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Author and activist Taslima Nasreen has raised alarming concerns about the rise of Islamic radicals in Bangladesh, warning that the country could turn into another Afghanistan if current trends continue.

 

Nasreen, who has been in exile since 1994 due to threats from Islamic extremists, criticised the growing influence of radical groups and the current political environment in Bangladesh.

 

Nasreen claimed that Islamic radicals were brainwashing the youth, making them “anti-India, anti-Hindu, and pro-Pakistan”.

 

She argued that recent events, such as attacks on Hindus, suppression of journalists, and the release of convicted terrorists, signal that the situation in Bangladesh is becoming increasingly dire.

 

Nasreen expressed that she and other progressives had initially supported the students’ movement in Bangladesh, which was ostensibly aimed at toppling an autocratic government.

 

“When students protested against the quota system in July, we supported them... people who believe in women’s rights, human rights and freedom of expression,” she said.

 

However, she later realised that the movement had been infiltrated and co-opted by radical Islamist factions.

 

She contended that the protests, which started as a genuine demand for democratic reform, were hijacked by forces that had ulterior motives.

 

“We realised that after they started demolishing everything, all the statues, sculptures, museums. The way Hindus were attacked and killed, it was a nightmare,” she said.

 

Concerns over Bangladesh’s future

 

Nasreen fears that Bangladesh could face a fate similar to that of Afghanistan or Iran, given the increasing influence of Islamic extremists under the current interim government, led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus.

 

“Yunus says that they are celebrating their victory. People are burning houses of Hindus. What kind of celebration is this? They are destroying everything,” she lamented.

 

She pointed out that while statues of the Pakistan Army, which committed atrocities during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, remain intact, statues of Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and other freedom fighters have been destroyed.

 

“All the statues of freedom fighters have been demolished including that of the father of the nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” she remarked.

 

Nasreen believes Yunus is aware of the radical Islamist agenda but is complicit in allowing their rise.

 

“Yunus knew very well that the country would be ruled by jihadis and he has no problem with it,” she asserted. 

 

She accused the interim government of abandoning secularism and creating an environment conducive to extremist ideologies.

 

A fractured past and present

 

Nasreen’s criticisms were not limited to the current regime. She also blamed Sheikh Hasina, the former Prime Minister, for creating conditions that facilitated the rise of Islamic radicals.

 

“I blame Hasina for that because she chose religion to stay in power forever. She built 560 model mosques and madrasas instead of secular schools to appease the Islamists,” Nasreen alleged.

 

She further argued that Hasina’s policies effectively dismantled Bangladesh’s secular education system by equating madrasa degrees with university degrees. “The people who only studied Quran and Hadis went to universities and even became teachers,” she noted.

 

She also accused Hasina of endorsing conservative Islamic practices by making the hijab and burka compulsory for women.

 

Nasreen pointed out that anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh has reached alarming levels.

 

 “Hindus are leaving now and they are left with less than seven per cent. Islamic radicals attack Hindus during elections, puja or to grab their properties. Hasina allowed them to give religious sermons everywhere that were always anti-women and anti-Hindus,” she added.

 

Nasreen herself has been a victim of the complex political dynamics in Bangladesh. Exiled from the country in 1994 during Khaleda Zia's rule, Nasreen found little relief when Hasina came to power.

 

“In 1998 I entered Bangladesh to meet my mother who was in the last stage of cancer. My mother died and in the next few days Hasina threw me out of the country and never allowed me to enter,” she recalled.

 

She emphasised that her criticism of Hasina was not personal but based on broader democratic principles.

 

“I am not against Hasina because she harassed me, but because she was an autocrat who did not believe in freedom of speech. Many free thinkers were killed during her regime by jihadis. The rise of Islamic radicals is not sudden. Hindus were attacked more in her regime than any other regime,” Nasreen alleged.

 

Future uncertain 

 

Nasreen expressed despair over the current situation, noting that she cannot hope to return to Bangladesh under the present regime. She also revealed that her resident permit in India, where she has been living since 2005, has not been renewed.

 

“I feel India is like home and I have been living here since 2005. Very surprisingly my resident permit has not been renewed and there is no information. It expired on July 27,” she said.

 

Reflecting on her family ties to Bangladesh, Nasreen said, “Some of my relatives are still in Bangladesh but most of them died whom I loved very much. My grandmother, my father, my uncles, my aunts. I have the right to enter my country. I ask this question to everyone but sadly there is no answer.”

 

While Nasreen’s situation remains precarious, her concerns echo a broader sentiment about the future of Bangladesh.

 

“We are not hopeful but at the same time we are wishing that Bangladesh does not become the next Afghanistan,” she concluded.