Results tagged “Bangladesh”
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Behind the rise of Bangladesh's Hifazat
The death toll from clashes between rioting Islamist protesters and police around Dhaka has risen to 45, including five policemen. Hundreds of people have been injured during the protests, which began several days ago but are now said to have largely subsided. Security has been beefed up in the capital and around major mosques across the country.
As many as 200,000 Islamist protesters blocked roads into the capital of Dhaka, demanding the adoption of a blasphemy law. Clashes between police and rioting protesters killed at least three people and injured 60 more. The protest was organized by the newly-formed radical group Hifazat-e-Islam, which wants the death penalty for anyone who defames Islam. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the government has implemented many of the protesters' demands and is working on others, and noted the arrest of four bloggers for comments against the Prophet Muhammad.
The country's war crimes tribunal indicted British Muslim leader Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin for crimes against humanity and genocide during the 1971 war with Pakistan. He is alleged to have helped organize the killing of the top intellectuals in Bangladesh. He is an influential figure in British Muslim circles and helped set up the Muslim Council of Britain. A warrant has been issued for his arrest. Also indicted today on the same charges was US citizen Ashrafuzzaman Khan, who is believed to be in New York.
Islamist agitation fuels unrest in Bangladesh
Hard-Line Muslim Rally Demands Anti-Blasphemy Laws in Bangladesh
Over 100,000 Islamists marched to the capital city of Dhaka demanding the death of several bloggers for allegedly defaming Islam. The rally was organized by the Hefajat-e-Islam, which is calling for the enactment of a blasphemy law. Four bloggers were arrested earlier this week on charges of hurting Islamic religious sentiment, and the government has begun monitoring social media for blasphemy.
Police arrested a Jamaat-e-Islami official for inciting recent attacks on Hindus and temples in Chittagong. Court testimony implicated Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami leader Mufti Abdul Hannan in the Bamna Ratamul bombings in 2001 that killed 10 people; five of the 14 suspects in the case remain at large.
Protesters from Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir vandalized a patriotic monument in Rangpur, continuing their violent campaign across the country; over 50 people have been killed since Feb. 28. An intelligence official warned of Islamist terror threats in Dhaka. The opposition BNP party, a Jamaat ally, plans to set up countrywide "committees for public safety" to protect the opposition movement.
Bangladesh deaths rise as Jamaat protest strike begins
Police arrested five university students suspected of the murder of an anti-Islam blogger. Islamists clashed with police in Dhaka, injuring a rickshaw driver and torching vehicles.
After a vice-president of the Jamaat-e-Islami received a death sentence for war crimes, protesting JI members rioted in numerous areas across the country, attacking police and setting fire to houses and a Hindu temple; over 30 people were killed, including at least three police officers, and more than 300 were wounded. The Islamist party called for a national strike on March 3 and 4.
Increasing violence in Bangladesh after Islamist leader gets life sentence
Thousands of Islamist protesters in several cities demanded the execution of allegedly blasphemous bloggers, after being incited by the country's 12 Islamic parties. Protesters attacked police and journalists in the capital city of Dhaka, and used sticks and homemade bombs in Palashbari. Police responded with live bullets in Palashbari, killing two protesters. Across the country, two other persons died in the violence and about 200 were wounded.
The telecommunications regulator blocked at least two websites and removed other blog posts for "spreading hatred, provoking social disorder and hurting religious feelings." Two bloggers critical of the Jamaat-e-Islami party have been killed in the past month. Thousands of JI activists protested in Dhaka and other cities calling for punishment or death of anti-Islam bloggers.
The parliament amended a law so sentences of those convicted of war crimes can be appealed and parties linked to war crimes can be banned. Eight of 11 persons accused of war crimes in Bangladesh belong to the Jamaat-e-Islami party. The JI warned that the legislation could "push the country into severe anarchy." A blogger who had helped organize protests against the JI was hacked to death.
Protests against Islamists convicted of war crimes continued for the 11th day in Dhaka. Three Jamaat-e-Islami activists were killed in gunbattles with police.
Massive protest movement emerges against Islamists in Bangladesh
Massive protests continued for a ninth day in Dakha against the influence of Islamists, including the Jamaat-e-Islami. The protests began when a JI leader convicted of war crimes was not sentenced to death. Shibir, the JI's student wing, staged counter-riots.
Abdul Kader Mullah, the leader of the country's main Islamist party, the Jamaat-e-Islami, was sentenced to life in prison for war crimes. He was called the "butcher of Mirpur" for his role in massacres during Bangladesh's 1971 war for independence from Pakistan. Nine other top Jamaat-e-Islami leaders have also been accused of war crimes. In protest, thousands of the party's supporters clashed with police in Dakha, Chittagong, and other cities.
