Dhaka's Terror Hub: How Extremist Groups Are Reshaping Bangladesh

It added that the rise of powerful Islamist movements in Bangladesh, like Khatm-e-Nabuwat, coupled with their robust linkages to Pakistan, appears to mark a decisive push to Islamise the state, governance, and constitution, paving the way for a Sharia-governed state and highly regressive measures targeting women and minorities.

"Bangladesh is getting a booster dose of Islamist radicalisation. It is witnessing significant developments that are going unnoticed in the global media. However, they mark significant steps in Dhaka's onward march towards Islamisation, emulating Pakistan's playbook. One such event was an international conference on the concept of Khatm-e-Nabuwat, ie, the finality of Prophethood, held in the Bait-ul-Mukarram Mosque after the Jumma prayer on January 3, 2025," policy analyst Abhinav Pandya, also the founder of think tank 'Usanas Foundation', wrote in First Post.

"According to this concept, the idea of Prophet Mohammad being the final one is the central tenet of Islam, and any deviation from this is tantamount to apostasy. Ali Omar Yaqub Abbasi, Imam of Masjid Al-Aqsa in Palestine, attended the conference as the chief guest. In the two-session conference, the first session was presided over by Junayed Al Habib, the executive president of International Majlish-e Tahaffuje Khatme Nubuwwat, while Acting President Sajidur Rahman chaired the second session. The direct fallout of this idea is on the Qadianis, or Ahmadiyya Muslims, who reject Prophet Mohammad as the last one," he added

According to the report, while the former Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina unleashed a sweeping crackdown on Islamist groups after 2005, her ouster in 2024 has enabled their aggressive resurgence, turning Bangladesh into fertile ground for the expansion of global pan-Islamist forces.

In these conferences, the calls to declare Qadianis as non-Muslims have dominated, with the Islamist groups - having earlier targetted Iskcon and the non-Muslim minorities -- now directing their attention towards Qadianis.

"This is the replication of Pakistan's playbook of Islamisation. In Pakistan, in the early 1950s, the Islamisation drive began with anti-Ahmadiya riots and a campaign by the Deobandi extremists. Later, it resulted in persecution of Ahmadiyas and banishment from Islam. In parallel, Deobandi activism in anti-Ahmadiya riots strengthened their grassroots support base and muscle power. The state began to view them as powerful assets and proxies to pursue Jihadist projects," the report noted.

- IANS