Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh

Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen ("Assembly of Mujahideen--Bangladesh", abbreviated: JMB; Bengali: জামাত-উল-মুজাহিদীন বাংলাদেশ) is a terrorist organisation operating in Bangladesh. It is listed as a terror group by Bangladesh, India, Malaysia and the United Kingdom.[3][4] It was founded in April 1998 in Palampur in Dhaka Division by Abdur Rahman[5][6] and gained public prominence in 2001 when bombs and documents detailing the activities of the organisation were discovered in Parbatipur in Dinajpur district.[7] The organisation was officially declared a terrorist organisation and banned by the government of Bangladesh in February 2005 after attacks on NGOs. But it struck back in mid-August when it detonated 500 small bombs at 300 locations throughout Bangladesh.[8] The group re-organised and has committed several public murders in 2016 in northern Bangladesh as part of a wave of attacks on secularists.[9]

Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh
FoundersBangla Bhai
Shaykh Abdur Rahman
LeaderBangla Bhai, Shaykh Abdur Rahman and several others
Dates of operation1998–present
IdeologyIslamism
Islamic fundamentalism
StatusActive
Size10,000 members[1]
Battles and warsInternal conflict in Bangladesh
Maoist insurgency in Bangladesh
Bangladesh drug war
Designated as a terrorist group by

The JMB was believed to have contained at least 10,000 members,[1] and have an extensive network of organisations,[10] including connections to legal Islamist organisations.[11] Six of the top leaders of JMB were captured by the RAB security forces in 2005. After being tried and convicted in court, on the evening of 29 March 2007, four were executed by hanging for the killing of two judges and for the August 2005 bombings.[12]

In two separate incidents in 2015, it was discovered that JMB had been receiving financing from officers at the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka. Visa Attache, Mazhar Khan, was caught red-handed at a meeting with a JMB operative in April 2015, who said that they were involved in pushing large consignments of fake Indian currency into West Bengal and Assam.[13] Second Secretary, Farina Arshad, was expelled by Bangladesh in December 2015 after a JMB operative admitted to having received 30,000 Taka from her.[14]

An offshoot of the group, the Neo-Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, effectively operates as the ISIL in Bangladesh.[15][16]

Ideology

The JMB's aim is to replace the government of Bangladesh with an Islamic state based on Sharia Law. It has explicitly stated on more than one occasion that it opposes the political system of Bangladesh and ostensibly seeks to "build a society based on the Islamic model laid out in Holy Quran and Hadith."[17] The organisation follows the ideals of the Taliban of Afghanistan. Its chief has been quoted as stating that "our model includes many leaders and scholars of Islam. But we will take as much (ideology) from the Taliban as we need."[17] It opposes democracy as being in violation of Sharia or Islamic law.[18]

It also opposes socialism and its avowed objective is to neutralize left-wing extremists, especially cadres of the Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP).[19] JMB also is opposed to cultural functions, cinema halls, shrines and NGOs.[11] In another leaflet it said, "We don't want Taguti (non-Islamic) law, let Qur’anic law be introduced. Laws framed by humans cannot persist and only the laws of Allah shall prevail."[20]

They have claimed responsibility for several violent attacks and bombings.[7] JMB's communiqués reveal a Salafist doctrine that is common across international radical Islamist organisations.[21] A 2005 leaflet proclaimed:

We are the soldiers of Allah. We have taken up arms for the implementation of Allah's law the way the Prophet, Sahabis and heroic Mujahideen have implemented for centuries. If the government does not establish Islamic law in the country after this [third] warning and, rather, it goes to arrest any Muslim on charge of seeking Allah's laws or it resorts to repression on Alem-Ulema, the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen [JMB] will go for counteraction, Insha Allah.[22]

Several captured members of the group have claimed that their targets include traditional Bangladeshi cultural and non-government organisations such as BRAC, Proshika, and Grameen Bank. Leader Abdur Rahman is alleged to have taught JMB operatives that "it is not a sin to loot valuables of Grameen Bank, BRAC, Proshika, Asa and Caritas as they encourage women to shed the Burqa (veil)."[23]

Activities

On 20 May 2001, 25 petrol bombs and documents detailing the activities of the organisation were discovered and eight of its members were arrested in Parbatipur in Dinajpur district.[7]

JMB is believed to have been involved in an explosion of seven bombs on 13 February 2003 at one of its hideouts. They had been preparing to use them in northern Bangladeshi towns during International Mother Language Day.

