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Playing with fire on the Naf: Is Bangladesh unintentionally supporting the rise of Islamic Militantism across its eastern border?

Writer's picture: globalarakannetworkglobalarakannetwork

By GAN

Shortread: Opinions                                                                           January 23, 2025


Representatives of Islamic Militant Groups in Refugee Camps, Bangladesh (photocrd)
Representatives of Islamic Militant Groups in Refugee Camps, Bangladesh (photocrd)

A speech from a high-ranking official of the Bangladesh Government to the refugees in Cox’s Bazar camps is being called “reckless” and said to have “crossed the line.” The report features a snippet of the speech given by Mr Mizanur Rahman, the Honourable Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner, an Additional Secretary level official of the government of Bangladesh, reportedly urging the refugees in the camps to engage in violent activities in Arakan, presumably against the Arakan Army. This speech comes at a time of disturbing reports of people inside camps in Bangladesh being mobilised by Islamic Militant groups to stage violent attacks in Arakan. Contradictorily, a softer and more practical message of a peaceful approach was made by a more senior political figure of the Bangladesh government, Dr Khalilur Rahman. However, concerns should be raised about whether the firebrand message of the bureaucrat, Mr M Rahman, reflects some deeper thinking among some Bangladeshi policymakers to play with the fire of radicalism to burn down Arakan.


This prospect is even more concerning rather than a wild conspiracy theory in light of the recent developments in Bangladesh’s domestic politics and among the people currently living in refugee camps inside Bangladesh. Domestically, there are some indications of the rise of Islamic politics with streaks of radicalism. They include reports of violent attacks on religious minority students, communities and senior figures. These events have been occurring amid the significant shifts in politics from the proposed removal of the constitutional principle of secularism to the seeming ascendency of political parties with Islamic religious inspirations such as Bangladesh Jamaat e Islami. The BJI and other similar parties may have been legal in Bangladesh and legitimately drew religious values to inspire their political visions.


However, given the previous recent history of violent Islamic extremism, including the major bombing event in 2005 and the continued presence of the Jama’at Mujahideen Bangladesh, these recent events should sound some alarm bells. In their domestic ascendency, some of the Islamic groups with nefarious intents may project their ideologies onto those groups along the Arakan border. Recently, there has been an explosive acceleration of activities that can only be characterised as Islamic extremism. Bangladesh stroking these extremist ideologies at the border region of the Naf River would not only be determinant to itself but also may create huge mayhem for the whole Bay of Bengal region.


Over the last decade, Bangladesh has claimed the mantle of over-generosity for hosting a large Muslim community from Myanmar. Under the guise of hosting and supporting them as refugees, while unquestioned accepting of the false claims of fictitious identity and over-exaggerated narratives of political victimhood, Bangladesh has been deeply implicated in the domestic politics in Myanmar. However, Bangladesh may be actively instigating Islamic extremism with a view to influencing unscrupulous actors within the Muslim communities would be more than neighbourly interventions. It may result in the export of radicalism which will, unfortunately, turn into a form of violent extremism against all communities in Arakan.


Propaganda Image of Four Islamic Militant Groups (photocrd)
Propaganda Image of Four Islamic Militant Groups (photocrd)

Unfortunately, these groups claimed to be linked to Muslim communities in Arakan have a very dubious history, more intensively in recent months but on an ongoing basis for a long time. While using the guise of bogus identities, these groups have taken ethnic nationalism to commit ethnic cleansing against the Buddhist, Hindu and other communities in Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships. Despite the claims of “ethnic insurgency,” most of their activities are mostly aimed at creating terror among the Muslim people while driving other smaller indigenous communities away to claim the remaining land. Killings of ordinary people and lotting of any valuable properties have been their modus operandi.


Only in recent months, when the Arakan Army was trying to remove the junta’s troops from these border townships, the so-called insurgent groups conveniently joined the junta whose soldiers—probably some same individuals—who were said to have committed the genocide against their “own” Muslim community and forcefully recruited young Muslim men as cannon fodder. On the ground level, these groups are continuing to create havoc by attacking the local communities and the AA by crossing the Naff River, even after the removal of the junta troops from the border townships. Yet, blinded by the ideological dogmas, the international community has failed to see their persistent and long-term ethnic cleansing activities against other communities and the terror created among all communities in northern Arakan. The perpetrators have been refashioned as victims within the overseas-aid discourse. Such an approach should only be characterised as naïve and misguided. Worse, such an approach has ended up encouraging their fascistic missions and harmful agenda rather than a genuine, inclusive and sustained solution for everyone.


Countries and communities living so close to these areas, such as Bangladesh and Arakan, however, couldn’t afford to follow the lead of these international cheerleaders. We can ill afford to fan the flame that will eventually burn us. More importantly, if these groups were to continue to pursue their divisive politics in Arakan or were to inject themselves with religious extremism, they would only destroy the current good work of the United League of Arakan (ULA). Having control of these border townships through its military wing, the ULA is creating an inclusive administration and society in Arakan for all communities. International neighbours like Bangladesh should welcome such a positive approach. A peaceful Arakan would be good for the Bay of Bengal and a positive contributor to peace repository in the region.


Bangladesh, at least at the political level, agrees with this sentiment and supports establishing long-lasting peace and development. Yet, surprisingly, Mr M Rahman’s comments contradict this sentiment of the Government. We can only be hopeful that this is just a slip of the tongue of an operational-level official feeling frustrated and confused due to the rapidly changing situations. It is up to the Government of Bangladesh to clarify against Mr M. Rahman’s mistakes and allay the fears among its neighbours. At the same time, concrete steps must be taken and shown against any seeds of extremism or radicalism setting in amongst the communities in the camps so as not to create further instability among the diverse communities in northern Arakan. Allowing any groups, even with a slight ting of religious inspiration, would simply be stoking the fire that would turn the whole region into a huge inferno that would swallow our communities and erase our histories. It would turn the neighbourhood on the Naff River into a barren land without civilisation.

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