Between 2013 and 2016, Bangladesh was engulfed in a wave of violence that targeted secularists, atheists, religious minorities, and foreigners, all of whom were perceived by Islamist extremists as enemies of Islam. This period of turbulence marked a dramatic escalation in the persecution of those challenging religious dogma, with many being killed or threatened for their views. These attacks were primarily driven by extremist groups such as Ansarullah Bangla Team and, in some instances, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The violence underscored the growing influence of radical Islam in Bangladesh and the government’s controversial responses to these attacks.
By July 2, 2016, a total of 48 people, including 20 foreign nationals, had been murdered in a series of targeted attacks. These attacks were part of a broader pattern of violence against secular writers, bloggers, publishers, and activists, who were perceived to have offended Islam, its prophet Muhammad, or religious sentiments in general. The victims of these brutal attacks were not only members of the secular and atheist communities but also religious minorities such as Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and Ahmadis. These groups, viewed as heretical by the extremists, found themselves vulnerable to violent reprisals.
The Bangladeshi government’s response to the escalating violence drew significant criticism, both domestically and internationally. Rather than focusing on protecting the targeted individuals, the government arrested and jailed some secular bloggers on charges of “defaming Islam” or “hurting religious sentiments.” In many instances, the authorities failed to hold the perpetrators of the violence accountable, instead targeting the victims for their views. Some bloggers were even urged to flee the country to escape the growing threats against their lives. This approach was widely seen as a form of appeasement toward the hardline Islamist factions within the country, which made up a significant portion of the Muslim-majority population. In Bangladesh, where approximately 89% of the population is Sunni Muslim, the government’s handling of these attacks reflected the delicate political and social dynamics at play.
The origins of the attacks can be traced to a series of events surrounding Bangladesh’s War Crimes Tribunal, which was established in 2010 to investigate atrocities committed during the country’s War of Independence from Pakistan in 1971. In February 2013, Abdul Quader Molla, a leader of the Islamist opposition party Jamaat-e-Islami, was sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the war. This relatively mild sentence was met with fierce opposition from Bangladesh’s secularist bloggers and writers, who demanded the death penalty for Molla and called for the dissolution of Jamaat-e-Islami due to its involvement in war crimes. The protests, which became known as the Shahbagh movement, quickly expanded to include broader demands for secularism and justice for the victims of the 1971 war.
In response to the Shahbagh protests, Islamist groups organized counter-demonstrations that quickly turned violent. Radical Islamist leaders denounced the war crimes tribunal as a political tool aimed at targeting their party and its leaders. These groups, including the influential Hefazat-e-Islam, accused the secular bloggers of blasphemy and demanded the death penalty for them. As the violence escalated, secularists became increasingly vulnerable to attack, with extremist groups using their growing influence to target writers, journalists, and activists who criticized religious orthodoxy.
In 2014, the group “Defenders of Islam” published a hit list of 84 people, mostly secular writers and bloggers, several of whom were subsequently murdered or attacked. One of the most prominent groups responsible for these killings was Ansarullah Bangla Team, an extremist faction with alleged ties to al-Qaeda and the youth wing of Jamaat-e-Islami. The group claimed responsibility for a number of high-profile killings, and its actions signaled a disturbing rise in organized extremist violence. Although the Bangladeshi government made some arrests in connection with these killings, its efforts were seen as insufficient in curbing the growing violence. While some bloggers were provided with police protection, many others remained at risk, and the government’s focus appeared to shift toward suppressing free speech rather than tackling the sources of extremism.
International organizations, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders, PEN International, and the Committee to Protect Journalists, raised alarms over the worsening situation in Bangladesh. They condemned the government’s failure to protect its citizens and its consistent attacks on freedom of expression. In 2015, over 150 prominent authors, including Salman Rushdie, Margaret Atwood, and Yann Martell, signed a petition calling on the Bangladesh government to end the deadly attacks on bloggers and to ensure the safety of writers and intellectuals in the country. They urged the government to take decisive action to prevent further violence and bring the perpetrators to justice.
The situation worsened in 2016, as the violence reached a new level of intensity. On June 7, 2016, Bangladesh’s Minister of Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan suggested that the attacks were part of a larger conspiracy involving the opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), as well as foreign actors, including the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. However, these allegations were swiftly rejected by Israeli officials, who called the accusations “utter drivel.” The United Nations, too, expressed concern about the rising number of brutal murders targeting freethinkers, religious minorities, and LGBTQ+ activists in Bangladesh. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on the government to take stronger measures to protect these vulnerable groups.
In a move to counter the growing influence of extremism, a group of around 100,000 Bangladeshi Muslim clerics issued a fatwa on June 14, 2016, declaring that the murder of non-Muslims, minorities, and secular activists was forbidden in Islam. This fatwa was seen as a significant statement from moderate Islamic scholars who sought to distance themselves from the extremists perpetrating the violence. However, the fatwa did little to quell the rising tide of extremism, and the violence against secularists and minorities continued unabated.
The period between 2013 and 2016 marked a turning point in Bangladesh’s struggle to balance its secular ideals with the growing influence of radical Islam. The government’s failure to adequately address the threats to free speech and the safety of secularists exposed the deep divisions within the country. As secular writers, bloggers, and activists continued to face persecution, many fled the country, seeking asylum in other nations to escape the escalating violence. The brutal attacks not only highlighted the dangers faced by free thinkers in Bangladesh but also underscored the growing tension between religious orthodoxy and the forces of secularism in the country.
These events serve as a stark reminder of the challenges faced by societies in which religious extremism threatens to undermine democratic values and human rights. The attacks on secularists in Bangladesh were not only an assault on individual freedoms but also a direct challenge to the country’s long-standing secular traditions. As Bangladesh continues to grapple with these issues, the legacy of the 2013-2016 attacks will likely continue to shape the nation’s political and social landscape for years to come.
