IGP, DIG differ on madrasa role in militant breeding

The inspector-general of police, AKM Shahidul Haque, and the additional police commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Monirul Islam, yesterday expressed different views on madrasas being “breeding points of militants” in the country. They made the differences in opinions during the question-answer session of the inaugural day of a three-day ‘Chiefs of Police Conference’ at a city hotel. Law enforcement officers from 15 countries are taking part in the event. While replying to a question, Monirul Islam, also the boss of the newly formed Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC), said Quomi madrasas are breeding points of militants. He said this after presenting his paper— 'Resurgence of Terrorism in Bangladesh'—at the conference. But AKM Shahidul Haque differed on this particular point, saying that most of the militants who were killed during special operations by law enforcers had been university and college students.
Monirul Islam, a leading counter-terrorism expert of the country, thereafter explained his position in response to the opinion of his boss, and maintained that madrasas were the breeding points of radicalization in the country.
Prof Rohan Gunaratna, head of the International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR) of Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, supported the remark of Monirul Islam. He also presented a paper, titled ‘Deradicalisation of Militants: An approach for Disengagement and Reintegration into the Society’, at the conference.
Talking about militancy in
Bangladesh, Gunaratna said the Holey Artisan attackers were members of the Islamic State (IS). They did not belong to the neo-JMB as claimed by the Bangladesh government. The Bangladesh government was trying to replace the name of the IS by the neo-JMB for political reasons, he went on to explain.
Gunaratna claimed that there were IS followers in Bangladesh, even though the global militant outfit had originated in Iraq and Syria. He said members of the JMB had been indoctrinated in the IS ideology.
He also said new political challenges might emerge if the Bangladeshi authorities admitted IS involvement in the Holey Artisan attack and hence the cover-up.
When The Independent exclusively asked Gunaratna about the basis of his claim, he said that Amaq, the main spokesman of the IS, had acknowledged responsibility for the Holey Artisan attack.
Asked if it was fair to term a home-grown militant outfit as the IS, Gunaratna said: ‘‘Several documents that were seized prove that the attack was carried out by the IS.”
He, however, refused to elaborate on which documents made him believe that the IS was involved in the attack.
At one stage, Gunaratna told this correspondent: “Your police is not telling you the truth.”
Earlier, the three-day conference for police and other law enforcement officers from 15 countries on the topic of militancy, terrorism and transnational crime begun in the capital. The conference was formally inaugurated by home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal.
Fifty-eight foreign representatives, including Interpol secretary Gen. Jürgen Stock and police chiefs from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Malaysia, are attending the conference.
At the end of the first session, Shahidul Haque said a comprehensive strategy to combat transnational crime and terrorism would be developed through exchanges of information and experiences.
The conference has been arranged to create a platform for forging cooperation among various police forces and creating a professional and technical support network for law enforcement within the framework of bilateral and regional cooperation in the South Asian region.
Representatives from Australia, Bhutan, Brunei, China, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Nepal, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Vietnam are also participating in the conference. Officials from Interpol, Facebook, US IGCI, FBI, ASEANpol and ICITAP and other international organisations are also attending the conference.
Fourteen work sessions will be held on various subjects, including terrorism, human trafficking, financial crime, terrorism financing, drug trafficking, arms trafficking, intelligence and cybercrime issues, at the event.
At the end of the conference, the international group of law enforcement officials will sign a joint declaration on terrorism and transnational crime.
Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said: “Fighting terrorism is not the sole responsibility of the government. We work in partnership with religious scholars to discourage faith-based radicalisation and urge community leaders to guide young people towards more constructive beliefs and ideas.”
“Our responsibility nowadays is not only to ensure the security of our own country, but also of the neighbouring countries. Militants these days may have virtual presence regardless of national boundaries. Against this backdrop, mutual cooperation and a collective approach is a must to face the terror menace,” he added.
The minister said a collective approach is necessary to face terrorism and militancy as the conference would have a huge impact on regional and global security. “Through this conference, we pledge to make active efforts to fight terrorism and transnational crimes together. It gives a sense of unity and responsibility towards fulfilling further commitments,” he added.
Shahidul Haque, in his welcome address, said terrorism, violent extremism and other crimes are no longer confined to a specific territory. “Violent extremism, militancy and crimes have spread over most of the countries of the globe. It’s difficult for an individual nation to address the threats posed by terrorists on its own,” he noted.
“In view of the prevailing scenario, we attach special focus on regional cooperation, which, we believe, will pave the way for global cooperation,” he said.
“In fact, we need to go beyond the traditional approach and introduce the ‘one-to-one’ communication channel to ensure real-time information sharing and strengthen our fields of cooperation,” he observed.

