by Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
[J]ihadist leaders from Hamas and the Taliban have made high-profile visits to Bangladesh, receiving open support from pro-Islamist groups.
Since the 2024 jihadist-backed political shift in Bangladesh, the nation has become fertile ground for Islamic extremism. Extremist groups now see an opportunity to dismantle secular governance and establish an Islamic theocracy under Muhammad Yunus. Both ISIS and Al-Qaeda are exploiting this instability to expand their regional footprint.
The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, faces multiple crises, including extremist violence, growing sectarian tensions, and rising threats to religious minorities, according to The Jamestown Foundation. Indian strategist Professor Brahma Chellaney described the situation as an "upsurge of radical Islamism" in Bangladesh, exacerbated by systematic attacks on minorities and the empowerment of previously imprisoned jihadists.
Compounding these issues, jihadist leaders from Hamas and the Taliban have made high-profile visits to Bangladesh, receiving open support from pro-Islamist groups.
A shocking revelation has emerged implicating Bangladeshi expatriate workers in the covert collection of funds for Islamic State (ISIS), Al Qaeda, and other militant outfits.
This development raises urgent concerns across countries with large Bangladeshi migrant populations, including Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and nations in the European Union. Even more alarmingly, many of these workers are not ethnic Bangladeshis, but Rohingyas and "Stranded Pakistanis" (Biharis) who obtained Bangladeshi passports through illegal channels.
Recent investigative reports published in Malaysian daily The Star, Singapore's The Straits Times, and leading Bangladeshi media confirm that the Royal Malaysian Police, through their Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division (E8), uncovered a group named Gerakan Militan Radical Bangladesh (GMRB). The group was actively raising funds to support ISIS cells in both Syria and Bangladesh.
Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail, Malaysia's Inspector-General of Police, revealed that GMRB operated recruitment and indoctrination campaigns primarily through social media apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram. The group reportedly has between 100 and 150 members, each contributing RM500 (roughly $118) annually as part of a "membership fee".
"Their members are recruited among Bangladeshi laborers, factory workers, and others. Before being accepted, each member performs the 'bai'ah' - a form of Islamic oath of allegiance", said Ismail, adding that members are carefully vetted before initiation.
Earlier, Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail disclosed that 36 Bangladeshi nationals were arrested in June 2025 for their roles in the radical group. These individuals, inspired by ISIS ideology, aimed to indoctrinate recruits, raise terror funds, and ultimately orchestrate the overthrow of the elected government in Bangladesh.
"Malaysia will not be a haven -- let alone a battlefield -- for any foreign extremist movement", emphasized Minister Saifuddin.
The is not isolated. Intelligence analysts suggest that similar extremist fundraising and recruitment cells exist in other countries with sizable Bangladeshi communities, including Singapore, Indonesia, Maldives, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and the United States.
Particularly concerning is the role of madrasa-educated expatriates, many of whom have traveled abroad as imams, Islamic teachers, or low-skilled workers. Some are linked to Islamist groups such as Hefazat-e-Islam, Hizb ut-Tahrir, Islamic Constitution Movement, and Ansar Al-Islam – an Al Qaeda franchise in Bangladesh. These individuals collect and transmit funds through illegal hawala channels, evading financial oversight and counterterrorism monitoring.
Adding to the danger is the presence of Rohingya refugees and Stranded Pakistanis who have fraudulently acquired Bangladeshi passports. Many of them have received ideological and paramilitary training from Pakistan's Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI). They are increasingly active in radicalizing diaspora communities, spreading anti-Hindu, anti-Christian, and anti-Semitic narratives, and participating in global jihadist propaganda efforts.
Since the 2024 jihadist-backed political shift in Bangladesh, the nation has become fertile ground for Islamic extremism. Extremist groups now see an opportunity to dismantle secular governance and establish an Islamic theocracy under Muhammad Yunus. Both ISIS and Al-Qaeda are exploiting this instability to expand their regional footprint.
On August 20, 2024, Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) released a 14-page manifesto via its propaganda arm As-Sahab Subcontinent. Titled "Bangladesh: The Emerging Hope of Supporting Islam for the Muslim Masses", it called on jihadists to continue their struggle to turn Bangladesh into a regional hub for Islamic rule.
The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, faces multiple crises, including extremist violence, growing sectarian tensions, and rising threats to religious minorities, according to The Jamestown Foundation. Indian strategist Professor Brahma Chellaney described the situation as an "upsurge of radical Islamism" in Bangladesh, exacerbated by systematic attacks on minorities and the empowerment of previously imprisoned jihadists.
In September 2024, members of the European Parliament expressed grave concern over the deteriorating situation in Bangladesh. They specifically cited targeted attacks on the Hindu minority and warned about Bangladesh becoming a sanctuary for armed Islamism. They posed two direct questions to the European Commission:
1. Is the Commission worried about Bangladesh becoming a safe haven for armed Islamism, jeopardizing regional security and global counter-terrorism efforts?
2. Will it condemn the attacks on Bangladesh's Hindu minority and reconsider its support for the interim government?
Compounding these issues, jihadist leaders from Hamas and the Taliban have made high-profile visits to Bangladesh, receiving open support from pro-Islamist groups. On September 7, 2024, the group Al Markazul Islami hosted a major event attended by senior Hamas figures including Sheikh Khaled Quddumi and Khaled Mishal, along with Pakistani Islamist leaders like Mufti Taqi Usmani and Maulana Fazlur Rahman. The presence of such figures on Bangladeshi soil is deeply concerning to regional security analysts, particularly in India.
Meanwhile, Western actors appear to be backing the Arakan Army's armed insurgency against Myanmar's junta. This initiative risks empowering Rohingya militant groups such as ARSA, who are being armed and trained to destabilize not only Myanmar but also parts of Bangladesh and India.
Terror organizations such as ISIS, Al Qaeda, Hamas, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and their regional affiliates are actively trying to leverage this unrest. Their goal is to establish operational bases in Bangladesh using Rohingya recruits and to launch regional and international attacks. Intelligence and media sources suggest that ISI and other foreign actors are financing cyber cells in Europe and the United States to spread jihadist propaganda, targeting Jews, Hindus, Christians, Israel, and India.
In light of this escalating threat, it is critical that intelligence and law enforcement agencies across Asia, Europe, and North America take proactive measures such as closer monitoring of activities of Bangladeshi expatriates – especially madrassa-educated students as well as imams in various mosques and Islamic centers. The covert operations of Bangladeshi expatriates -- especially those of Rohingya and Bihari origin -- should be thoroughly investigated and monitored. Global counterterrorism coordination should immediately prioritize these cells before their networks trigger a regional or international catastrophe.
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is an award-winning journalist, writer, and Editor of the newspaper Blitz. He specializes in counterterrorism and South Asian geopolitics.
Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21753/bangladesh-jihadists-islamic-theocracy
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