn it into a radical Islamic state. HAROON HABIB reports.

THE SHEIKH Hasina Government has finally started hitting back at the country's religious fundamentalists and the forces which still dream of seeing a united Pakistan in the name of religion, undoing the independence of the former East Pakistan, even after 30 years.

The risk for the Government is that this is election year and it has just months before handing over power to a caretaker authority for holding the polls. The ruling party believes the current religious frenzy is the result of a ``blueprint'' in which ``a secret agency'' of a particular country is deeply involved. It does not believe that the ``conspiracy ahead of the election'' will succeed.

Over the years, fanatics aiming at `Talibanisation' of Bangladesh have flourished, mainly because of patronage from outside the country. Initially it was under cover, but they now enjoy the open blessings of Begum Khaleda Zia, the main Opposition leader, who, despite criticism and warnings from her own sympathisers, brought all the radical groups under the banner of her four-party alliance. During the violence- marred hartals, the militant fanatics have enjoyed the vital support of the mainstream Opposition. Is the BNP-led alliance trying to use the fundamentalists to regain power or have the extremists already gone out of control?

Much before the present flareup of fundamentalist violence and the subsequent police crackdown, secular thinkers had been issuing repeated warnings about the impending danger. But no one, including the ruling Awami League, took the warnings seriously.

Suddenly came an issue - the High Court verdict declaring fatwas illegal. This bold and landmark judgment generated new hope for women's empowerment and liberation from age-old superstitions and religious oppression. But the mullahs were angry. The ruling was challenged and the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court stayed it partially. But the religious extremists did not stop there. They organised a large rally in Dhaka on February 2, assembling militant Madrassa teachers and students from all parts of the country, and finally issued death threats terming the two High Court judges, who ruled fatwas illegal, murtads.

It was a frenzy in the name of religion on February 2 and 3 as the fundamentalists caused a series of violent incidents - killing a police constable inside a mosque, burning and destroyed public and private property. The police, after initial restraint, went on the offensive. A large number of bombs and weapons were recovered from madrassas. Thousands of such fortified institutions have been built across the country over decades for religious education.

Only a few days ago, police also arrested several key leaders of a secret armed Rohingya organisation, which was working for an independent Arakan Muslim state that included Chittagong and portions of Myanmar. A large number of sophisticated weapons, documents and also videotapes of the military operations of Afghanistan's Taliban Mujahideen were also seized from their secret hideouts. Similar seizures were also made from various madrassas.

The Government arrested on specific charges the two top fanatic leaders - Maulana Azizul Haq and Fazlul Haq Amini, president and secretary general of the Islamic Oikya Jote (IOJ). Amini, the key man, recently formed an organisation to revive fanaticism - Committee for implementation of Islamic laws. Ironically, these fanatics are the central leaders of the Begum Zia-led Opposition alliance which recently vowed to overthrow the Hasina Government through a ``people's upsurge''.

For the first time, the fundamentalists decided to fight the police and the paramilitary BDR with guns, bombs, bricks and other lethal weapons. They also derailed a passenger train killing and injuring many.

The mullahs are also angry with non-governmental organisations, which work for women's empowerment and poverty alleviation. The NGOs organised a huge rally in Dhaka on February 3 to denounce the fatwabaj and the anti-liberation forces.

The fundamentalists, including the most organised Jamaat-e- Islami, an ally of Begum Zia's party, do not have any popular following, but their armed cadres, foreign funds and cheap religious slogans cause concern for secular-democratic Bangladesh. Even during the recent show of strength in the streets when several militants were shot dead by the police, they received little sympathy from the common people. Although critical about the Awami League's governance on several issues, the Left- democratic parties supported the Government's actions against the extremists, saying such measures were long overdue. The powerful print and electronic media of the country are also totally against the fanatics.

The present crisis in Bangladesh is a fight between progressive- secular and fundamentalist forces who want to turn it into a radical Islamic state. The ruling Awami League, despite its visible shortcomings and constraints, represents secular and progressive Bangladesh.

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