On July 1, 2016, a group of armed attackers stormed a Spanish cafe called Holey Artisan Bakery, situated in the uptown Gulshan area in Dhaka, and murdered 20 people, most of them were foreigners. The attack came after a series of murders of foreigners and members of religious minorities. According to SITE Intelligence Group, a U.S. based organization that monitors jihadi networks, “Islamic State” (IS) has claimed responsibility for the brutal attack at the restaurant.
Comment:
After the Gulshan carnage, Bangladesh now seems to be caught into the vicious net of the imperialists. U.S. and her ally India are now more active than ever before in the name of combating ‘Islamic State’ and/or ‘homegrown’ militants. Hence, the aftermath of the attack is turning out to be more significant for us than the identity of the real perpetrators. Considering USA’s history of heinous covert and false flag operations in Pakistan and in some Middle Eastern countries to achieve its geopolitical imperatives, it is no doubt that this attack had been a part of a planned campaign against Islam. The very obvious aim of this attack (along with all the on-going covert killing operations) is to defame political Islam and inflame ‘Islamophobia’ so that people become fearful in talking about Islam and engaging in the truthful work for establishing the Khilafah in the country.
What made the crusader West utterly frustrated was their continuous effort to vilify political Islam and instate secular liberal values in the Muslim lands as part of their cultural hegemony. However, the increasingly stronger demand for Khilafah among the Muslims of this country has been a grave concern for them. For example, a recent (Dec 2015) Pew Research Centre, a U.S. organization, survey of Muslims in 39 countries asked Muslims whether they wanted Shari’ah law to be the official law of the land in their country. Almost 82% of the Muslims of Bangladesh strictly supported in favor of the Shari’ah law. This fear of the West especially USA is not something very new. In December 2004, The National Intelligence Council of the CIA predicted that in the year 2020 a new Caliphate would emerge on the world stage. The findings were published in a 123-page report titled “Mapping the Global Future”, presented to the U.S. president, members of Congress, cabinet members and key officials involved in policymaking. What was striking about the report was that it was full of references about political Islam and the various challenges it posed to U.S. interests in the foreseeable future. Hence, to demolish the chance of the coming of the second righteous Khilafah from this part as well, America (and her allies) has been adamant to drag this country into her ‘war against terror’ (aka war against Islam). Thus it is perfectly suitable for USA to see the presence of “Islamic State” (IS) in the country that has gained notoriety for its mindless violence and savagery in the name of spreading their self-styled Khilafah. And for USA, Gulshan café attack was a perfect opportunity to create fear about righteous Khilafah by exploiting the atrocious activities of IS.
It is also of great significance that Bangladesh is now under strategic radar of the USA due to the geo-strategic setting and geopolitical significance of Bangladesh in South Asia and international politics. So, using ‘Islamic State’ as a smokescreen, naturally the US would push Bangladesh to be more subservient to her demands and get the country into various military treaties with her and her allies in the name of fighting terrorism. Immediately after the Gulshan café attack, Bangladesh is set to sit at the negotiation table with the US in the upcoming 5th US-BD security dialogue to be held in Dhaka in October to sketch out how to closely work under the direction of USA. It would be tough for the Hasina government to ignore the American pressure now especially after the attack. In her last visit before the attack, U.S. Assistant Secretary Nisha Desai’s request to meet the Prime Minister was turned down by Sheikh Hasina, but this time she was forced to meet her and apparently Bangladesh Government isn’t in a position to deny U.S. requests anymore.
Muslims in Bangladesh especially the sincere journalists and columnists, and influential should raise their voices against this crusader America’s dangerous campaigns against the Deen of Allah سبحانه وتعالى. Covert and overt operations, artificially created mayhem, and ugly sectarian violence all across Iraq, Syria and Pakistan are glaring realities that are in place due to the invasion and interference of USA in those lands. Now USA wants to bring the same bloodshed in this country also and crush peoples’ aspiration for the promised Khilafah at any cost. But victory is the ultimate fate of this Ummah no matter how strong Kuffar’s conspiracies seem to be. As our Messenger Muhammad ﷺ said:
«لَيَبْلُغَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرُ مَا بَلَغَ اللَّيْلُ وَالنَّهَارُ، وَلَا يَتْرُكُ اللَّهُ بَيْتَ مَدَرٍ وَلَا وَبَرٍ إِلَّا أَدْخَلَهُ اللَّهُ هَذَا الدِّينَ، بِعِزِّ عَزِيزٍ، أَوْ بِذُلِّ ذَلِيلٍ، عِزًّا يُعِزُّ اللَّهُ بِهِ الْإِسْلَامَ، وَذُلًّا يُذِلُّ اللَّهُ بِهِ الْكُفْرَ»
“This matter (Islam) will keep spreading as far as the night and day reach, until Allah will not leave a house made of mud or hair, but will make this religion enter it, while bringing might to a mighty person (a Muslim) and humiliation to a disgraced person (who rejects Islam); might with which Allah elevates Islam (and its people), and disgrace with which Allah humiliates disbelief (and its people).” (Musnad al-Imaam Ahmad)
Imadul Amin
Member of the Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Bangladesh