Danger of Rising Bangladeshi Extremism Spilling Over in the Region

The Star (Malaysia)

05 July 2016

The rise of extremism in Bangladesh seems to be accelerating, with spillover effects expected in the region warned terror experts.

Friday night’s terror attack at a Western-styled cafe in Dhaka was the largest in the country, with 22 people including 18 foreigners being killed.

Previously, attacks have been carried out on outspoken individuals advocating secular or liberal lifestyles or those seen as criticising Islam.

Those dead include writers, LGBT activists, atheists and academics with the BBC reporting that since February 2013, at least 40 deaths have been blamed on Islamic militants.

There have also been attacks have on religious minorities, with a Hindu priest being hacked to death in the Jhenaidah district on Friday morning, the second such killing within a few weeks.

… Associate Professor Kumar Ramakrishna however said that Bangladesh must acknowledge the possibility that even if a domestic extremist group carried out the attack, they may have been doing so under the direction or at the very least, the ideological influence of ISIS.

“I think the latest outrage and the clear targeting of foreigners speaks very loudly of an international ISIS footprint,” said Kumar who is head of policy studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies Singapore.

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Last updated on 11/07/2016