Police in Bangladesh use batons and tear gas to disperse rally by banned Islamist group
Police used batons and stun grenades on Friday to disperse thousands of members of the banned Hizbut Tahrir group as they marched near Bangladesh's main Baitul Mokarram Mosque in the country's capital.
Police said that many people were injured and several protesters were arrested during the violence which came after weekly prayers.
Masud Alam, a deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said that attempts were made to disperse the rally after marchers broke away from the police barricade. Witnesses said that scores of people were injured.
The clashes happened as between 3,000 and 5,000 protesters joined the procession, chanting slogans such as 'Freedom has one path, Khilafat, Khilafat,' or caliphate, and 'Naraye Taqbir, Allahu akbar,' meaning 'Cry, God is the greatest.'
The Islamist group had mounted a social media campaign in recent days and distributed leaflets and used posters across Dhaka urging people to join the procession, dubbed 'March for Khilafat.'
Hizbut Tahrir says it wants unification of all Muslim countries over time in a unitary Islamic state or caliphate, headed by a caliph elected by Muslims. Its supporters believe this is an obligation decreed by Allah, warning that Allah will punish those Muslims who would overlook this duty. It also wants the introduction of Sharia law.
The group was banned in 2009 as a 'threat to public security' by the government of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina under an anti-terrorism law.
Hasina was forced to flee last August after weeks of protests over a quota system for allocating government jobs turned into a broader challenge to her 15-year rule and an interim government was established under Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus. Hasina has been in exile in India since her ouster.
Bangladesh, a nation of about 170 million people, is largely Muslim-majority and is governed by mostly secular laws based on British common law. But many Islamist groups and hard-line political parties want to establish tough Sharia law in the country, which has experienced extremist attacks in the past.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Spectator
6 hours ago
- Spectator
It's no surprise that Prevent has gone to the dogs
Conquest's Second Law states that the behaviour of an organisation can best be predicted by assuming it's controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies – and that certainly seems to apply to Prevent (although it's a 'programme' rather than an organisation). Prevent is a key strand of the counter-terrorism framework introduced after the 7/7 bombings and aims to stop people becoming radicalised. Given the historical context – and the fact that 75 per cent of MI5's counter-terrorism work involves monitoring Islamist extremists – you'd think the main focus would be radical Islam. At least, you would if you weren't familiar with Conquest's Second Law. Of the 6,817 people referred to Prevent in the year ending 31 March 2023, just 11 per cent were suspected of Islamist extremism, compared with 19 per cent in danger of succumbing to 'extreme right-wing terrorism'. And according to a Prevent Refresher Awareness Course on the Home Office website, one of the three most common subcategories of extreme right-wing terrorist ideology is 'cultural nationalism'.
Wales Online
8 hours ago
- Wales Online
Hate graffiti daubed on building due to be converted into mosque
Hate graffiti daubed on building due to be converted into mosque The incident occurred just weeks after a council granted a 30-year lease to the local Muslim Community Association Abergavenny's former library was defaced with graffiti (Image: Gareth Wilde ) A Grade-II listed building that was set to become a Welsh county's first mosque has been defaced with religious symbols and anti-Muslim graffiti in an act that one resident described as "a dark stain on us all". Police are treating the incident as a hate crime. Spray-painted Christian crosses and the words "No Masjid" were discovered on the former Abergavenny library just weeks after the council's Labour-led cabinet agreed to grant a 30-year lease to Monmouthshire Muslim Community Association (MMCA). The group, a not-for-profit organisation, intends to convert the building into the county's first mosque and community centre, serving the needs of Monmouthshire's growing and diverse Muslim population. The incident has been widely condemned by local residents and faith leaders as a shocking display of religious intolerance in a town known for its history of peaceful dissent and diversity. Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter here. The building, located in the town centre, has been out of use as a library since 2015 after services were moved to Abergavenny Town Hall. Since then it has housed several council-run services including adult education and most recently the pupil referral unit (PRU) for children unable to attend mainstream education. Article continues below The PRU has now relocated to new premises at Old Hereford Road leaving the building vacant once again. In May the council awarded the lease to MMCA citing the association's clear demonstration of local need. Abergavenny has the highest number of Muslims in Monmouthshire, which currently has no mosques. In contrast Cardiff has 24 mosques while Newport has eight and Swansea has seven. The former Abergavenny library building was set to become Monmouthshire's first mosque (Image: Google ) Since 2021 MMCA has been holding Friday congregational prayers at St Michael's Community Centre with the support of trustees from Our Lady and St Michael's parish. Their presence has grown steadily and they have also collaborated with schools and youth groups to promote interfaith understanding. Andrew Lewis, a local resident, welcomed their work and said: "The Muslim community locally have been doing some great community events. "I can