On 17 August 2005, 500 small bombs at 300 locations in 50 cities and towns across Bangladesh detonated within a space of 30 minutes.[8] Dhaka International Airport, government buildings and major hotels were targeted.[24] There were 50 minor injuries and only two fatalities - a child in Savar, near Dhaka, and a Rickshaw-puller in Chapai Nawabganj District - because of the small size of the bombs. Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh claimed responsibility for the bombings.[24][25] Bombs later in the year were more deadly, resulting in the death of judges, lawyers, policemen and even mere ordinary people.

JMB killed two judges in Jhalakathi in South Bangladesh on 14 November 2005.[23]

The group has also threatened journalists, with more than 55 receiving death threats between September and December 2005.[26]

Following an 8 December 2005 suicide bombing, Reuters reported the group threatened to kill women, including non-muslims, who did not wear the hijab (veil).[21]

In 2015 an ISKCON Hindu temple in Dinajpur was attacked by Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh terrorists in which at least two people were injured.[27][28]

In a 2016 attack on a cafe in Dhaka, the perpetrators were allegedly JMB members.[29]

Members of the group have been convicted for the 2014 Burdwan blast and the 2018 Bodh Gaya bombing attacks in India.[30][31]

Network

JMB allegedly received financial support from individual donors residing in Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Libya. Certain reports claim that JMB received funding from international NGOs like Kuwait based Society of the Revival of Islamic Heritage (RIHS) and Doulatul Kuwait, Saudi Arabia based Al Haramaine Islamic Institute and the Rabita Al Alam Al Islami, Qatar Charitable Society and UAE-based Al Fuzaira and Khairul Ansar Al Khairia.[32]

South Asian Terrorist Portal (SATP), The Columbia World Dictionary of Islamism and Defenddemocracy.org state that Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh "appears" to be connected with putatively non-violent, legal Islamist group or groups in Bangladesh,[33] Defenddemocracy speculating that Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh is a "proxy" established by the legal Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh party to "push the center of gravity of the political debate toward radical Islamism" and make Jamaat-e-Islami appear more centrist.[8] According to SATP, "many members of the JMB and JMJB have invariably been found to be cadres of the Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS), student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami, a partner in the ruling coalition" with the Bangladesh National Party "under Prime Minister Khaleda Zia" that came to power in 2001.[11]

Sphere of influence

Main areas of JMB operations were:[17]

Leaders

Since its foundation, the group was led by Maulana Abdur Rahman, a.k.a. Siddiqul Islam a.k.a. Bangla Bhai, and Shaykh Abdur Rahman. Six of their top men were captured by RAB security authorities in 2005. After being convicted at trial, on the evening of 29 March 2007, Abdur Rahman, Bangla Bhai, and four other leaders of the organisation were executed by hanging for the killing of two judges and for countrywide bombings in 2005.[12]

Organisation

The JMB reportedly has a three-tier organisation.[34] The first tier of the outfit consists of activists called Ehsar, who are recruited on a full-time basis and act at the behest of the higher echelons. The second tier, known as Gayeri Ehsar, has over 100,000 part-time activists. The third tier involves those who indirectly co-operate with the JMJB. According to JMJB leaders, the whole country has been divided into nine organisational divisions.

Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet and Chittagong have an organisational divisional office each, while Dhaka has two divisional offices and Rajshahi three. The outfit also had committees in each village and, according to media reports, villagers were being forced to join the committees. If anybody refused, he was branded as a "collaborator" of the PBCP and taken to the JMJB "trial centre"

Criticism

The group has been condemned by other Islamist organisations like the Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh.[35] In 2014 spokesman Azizul Haque Islamabadi said:[35]

There is prevailing a congenial and peaceful environment in Bangladesh. People are living in peace and in such a situation the announcement by Al Qaeda chief Zawahiri has made the people fearful and worried. Bangladesh had experienced earlier militant activities and terrorism by Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh and Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami. But they could not emerge successful and Al Qaeda would not come out successful in Bangladesh despite their announcement.

