Opinion Article By Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, during a press briefing on June 27, 2025, revealed that the Royal Malaysian Police had arrested 36 Bangladeshi nationals this week on charges of involvement in a “radical militant movement”.
He stated, “The Special Branch team’s intelligence and coordinated actions revealed that this group embraced extremist beliefs inspired by the Islamic State (ISIS) ideology”.
According to Malay Mail and New Straits Times, Malaysian police uncovered that this group had established recruitment cells within their community to indoctrinate individuals with radical ideology, raise funds for terrorist activities, and ultimately, orchestrate the overthrow of the legitimate government in their country of origin – Bangladesh.
The Home Minister elaborated that those arrested had created these clandestine recruitment cells with the objectives of:
· Indoctrinating radical Islamic beliefs,
· Raising funds to support terrorist operations, and
· Conspiring to topple the lawful government in their homeland.
Emphasizing Malaysia’s zero-tolerance approach, Minister Saifuddin stated, “I would like to emphasize that Malaysia will not be a haven, let alone a battlefield, for any foreign extremist movement”.
Authorities anticipate that similar crackdowns may unfold in other nations where significant Bangladeshi diasporas reside, including Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Maldives, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and the United States.
Since the jihadist coup of 2024, Bangladesh has witnessed a dangerous surge in radical Islamic militancy, with extremist factions persistently advocating for the dissolution of secular democracy and the establishment of a revolutionary Islamic regime under the leadership of Muhammad Yunus.
Analysts warn that both ISIS and Al-Qaeda see the current political turmoil as an opportunity to expand their influence in the region.
On August 20, 2024, Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) released a 14-page statement by its Emir, Usama Mahmood, via its propaganda arm As-Sahab Subcontinent. Titled “Bangladesh – The Emerging Hope of Supporting Islam for the Muslim Masses”, the statement hailed the uprising and called for continued jihadist efforts to cement Islamic rule in Bangladesh.
According to The Jamestown Foundation, “The interim Bangladeshi government led by economist Muhammad Yunus now faces a confluence of crises ranging from Islamist extremism and sectarian violence to mounting geopolitical tensions. The growing vulnerability of religious minorities in Bangladesh, particularly Hindus, reflects both the resurgence of radical Islamist forces and escalating tensions with India”.
In a grim assessment of Bangladesh’s situation, The Economist wrote:
“It took only four years for the euphoria that followed Bangladesh’s independence in 1971 to be extinguished by a military coup. Bangladesh’s second liberation, ushered in by a popular revolution last year, is in danger of fizzling out even more swiftly. In August 2024, a student-led uprising overthrew Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister who had ruled the country with increasing despotism for the preceding 15 years. A caretaker government took over, led by Muhammad Yunus, a microcredit pioneer and national hero, who promised to rebuild democracy. Nearly a year on, the new Bangladesh hangs in the balance”.
The Economist further noted that Muhammad Yunus, who enjoys only about five percent grassroots support through his recently formed ‘National Citizen Party (NCP)’, continues a campaign of political vendetta against the Awami League under the pretext of reform.
In October 2024, renowned Indian strategist Professor Brahma Chellaney wrote in Nikkei Asia, “Bangladesh, the world’s eighth-most populous country, is at a crossroads following a military-backed regime change and violent upheaval. Amid purges, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, systematic attacks on religious and ethnic minorities, and the freeing of jailed terrorists, one development stands out—an upsurge of radical Islamism across the country”.
While the Yunus regime is increasingly under international scrutiny for harboring and patronizing radical Islamist and transnational terrorist networks, particularly those aiming to destabilize India, a new crisis looms for Dhaka.
According to Reuters, Ukraine has accused Bangladesh of importing wheat allegedly looted from Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia. Kyiv has warned that if such trade continues, it will seek sanctions against Bangladeshi entities from the European Union.
Documents provided to Reuters by sources familiar with the matter reveal that the Ukrainian Embassy in New Delhi sent several diplomatic notes to Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs this year, urging Dhaka to reject over 150,000 tons of grain allegedly stolen and exported via Russia’s Kavkaz port.
