As a matter of fact the killings of freethinking bloggers prove that there are elements in the country who want to take Bangladesh back to the middle ages. The authorities should remain ever vigilant against the extremists and never allow complacency to creep in

Radicalisation is still a potent threat

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has categorically said that there is no chance of radicalisation in Bangladesh. She has confidently stated that Bangladesh is a secular country and Bangladesh’s intelligence and law enforcement agencies are very active to offset radicalisation moves. The premier said this while talking to visiting French minister of foreign affairs and international development Laurent Fabius and German federal minister for foreign affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier when they paid a courtesy call on her at her official Ganobhaban residence in Dhaka on Monday afternoon. We would like to share her confidence. And we welcome her reiterating the fact that secularism is one of the guiding principles of her policymaking.
The incumbent government, it must be said has been quite vocal against religious fanaticism. And time when the militants regularly bombed temples, churches, political rallies, cultural functions, cinema halls, etc. are hopefully things of the past. However it would be too idealistic and overly optimistic to think that radicalism is dead and buried. It is not. May be they are not as strong as before but certain media reports suggest that fundamentalist are trying to reorganise and planning on strategies to come back with a bang. As a matter of fact the killings of freethinking bloggers prove that there are elements in the country who want to take Bangladesh back to the middle ages. The authorities should remain ever vigilant against the extremists and never allow complacency to creep in.
Religious fanatics are the new fascists. They believe in the physical elimination of their political opponents. Unfortunately for the country, there have been tendencies shown by the major parties to appease the obscurantist forces to almost absurd lengths. Successive governments have settled for narrow political ends to placate the religious right with concessions.
One of the most important ways to fight Islamist extremism is to demonstrate the importance of respect for other religious traditions and the benefits to society of developing a culture of religious freedom and pluralism. Bangladeshis have a deep culture of pluralist traditions dating back cen¬turies. We need to nurture this pluralist, toler¬ant tradition in order to develop the country. Strengthening of democratic and liberal values can act as insurance against extremist ideologies. The civil society including the pro-Liberation forces should build up a strong resistance against sectarian forces and religious extremists.  Progressive forces must take the initiative to make people aware of the threat of communalism and extremism. Every citizen has a role to play in resisting extremism. 

As a matter of fact the killings of freethinking bloggers prove that there are elements in the country who want to take Bangladesh back to the middle ages. The authorities should remain ever vigilant against the extremists and never allow complacency to creep in

Radicalisation is still a potent threat

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has categorically said that there is no chance of radicalisation in Bangladesh. She has confidently stated that Bangladesh is a secular country and Bangladeshs intelligence and law enforcement agencies are very active to offset radicalisation moves. The premier said this while talking to visiting French minister of foreign affairs and international development Laurent Fabius and German federal minister for foreign affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier when they paid a courtesy call on her at her official Ganobhaban residence in Dhaka on Monday afternoon. We would like to share her confidence. And we welcome her reiterating the fact that secularism is one of the guiding principles of her policymaking. The incumbent government, it must be said has been quite vocal against religious fanaticism. And time when the militants regularly bombed temples, churches, political rallies, cultural functions, cinema halls, etc. are hopefully things of the past. However it would be too idealistic and overly optimistic to think that radicalism is dead and buried. It is not. May be they are not as strong as before but certain media reports suggest that fundamentalist are trying to reorganise and planning on strategies to come back with a bang. As a matter of fact the killings of freethinking bloggers prove that there are elements in the country who want to take Bangladesh back to the middle ages. The authorities should remain ever vigilant against the extremists and never allow complacency to creep in. Religious fanatics are the new fascists. They believe in the physical elimination of their political opponents. Unfortunately for the country, there have been tendencies shown by the major parties to appease the obscurantist forces to almost absurd lengths. Successive governments have settled for narrow political ends to placate the religious right with concessions. One of the most important ways to fight Islamist extremism is to demonstrate the importance of respect for other religious traditions and the benefits to society of developing a culture of religious freedom and pluralism. Bangladeshis have a deep culture of pluralist traditions dating back centuries. We need to nurture this pluralist, tolerant tradition in order to develop the country. Strengthening of democratic and liberal values can act as insurance against extremist ideologies. The civil society including the pro-Liberation forces should build up a strong resistance against sectarian forces and religious extremists. Progressive forces must take the initiative to make people aware of the threat of communalism and extremism. Every citizen has a role to play in resisting extremism.