6 Bangladeshi-American orgs urge US state department to declare Hefajat a terrorist outfit

Six Bangladeshi American organisations urged US Department of State to declare Hefajat-e-Islam Bangladesh a terrorist outfit and to ban the organisation immediately.

The six organisations -- USA Bangabandhu Parishad, USA Committee for Secular and Democratic Bangladesh, Forum for Secular Bangladesh and Trial of War Criminals of 1971, Bangabandhu Foundation USA Chapter, Sector Commander Forum USA Chapter and Bangladesh Liberation War Veterans, USA -- jointly sent a memorandum in this regard to Antony John Blinken, secretary of state of US Department of State.

In the statement, they said the leaders of Hefajat-e-Islam say the organisation is a religious one but their activities seem like terrorist outfits.

"Hefajat-e-Islam is trying to make a strong position in politics by conducting terrorist activities in the country in the name of religion," the memorandum reads.

It is hatching a deep conspiracy to turn Bangladesh into an Islamic state by carrying out malicious campaigns against women, attacks on minority groups and activities against the country's independence, the memorandum added.

If the extremist organisation is not banned and declared a terrorist outfit, the organisation could be a threat for not only Bangladesh but also for other Southeast Asian countries and the United States, the memorandum noted.