only see that increasing with having their own dedicated community space. We have had them talking with Scouts as part of the World Faiths badge and I went to a Ramadan celebration and education evening at Crickhowell High School." Although the cabinet decision was approved, three councillors called in the lease agreement for review following concerns raised members of the community. The review meeting was scheduled to take place on Wednesday, June 11, at Monmouthshire County Hall in Usk. The vandalism, which occurred just a day before that review, has triggered anger and soul-searching in the community. "I am disgusted at the vandals who have used a precious Christian symbol to object to a former library being used for Muslims to worship in our town," said Reverend Gareth Wilde, an accredited Baptist minister. "Abergavenny has a rich, peaceful history of non-conformist dissent from the 17th century where its adherents fought for religious freedom for those who didn't follow the established Church of England. "These would include Baptists, Congregationalists, Presbyterian and various other chapel-attending congregations. "Muslims are only asking to be treated with the same equality and respect and if anything should be prioritised above Christian churches wishing to use a community facility. "As an accredited Baptist minister I wholeheartedly agree with the MCC decision to let the Carnegie Library to Monmouthshire Muslim Community Association. Please be kind to Muslims in Wales." Another saddened resident said: "Never thought I'd see this in Abergavenny. A very sad day. We need to respect and understand everyone's beliefs and peacefully coexist in a society that has so much freedom." One local added: "I always thought that Abergavenny was a tolerant caring community and hopefully this abhorrent graffiti was perpetrated by some hateful person outside of our community. It remains a dark stain on us all. "This is no different from the religious persecution shown by the Nazis to the Jewish communities in the 1930s. Previous generations made a supreme sacrifice to overcome this kind of inhumanity. "It saddens me that the gross transgressions of the past are rearing their ugly head again." In response to the incident a sign has been placed over the graffiti reading: "What unites us is big + beautiful, what divides us is small + MEAN!" A Gwent Police spokesman said: 'We received a call at about 8.45am on Tuesday, June 10, reporting criminal damage after graffiti had been sprayed on the old library in Abergavenny overnight. 'This has now been cleaned off and we are treating it as a hate crime.' Inspector Emma Sowrey said: 'We have been carrying out onquiries to identify those responsible including house-to-house and reviewing CCTV. So far we've been able to establish that the damage happened at about 3am on June 10. 'I understand the concern that may be felt amongst our communities following this appalling incident which we are treating as a hate crime. 'We will not tolerate any such behaviour and are determined to identify the offenders and bring them to justice.' Anyone with any information is asked to call Gwent Police on 101 quoting 2500182567. You can also send a direct message on Facebook or X or online here. Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visit Article continues below Monmouthshire County Council has been approached for comment.
Reuters
11 hours ago
- Reuters
Syria requires women to wear burkinis on public beaches
DAMASCUS, June 11 (Reuters) - Syria's Islamist-led government has decreed that women should wear burkinis or other swimwear that covers the body at public beaches and swimming pools, while permitting Western-style beachwear at private clubs and luxury hotels. The tourism ministry decision issued this week marks the first time the Damascus authorities have issued guidelines related to what women can wear since Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December. During the Assad family's iron-fisted rule of Syria, which was shaped by a secular Arab nationalist ideology, the state imposed no such restrictions, though people often dressed modestly at public beaches, reflecting conservative norms. The new requirements were set out in a wider decree dated June 9 and which included public safety guidelines for beaches and swimming pools ahead of the summer, such as not spending too long in the sun and avoiding jellyfish. It said that beachgoers and visitors to public pools should wear "appropriate swimwear that respects public decency and the feelings of different segments of society", requiring "more modest swimsuits" and specifying "the burkini or swimming clothes that cover the body more". Women should wear a cover or a loose robe over their swimwear when moving between the beach and other areas, it said. Men should wear a shirt when not swimming, and are not allowed to appear bare-chested "in the public areas outside the swimming areas - hotel lobbies or ... restaurants", it said. The decree added that "in public areas outside the beaches and swimming pools", it was preferable to wear loose clothing that covers the shoulders and knees and to avoid transparent or very tight clothing. It offered an exception for hotels classed as four stars or above, and for private beaches, pools and clubs, saying "normal Western swimwear" was generally permitted, "with adherence to public morals and within the limits of public taste". Since Sunni Islamist-led rebels overthrew Assad, fliers have appeared urging women to cover up, but the government has issued no directives ordering them to observe conservative dress codes. A temporary constitution passed earlier this year strengthened the language on the role of sharia (Islamic law) in Syria. Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led an al Qaeda group before cutting ties with the jihadist network, has sidestepped interviewers' questions on whether he thought Syria should apply sharia, saying this was for experts to decide.
