Bangladesh Engulfed in Spiral of Anarchy?

THE MUSLIM WEEKLY 2004
When it comes to human misery and mayhem, Bangladesh is no stranger...As each region of the world manifests its own version of mayhem, this country East of India ponders on how to tackle the violence that threatens to erupt..In the wake of devastating floods that are still fresh in people's memory, political turmoil has been instigated as live grenades are hurled into crowds of people, killing 18 and maiming many others.

Events such as these should come as no surprise to the Ummah as our attention flickers from one corner of the globe to another week on week. The pattern of violence maybe different but the symptoms, we as Muslims are all too familiar with now.

The question is; Do we analyse these events from an Islamic perspective or do we focus on each country and resign our analysis to some local phenomena?

As social and political unrest engulfs Bangladesh with no immediate culprits coming to mind, these are truly testing times for our brethren. While some are anxious about the economic consequence of impending hartals (strikes), others fear for democracy in the country.

The eagerness of certain quarters of the media giving it an 'Islamic/terrorist' flavour should come as no surprise. Even local media and politicians are adamant on investigating Islamic militant groups and calling for unity against religious extremism! What no doubt adds fuel to the fire is the claims of hitherto unknown groups such as 'Hikmatul Jihad' taking responsibility of targetting the opposition leader Ms. Hasina. Indeed, even provoking with threats to finish what they embarked on.

What many find more absurd is the suggestion that outside investigators should come and aid the country in finding the culprits. In a situation where the target maybe anything from cinemas to the British High Commissioner, many are questioning the ability of law-enforcement agencies as arrests have been thin on the ground. Hence, the desire for assisted intervention in the shape of Interpol.

They may well provide valuable assistance but you can't avoid an eery pattern emerging. Consider the following: In Iraq we have Muslims (Governing Council troops) hunting Muslims (Mehdi Army) with the help of outside forces (US troops), the whole idea is to bring stability and prosperity to the country. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, similar analogies can be drawn. In Sudan, we have Muslims killing each other with the outside world showing its concern and eager to assist.

Many lament that Bangladesh is no different.