Why claims that Bangladesh will become a ‘Taliban state’ do not match reality
Patronage of hardline outfits by the Awami League allowed Islamism to enter the political mainstream. But it lacks widespread appeal.
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The discussion about Islamism in Bangladesh is being dominated by two extremist positions, which obscures the truth and risks drawing battle lines that are not representative of reality.
On one side is the wildly exaggerated view that with Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League gone, Bangladesh will become a Taliban state. On the other is the call for religious harmony by Muhammad Yunus, the head of the interim government, in the face of the domestic rhetoric of Islamist ideologues.
The truth is more nuanced.
The suggestion that Bangladesh is being overrun by Islamists is disingenuous. It reflects the Islamophobic talking points of India’s Bharatiya Janata Party. From the Bangladeshi perspective, this is part of the propaganda that has emerged from the Awami League since party leader Sheikh Hasina was forced out of her prime minister’s seat by mass protests on August 5 and sought shelter in India.
Among the most vocal advocates of this claim has been Sajeeb Wazed, Hasina’s son, who has been granted the formidable platform of the Indian media without any scrutiny, fact-checking or rebuttal of his falsehoods.
#WATCH | The son of #Bangladesh's toppled leader #SheikhHasina, Sajeeb Wazed, speaking from Washington D.C., thanked India for 'saving her life'. pic.twitter.com/FjmHGmd833— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) August 12, 2024
For the past decade-and-a-half, the Indian state has...