Ukraine’s ambassador to India, Oleksandr Polishchuk, stated that Dhaka had not responded to these communications. He added that Kyiv now intends to escalate the matter, as intelligence shows Russia blending stolen Ukrainian grain with its own exports before shipment.
“It’s a crime”, Polishchuk said in an interview with Reuters. “We will share our investigation with our European Union colleagues, and we will kindly ask them to take the appropriate measures”.
In April 2025, Ukraine detained a foreign vessel in its waters for allegedly transporting stolen grain. Last year, a similar incident led to the seizure of a cargo ship and the detention of its captain.
Ukraine’s June 11 letter warned that Bangladesh could face “serious consequences” for importing stolen grain, emphasizing that such transactions worsen the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. The letter added that sanctions “may extend beyond importing companies and could also target government officials and leadership figures who knowingly facilitate or tolerate such violations”.
Responding to the allegations, EU Spokesperson Anitta Hipper stated that the vessels involved were not currently under any EU sanctions but added, “Any proven involvement of vessels in shipping stolen Ukrainian grain could provide the basis for future restrictive measures”. The EU has already sanctioned 342 vessels allegedly involved in helping Russia circumvent trade restrictions.
With multiple crises mounting – from international trade scandals to Bangladeshi nationals being arrested abroad for terrorist links – Muhammad Yunus appears oblivious. Instead, he is reportedly pressing ahead with plans to unveil a so-called “July Charter” next month.
This controversial declaration would empower Yunus to dismantle Bangladesh’s Armed Forces and replace them with a pro-regime paramilitary outfit tentatively named the Islamic Revolutionary Army (IRA). It would also seek to annul the 1972 Constitution and transform the interim administration into a permanent “Revolutionary Government”, akin to post-1979 Iran under Ayatollah Khomeini.
Under this charter, Yunus would gain authority to dismiss President Mohammad Shahabuddin Chuppu, Army Chief General Waker Uz Zaman, and others holding constitutional positions.
Alarmingly, during a June 13 meeting in London – now dubbed the “Londongate Conspiracy” – Yunus reportedly secured the endorsement of BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman, who agreed to join the proposed Revolutionary Government and indefinitely suspend national elections.
According to reports, BNP has also backed Yunus’s intention to prosecute President Shahabuddin and General Waker on charges of “crimes against humanity” for allegedly collaborating with Sheikh Hasina’s administration.
Yunus and his allies are particularly incensed by General Waker Uz Zaman’s insistence on holding general elections by December 30, 2025, and facilitating a democratic transition of power. Political commentator and Executive Director of the Center for Governance Studies, Zillur Rahman, has cautioned that failure to hold elections by this deadline could mean that “there may not be any elections in Bangladesh for years to come”.
Following the ousting of Sheikh Hasina, General Waker addressed the nation on August 5, 2024, pledging to uphold the constitutional order and facilitate a democratic transition.
Nearly a year later, his silence in the face of creeping authoritarianism is deafening. Whether due to inability or unwillingness, General Waker now appears to be a passive observer as Bangladesh spirals towards a perilous abyss.
If the international community continues to remain indifferent, Bangladesh may soon be lost to the clutches of radical authoritarianism, with devastating consequences for South Asia and beyond.
The rise of Muhammad Yunus’s “Revolutionary Government” is not merely a domestic political mutation – it is the incubation of a regional jihadist hub, capable of destabilizing neighboring India, infiltrating global diasporas, and undermining democratic institutions.
With terror-linked operatives already surfacing abroad and plans underway to dismantle the nation’s armed forces in favor of an ideologically driven militia, Bangladesh is standing at the edge of an irreversible catastrophe.
The time to act is now – before a once-promising democracy is fully consumed by the flames of fanaticism and geopolitical manipulation.
Bio: Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury is an internationally acclaimed multi-award-winning journalist, writer, research-scholar, and Editor, Blitz. He regularly writes for local and international newspapers. Follow him on X: Salah_Shoaib
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