America is reluctant to watch Bangladeshi Islamists

America is reluctant to watch Bangladeshi Islamists; a very pessimistic scenario

A week or two ago, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Harry K. Thomas visited the Bangladesh Minister for Social Affairs, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid in his office. The US Ambassador exchanged greetings with the die hard Islamist and wished him well for the minister's trip to USA. It is hardly conceivable that the honorable ambassador was not aware who this Mujahid guy was. It is also very difficult to understand why still now US State Department is following the policy of passive patronage of Islamic fundamentalists of Bangladesh.

It is possible that many high officials at the State Department are not too inclined to be deeply involved in the treacherous and dirty arena of Bangladesh politics. But they ought to keep a close eye on the activities of the ever encompassing Bangladeshi Islamist front. There is enough intelligence on the diabolical nature of Bangladeshi Islamists. Any social scientist can fathom how a secular liberal country like Bangladesh is gradually becoming Islamized and how the Islamic fundamentalists are gaining power with each passing day.

USA should keep a cold shoulder to the fundamentalist elements of that country. On the contrary, it appears that America is not too unhappy to see their power base enhanced. In other words if Bangladesh becomes truly Talibanized, nobody bothers at all.

A few weeks ago, some Jamaati leaders threatened the life of liberal intellectuals and writers. They had categorically threatened the life of writer and novelist Humayun Azad. Today the writer is assaulted mercilessly and at present is fighting for his life on a hospital bed.

The shrewd and manipulative Jamaati Islamists have penetrated in all the spheres of Bangladeshi society. Members of this vicious group are found not only in the Bangladeshi military or Government, they can be found in foreign missions and non-governmental organizations as well. A newspaper report said even one high level Jamaati leader is working as a Political Analyst at the US Embassy in Bangladesh. After the press report, as far as we know the US State Department did not take any remedial measure. May be the policy makers in US capital still think Bangladeshi Islamic fundamentalists are benign and not as dangerous as their Middle-Eastern brother.

Sir,

I am very upset over this piece of news. Dr. Humayun Azad was not only a pivotal member of Bangladesh's intelligentsia but was a unique freethinker who didn't ever hesitate to reveal his secular/humanist ideals before public despite inherent risks of assaults by radical Islamists. So far he was spared. Recently, he has done a magnificent job of portraying true pictures of underground level growth and heinous policies of Jamat-i- Islami, country's leading political party of Islamist extremists which has now two ministers in present government. It is so ironic that USA so far raised no concerns despite being aware of these ministers' anti-Bengali and anti-Hindu roles during 1971 war. On top of all these, recently one such war criminal minister has attended a USA government funded conference in Philadelphia on Christianity-Islam dialog.

While letting Muslim liberals like Dr. Azad being attacked by Islamists and inviting fanatic Islamic minister to conferences, USA government is gravely undermining its policies against Islamic extremists. How many more of us should die before the country carrying a rich secular heritages of such thinkers as Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln , Emerson, H.D. Thoreau and Mark Twain realizes revision of its aberrant policies against Islamic militants?

Sincerely,

Jahed Ahmed