Tackling militancy gets tough for policy
Although the law-enforcement agencies have listed 29 Islamic organisations for suspected involvement in militancy, they have trained their focus only on outlawed Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Harkatul Jihad al Islami (Huji).
Sources in the law-enforcement agencies say they are not in a position to take a tough line on the suspected outfits unless they get hard evidence of terror activities against them.
“A crackdown on the suspected organisations requires a government policy in this regard as the issue is linked to sensitive religious matters," says a top law enforcer.
He however argues they are closely tracking these outfits since the official drive against militants started in 2005 following the synchronised country-wide blasts by already executed Abdur Rahman and Bangla Bhai-led JMB.
Of these listed organisations, some are large and the rest are minor, but all of their activities are apparently confined to mosques and madrasa-based discussions and Islamic 'dawat' (invitation).
"We have observations that the objectives and statements of many of these organisations are identical to those of JMB and Huji. But it's not enough to get tough on them since such activities are allowed in the country unless anyone commits terror activities like JMB and Huji did," commented Rab Additional Director General Col Gulzar Uddin Ahmed, who is one of the key-men behind anti-militancy drives.
The government has so far banned four Islamist militant organisations -- JMB, Huji, Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh and Shahadat-e al Hikma.
The sources say apart from the four, the 29 listed outfits include the Bangladesh chapter of international organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir Bangladesh, 10 of whose leaders and activists were arrested in Rajshahi on September 18 and freed on bail on September 30.
Hizb ut-Tahrir is a worldwide controversial organisation, which is banned in many European and Middle Eastern countries and also in neighbouring Pakistan.
Islamic Democratic Party (IDP), a political party recently formed by leaders of banned Huji who had fought in Afghanistan against former Soviet forces and had linked to al-Qaeda and Taliban forces, is also on the updated list.
As the drive against Huji remains limited only to detained Mufti Hannan-led faction, the other key Huji leaders, who founded the outfit, have floated the political party and are continuing open activities.
The other listed outfits are Hizb-ut Towhid, Allahr Dal, Islami Samaj, al Harat al Islamia, Jama'atul Faliya, Towhidi Janata, Biswa Islami Front, Juma'atul al Sadat, Shahadat-e-Nobuat, Jama'at-e Yahia al Turat, Joyshe Mostafa Bangladesh, al Jihad Bangladesh, Woarat Islamic Front, Jamaat-as-Sadat, al Khidmat, Harkat-e-Islam al Jihad, Hijbullah Islami Samaj, Muslim Millat Shahria Council, World Islamic Front for Jihad, Joysh-e Mohammad, Hijbul Mahadi, Kalemar Dawat, Islami Dawati Kafela, al Islam Martyrs Brigade, Dawat-e Islam, Tanjim, Hizb e Abu Omar, and Jadid al-Qaeda Bangladesh.
Law enforcers say they have listed these organisations on the basis of different agencies' reports that these organisations share same ideologies and the ultimate goal of establishing rule of Islam in Bangladesh through jihad or turning the country into a Khilafat state.
"There is a strong possibility that the organisations might get involved in militant activities anytime. So, we're closely watching their activities," a source told The Daily Star.
Another source in a law-enforcement agency said leaders and activists belonging to some of the listed organisations could have strong link with the banned militant organisations like JMB and Huji. They are just using different names to dodge the eyes of the investigators, the source suspects.
The sources add law-enforcers suspect they might use different names not only to evade arrest but also to recruit more people under different banners and thus achieve the same goal.
The suspected organisations are also establishing a countrywide network under different banners while collecting fund from home and abroad. Taking up of different names also allows them to continue with the same types of activities uninterrupted in case any of it falls in trouble.
"We've collected names of different listed organisations through various means, but still we couldn't trace their leaders and activists and dens of many organisations as those are not well known and they don't have open activities," the source adds.
Giving an instance, the source says they have listed Jadid al Qaeda after they recovered its leaflets on the scene of serial bomb blasts at Kamalapur, Chittagong and Sylhet railway stations on May 1 last year claiming responsibilities.
Investigators have not yet traced the men behind Jadid al Qaeda though they started investigation since the attacks.
The sources say some of the organisations were operating their activities openly years ago, but many of them have stopped open activities following the anti-militant crackdown in 2005.
The cease in their open activities has left investigators in difficulties to track them, the sources add.
A top militancy investigator said they have yet to find out any firsthand evidence regarding those organisations' involvement in militancy. They are just continuing their campaigns, which they call 'dawat', to recruit members.
"There are many groups but how can we investigate their activities as they work inside mosques and madrasas? It could be easier for us to detect and monitor their activities if they met at hotels or other places," he said.
For the last few years Hizb-ut Towhid has been carrying out secret operations in the name of 'dawat' in different parts of the country, especially in the southern region.
In some cases police also arrested some activists of different Islamic organisations during their suspicious activities.
For instance, law enforcers arrested a few Hizb-ut Towhid activists in Bhola in early September for their suspicious movement.
Superintendent of Police of Bhola GM Azizur Rahman told The Daily Star over phone that Hizb-ut Towhid has recently started its activities in the district.
"We're closely monitoring their activities. The nature of their activities in Bhola suggests the organisation might have some activities similar to those of banned militant organisations," Azizur observed.
He said the outfit seems suspicious as Hizb-ut Towhid's activities have similarity with the activities and groundwork of banned militant organisations.
Earlier, law-enforcement agencies detained a number of thugs of the Islamic organisation from Barisal, Chandpur and Satkhira.
Besides, Hizb-ut Towhid operatives have been carrying out their activities in full swing in Patuakhali where they even have a temporary camp set up at the residence of an assistant teacher of a girls' high school in Mirzaganj upazila.
The organisations' activities surfaced early this year when some of its operatives were seen distributing books and leaflets propagating Islamist militancy among students of the school.
Hizb-ut Towhid in its different publications being distributed among its targets is trying to teach them that jihad or military programme or armed struggle is a must to establish the rule of Islam.
The organisation campaigns for armed struggle using the verses of the holy Quran. "… [if anyone] leaves jihad or armed struggle, they shall not be accepted to Allah as a momen [devout]," reads a publication of Hizb-ut Towhid titled "Islamer Prokrito Salah" [Real Salah of Islam].
In the book Hizb-ut Towhid says the Muslims as a whole are a military nation. The whole nation is a military force, each and every Muslim [man and woman] is a soldier, a Mujaheed and a warrior.
"The training of this military force is called Salah," the book reads.
"As long as the government allows such campaigns or activities and does not prohibit such propaganda, we cannot consider it as an offence," observes a top-level official of a law-enforcement agency.
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