Surveillance of Hizb-ut-Tahrir's activities on university campuses helped foil a coup plot against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government in December.
By Adnan Fahad and Shahriar Sharif for Khabar South Asia in Dhaka – 14/03/2012
Authorities in Dhaka are trying to neutralise efforts by extremist organisation Hizb-ut-Tahrir to recruit members at Bangladesh's universities, as well as efforts by the group, linked to an attempted coup, to stage demonstrations at Friday prayers.
Bangladeshi authorities have focused on the outlawed group Hizb ut-Tahrir's attempts to recruit and gain favour among university students. Over the past three years, several professors and students have been arrested after attempting to spread the extremist group's message within the university community. [Andrew Biraj/Reuters]
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Police have deployed near mosques around the city since a March 9th attempt by members of the group to start a procession outside the Kataban Masjid near Dhaka University. Three people, including two students, were arrested.
Mohibullah, one of the detained students, said they were held after they gathered in front of the mosque to "conduct a programme".
Hizb-ut-Tahrir, established in Bangladesh in 2001, favours establishment of a khilafah (Islamic state) in Bangladesh instead of the current democratic system.
Banned by the government on October 22nd of last year, Hizb-ut-Tahrir has raised alarm because of its efforts to recruit college students and their instructors.
"This trend is very unusual. According to many researches and investigations, poverty and illiteracy are among the causes that take a group of people to the path of militancy," said Mofizur Rahman, associate professor at Dhaka University’s Mass Communication and Journalism Department.
"But in the cases of Tahrir, we see that those people who are not poor by any means have joined this extremist organisation," he said.
Police say the group's activities are centred in Dhaka. Surveillance has led to key arrests and disrupted rogue army officials' December 2011 coup attempt against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
At a January 19th press conference on the coup, Army spokesman Brigadier General Muhammad Masud Razzak said emails linked the plotters to Hizb-ut-Tahrir and the university community.
Razzak said the army had specific evidence that "up to 16 current and former Bangladeshi military officers with 'extreme religious views' were involved in a 'heinous conspiracy' instigated by Bangladeshi conspirators living abroad."
Quoting army statements from that press conference, Dhaka University sociology professor Mashiur Rahman said Hizb-ut-Tahrir apparently had links to mid-level Bangladesh army officers involved in the failed coup. Police estimate that the outlawed outfit has about 10,000 members throughout Bangladesh.
According to court records, about 270 leaders and activists of Tahrir were arrested in the past two years.
The recent arrest of a son of the press secretary of former prime minister Khaleda Zia on charges of involvement with Hizb-ut-Tahrir shows the reach of the extremist group.
Rishad Kamal Khan, 20, was arrested together with engineering student Faisal Ahmed, 20, on December 5th, 2011. They possessed 16 Hizb-ut-Tahrir posters blaming India for the 2009 Pilkhana massacre, a mutiny by Bangladeshi border guards in which 79 people, mostly senior army officials, were killed.
"We must know why educated people like these university teachers and students are getting involved with Hizb-ut-Tahrir," Mofiz, the mass communications professor, said. "Accurate reasons behind their involvement must be unearthed and proper steps should be taken to completely eradicate this menace from Bangladesh."
In July 2010, detectives arrested Dhaka University Management Department Professor Gulam Mawla for alleged involvement with the group. Two months earlier, thirteen suspected members -- including a teacher and four students -- were arrested at the same university.
On April 20th, 2010, police arrested Professor AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed, said to be the chief co-ordinator of the banned outfit. He is a teacher of the Institute of Business Administration of Dhaka University.
Rahman, the sociology professor, says Bangladesh and India should develop a joint programme to address the unique threat the organisation poses. A January 24th Times of India story reported Hizb-ut-Tahrir has been active in India for at least two years.
"The challenge that would come from Tahrir would be huge," Rahman said. "Tahrir men are not mere madrassa students. They are from high class of the society. So a comprehensive and long-term action plan will be needed to erase the fanatic group."
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