How Bangladesh’s Muhammad Yunus-led interim government is losing control to Islamist forces
Mob lynchings, attacks on Hindus and a rising Islamist force point to a breakdown of law and order under Bangladesh’s interim Younis government.
Hindus protested in Bangladesh. (File Image)
A poor 25-year-old Hindu garment factory worker was lynched; his body was hung from a tree and burned. The horrific incident, which took place in Mymensingh district, was followed by the beating of a Hindu rickshaw puller in Jhenaidah, 200 kilometers from the capital Dhaka. These were neither the first nor the last such incidents. These are also not isolated incidents. According to data compiled by human rights organization Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), 220 people were attacked and killed by gangs across Bangladesh between August 2024 and September. These events show the current trend in Bangladesh.
Mob lynching in Bangladesh
The first incident was the victim’s death. It occurred after he was accused of making derogatory comments towards Muhammad; The victim of the second incident was targeted because of the red thread on his wrist. The mafia called him an “AR&AW agent”, referring to India’s Research and Analysis Wing. These events show how Muhammad Yunus lost power and handed over the country to fundamentalists. The interim government has been accused of empowering groups such as Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, which was banned under Sheikh Hasina’s government for its terror links.
(Radical Islamist Sharif Omar Hadi.)
The interim government of Mohammed Younis failed
Even after these events, the Nobel laureate refused to learn. He promised to realize his vision by attending the funeral of radical leader Sharif Osman Hadi, who was shot in the head by masked attackers. Addressing the people gathered there, he said, “Oh dear Osman Hadi, we did not come here to say goodbye to you. You are in our hearts and you will remain in the hearts of all Bangladeshis as long as Bangladesh exists.” “No one can get you out of there. Millions of people gathered in waves today, millions of people living in Bangladesh and abroad are waiting for this moment to listen to Hadi.”
Hadi’s team, Inquilab Mancha, has been at the forefront of the campaign to disband Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League. Instead of trying to be inclusive and giving the opposition a chance to prove itself, the interim government led by Younis dissolved Hasina’s party in May this year and stripped her of the right to participate in elections.
Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh
He was very kind to Islamic forces and tolerant towards Jamaat-e-Islami and this is no longer a secret in Bangladesh. Yunus lifted the Jamaat ban on August 28, a few days after the government took over. Founded in 1941 during British colonial rule, Jamaat-e-Islami campaigned against the establishment of Bangladesh as an independent state during the war of independence from Pakistan in 1971. Since the lifting of the ban, the Islamic league has been increasing its influence and, with the help of Yunus, has emerged as a powerful force.
(Violence after the death of Sharif Omer Hadi)
Radical Islam in Bangladesh
Since his inauguration on August 8, 2024, hundreds of Hindu temples have been vandalized or set on fire and an unknown number of Hindus have been lynched. The Yunus-led government turned a blind eye to this situation, and state institutions either facilitated or ignored this atrocity. Radical Islamic organizations such as Hefazat-e-Islam, Azadi Andolan Bangladesh and Towhidi Janata operate freely, carrying out hate campaigns against Hindus and spreading terror among them.
Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, advisor to the interim government, publicly announced that 8,850 people were recruited and trained in seven centers to terrorize the public. These soldiers will be trained in martial arts, judo, taekwondo and firearms training. The training will be given by retired Bangladeshi officers with strong pro-Pakistan sympathies, as well as undercover ISI and Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT) agents. Analysts believe this was done to silence anyone who might oppose the government.
Which way is Bangladesh?
If reports are to be believed, the government led by Muhammad Younis is increasing its alliance with Islamist forces. He plans to establish an Iran-style Islamic Revolutionary Army that could turn the country into a potential jihadist stronghold and silence all dissenting voices.