See also

References
  1. Stahl, Adam E. (16 July 2007). "Challenges Facing Bangladesh". Institute for Counter-Terrorism-Israel. Archived from the original on 8 November 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  2. "Australian National Security Website".
  3. "Anti Money Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs.
  4. "Proscribed Terrorist Organisations" (PDF). Home Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  5. "Terrorism: A Tragic Tale of Continued Denials". New Age. 27 September 2005.
  6. "Salafi ideology behind JMB's rise". Prothom Alo. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  7. "Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB)]". South Asia Terrorism Portal.
  8. "The Rising Tide of Islamism in Bangladesh". Hudson Institute. 16 February 2006.
  9. Geeta Anand; Julfikar Ali Manik (8 June 2016). "Bangladesh Says It Now Knows Who's Killing the Bloggers". The New York Times.
  10. Anwar Ali (19 August 2005). "Jama'atul Tentacles Spread in Five and Half Years". The Daily Star. Retrieved 11 January 2008.
  11. "Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), South Asia Terrorism Portal". South Asia Terrorism Portal.
  12. Julfikar Ali Manik; Shariful Islam (31 March 2007). "Six JMB militants hanged". The Daily Star. Retrieved 4 January 2008.
  13. "Fake Indian Currency Note racket in Bangladesh". Dhaka Times. 3 March 2015. quote: Rahman... discclosed that he took part in collection and distribution of FICN supplied by the Pak diplomat and pushing the same through West Bengal and Assam border into India
  14. "'Terror financing': Pak diplomat withdrawn from Bangladesh". The Daily Star. 23 December 2015.
  15. "Islamic State Bangladesh (ISB, ISISB) -- Abu Jandal al-Bangali". Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium.
  16. IS names new emir in Bengal issues threat to carry out attacks in India and Bangladesh. Times of India.
  17. Julfikar Ali Manik (13 April 2004). "Bangla Bhai active for 6 yrs". The Daily Star. Retrieved 6 September 2007.
  18. Anand Giridharadas (19 August 2005). "Bangladesh Tipping Point is Feared". International Herald Tribune.
  19. Supriya Singh (February 2006). "IPCS Special Report 11: Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) A Profile" (PDF). Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies. Retrieved 4 January 2008.
  20. "JMB Suicide Bomber Kills 2 Judges". The Daily Star. 15 November 2005.
  21. Maneeza Hossain; Jonathan L. Snow (15 December 2005). "Backgrounder: The Rise of Radical Islam in Bangladesh". Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Archived from the original on 22 May 2007.
  22. "Leaflets Ridicule Democracy, ask for Islamic rule". The Daily Star. UNB. 18 August 2005.
  23. Chaitanya Chandra Halder; Shamim Ashraf (9 February 2006). "2 Britons funded JMB to carry out bomb attacks". The Daily Star. Retrieved 4 January 2008.
  24. The Columbia World Dictionary of Islamism, Columbia University Press (2007), p.69-70
  25. "Bombs explode across Bangladesh". BBC News. 17 August 2005.
  26. "A wave of Islamist terror sweeps over Bangladeshi press at year's end". Reporters sans Frontiers. 27 December 2005. Archived from the original on 24 November 2006.
  27. "Now gun attack on Iskcon temple in Dinajpur". Dhaka Tribune. 10 December 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  28. "JMB operative confesses involvement". The Daily Star. 7 January 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  29. "Islamists sentenced to death for 2016 cafe attack". BBC News. 27 November 2019.
  30. "19 including 4 Bangladeshis convicted in 2014 Burdwan blasts". The Economic Times. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  31. "8 JMB terrorists convicted in Bodh Gaya blast case". Hindustan Times. 11 December 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  32. Zayadul Ahsan (22 August 2005). "Foreign Funding, Local business Keep them Going". The Daily Star. Retrieved 11 January 2008.
  33. The Columbia World Dictionary of Islamism, Columbia University Press (2007), p.70
  34. "Rahman spread vicious tentacles in only 7 years". The Daily Star. 2 March 2006. Retrieved 4 January 2008.
  35. Azam, Kawsar (4 September 2014). "Al Qaeda won't gain ground in Bangladesh: Politicians". English24.com. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
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