IGP, DIG differ on madrasa role in militant breeding

The inspector-general of police, AKM Shahidul Haque, and the additional police commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Monirul Islam, yesterday expressed different views on madrasas being breeding points of militants in the country. They made the differences in opinions during the question-answer session of the inaugural day of a three-day Chiefs of Police Conference at a city hotel. Law enforcement officers from 15 countries are taking part in the event. While replying to a question, Monirul Islam, also the boss of the newly formed Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC), said Quomi madrasas are breeding points of militants. He said this after presenting his paper Resurgence of Terrorism in Bangladeshat the conference. But AKM Shahidul Haque differed on this particular point, saying that most of the militants who were killed during special operations by law enforcers had been university and college students. Monirul Islam, a leading counter-terrorism expert of the country, thereafter explained his position in response to the opinion of his boss, and maintained that madrasas were the breeding points of radicalization in the country. Prof Rohan Gunaratna, head of the International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR) of Singapores Nanyang Technological University, supported the remark of Monirul Islam. He also presented a paper, titled Deradicalisation of Militants: An approach for Disengagement and Reintegration into the Society, at the conference. Talking about militancy in Bangladesh, Gunaratna said the Holey Artisan attackers were members of the Islamic State (IS). They did not belong to the neo-JMB as claimed by the Bangladesh government. The Bangladesh government was trying to replace the name of the IS by the neo-JMB for political reasons, he went on to explain. Gunaratna claimed that there were IS followers in Bangladesh, even though the global militant outfit had originated in Iraq and Syria. He said members of the JMB had been indoctrinated in the IS ideology. He also said new political challenges might emerge if the Bangladeshi authorities admitted IS involvement in the Holey Artisan attack and hence the cover-up. When The Independent exclusively asked Gunaratna about the basis of his claim, he said that Amaq, the main spokesman of the IS, had acknowledged responsibility for the Holey Artisan attack. Asked if it was fair to term a home-grown militant outfit as the IS, Gunaratna said: Several documents that were seized prove that the attack was carried out by the IS. He, however, refused to elaborate on which documents made him believe that the IS was involved in the attack. At one stage, Gunaratna told this correspondent: Your police is not telling you the truth. Earlier, the three-day conference for police and other law enforcement officers from 15 countries on the topic of militancy, terrorism and transnational crime begun in the capital. The conference was formally inaugurated by home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal. Fifty-eight foreign representatives, including Interpol secretary Gen. Jrgen Stock and police chiefs from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Malaysia, are attending the conference. At the end of the first session, Shahidul Haque said a comprehensive strategy to combat transnational crime and terrorism would be developed through exchanges of information and experiences. The conference has been arranged to create a platform for forging cooperation among various police forces and creating a professional and technical support network for law enforcement within the framework of bilateral and regional cooperation in the South Asian region. Representatives from Australia, Bhutan, Brunei, China, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Nepal, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Vietnam are also participating in the conference. Officials from Interpol, Facebook, US IGCI, FBI, ASEANpol and ICITAP and other international organisations are also attending the conference. Fourteen work sessions will be held on various subjects, including terrorism, human trafficking, financial crime, terrorism financing, drug trafficking, arms trafficking, intelligence and cybercrime issues, at the event. At the end of the conference, the international group of law enforcement officials will sign a joint declaration on terrorism and transnational crime. Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said: Fighting terrorism is not the sole responsibility of the government. We work in partnership with religious scholars to discourage faith-based radicalisation and urge community leaders to guide young people towards more constructive beliefs and ideas. Our responsibility nowadays is not only to ensure the security of our own country, but also of the neighbouring countries. Militants these days may have virtual presence regardless of national boundaries. Against this backdrop, mutual cooperation and a collective approach is a must to face the terror menace, he added. The minister said a collective approach is necessary to face terrorism and militancy as the conference would have a huge impact on regional and global security. Through this conference, we pledge to make active efforts to fight terrorism and transnational crimes together. It gives a sense of unity and responsibility towards fulfilling further commitments, he added. Shahidul Haque, in his welcome address, said terrorism, violent extremism and other crimes are no longer confined to a specific territory. Violent extremism, militancy and crimes have spread over most of the countries of the globe. Its difficult for an individual nation to address the threats posed by terrorists on its own, he noted. In view of the prevailing scenario, we attach special focus on regional cooperation, which, we believe, will pave the way for global cooperation, he said. In fact, we need to go beyond the traditional approach and introduce the one-to-one communication channel to ensure real-time information sharing and strengthen our fields of cooperation, he observed.