Progressive force its prime target

It is through its websites, blogs and publications that the militant group Ansarullah Bangla Team instigated the killing of blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider on February 15. But more chillingly, the group, popularly known as Ansarullah Bahini, uses the internet to promote making bombs with easily available local materials.
One posting titled, "Make a bomb in your mother's kitchen", on the Ansarullah Bangla Team website lists bomb-making ingredients and details how to make one within a day to kill at least 10 people.
The group's main influence and spiritual leader Saikhul Hadith Mufti Muhammad Jasimuddin Rahmani, who was arrested on Monday from Barguna, sees eminent citizens as "enemies of Islam" and calls on his followers to "punish" them by killing them.
In his books, he specifically mentioned columnists, writers and bloggers, including Daud Haider, Taslima Nasrin, Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, Ahmed Rajib Haider, Asif Mohiuddin, Arifur Rahman and Ibrahim Khalil, as people who should be thwarted.
Comparing atheists and bloggers with cancer, Jasimuddin wrote that "atheists and non-believers" must be killed, supporting his view with references from Hadiths.
His books, such as Unmukto Torobari (open sword), Jugey Jugey Shoitaner Hamla (Devil's Attack throughout the Ages), Tawhider Mul Shikkha (Basic Teachings of Faith) and Islam O Attoghati Musulman (Islam and Suicidal Muslims) instigate and encourage the killing of atheists and non-believers.
In a CD that recorded one of his Friday sermons, Jasimuddin, referring to the women policy and women's rights, claimed that the Quran had asked women to be in their homes.
He then declared: “Home is your [women's] office."
Such sermons are posted on different websites of the group, including Jasimuddin's personal ones. Some of the websites are qitalmedia.wordpress.com, jumuarkhutba.wordpress.com and furqanmedia.wordpress.com.
The Daily Star tried to access these websites last night but failed.
Yesterday, detectives raided Jasimuddin's Markajul Uloom Al Islamia Madrasa in Metro Housing at Bosila Road in the capital's Mohammadpur and seized hundreds of books, booklets, leaflets, CDs, computers and printers from his bedroom, study room and store room.
Moshiur Rahman, assistant deputy commissioner of Detective Branch of Police, who led the raid, said: “Jasimuddin, being a good orator, attracts a huge crowd of university students from Dhaka University, Buet and North South University [NSU] at his madrasa at Mohammadpur.”
He said the five NSU students who were arrested in the Rajib murder case had admitted that they were inspired by Jasimuddin's preaching to murder the blogger on February 15 in the capital's Mirpur.
Moshiur added that Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis, who was sentenced to 30 years in jail in the US for plotting to bomb the US Federal Reserve Bank in New York last year, frequented Jasimuddin's madrasa.
“Inspired by his preaching, young university students form small groups and conduct Islami Halaqa [religious gatherings] in different parts of the capital, including Dhanmondi, Jigatola and Sayedabad. These groups also prepare a list of people who directly or indirectly speak or write against Islam, and ready themselves for attacking those on the list,” he said.
“These groups also send "Mujahideen" to different countries, including Afghanistan, Yemen and Pakistan where, according to them, Muslims are being oppressed.”
Moshiur said when riots broke out in Myanmar last year, Jasimuddin through his preaching called on young Muslims to prepare for an armed Jihad.
“Young men were told to gather at Nila Mosque in Teknaf and then enter Myanmar by crossing the Naf river and fight. About 100 students, including the five who planned and executed Rajib's murder, went to Teknaf.
“However, the plan did not work out as Jasimuddin, unable to evade the law enforcers' close watch on him, could not leave Dhaka,” Moshiur said.