Hamas taps Tawhidi Janata to expand Bangladesh footprint

New Delhi, July 6 (IANS) It is now well known that Hamas is seeking to expand its footprint across the world, with its current focus on South Asia. After establishing a presence in Pakistan with the support of the Inter-Services Intelligence, the outfit is now looking to expand into countries such as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Amid these developments, Indian agencies are keeping a close watch on the activities of an unorganised radical group called Tawhidi Janata, which operates out of Bangladesh. The group has been active for several years and resurfaces at regular intervals.

The group has in the past been involved in attacks on Sufi institutions in Bangladesh. This group is not an organised one, and it claims that its main objective is to defend Islamic monotheism.

“There is no proper organisational structure, and the ideology it follows remains difficult for agencies to clearly define. It is essentially a loose grouping of radicalised youth who come together to preach a violent interpretation of Islam,” the official said.

They have no fixed ideology. At times, they are seen backing the Islamic State, while on other occasions they support Al-Qaeda, the official said. In recent months, they have been propagating the Palestine cause by extending support to Hamas.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that Hamas does not look to operate on its own in countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka. “It would rely on smaller groups to spread its agenda,” the official said.

This is where a group such as the Tawhidi Janata comes into the picture. The recent surge in pro-Hamas propaganda by this outfit suggests that the Palestine-based terror group would rely on the Tawhidi Janata to further its agenda at least in Bangladesh.

Off late, the Tawhidi Janata has become more vocal. In recent months, flags of Al-Qaeda and Islamic State have repeatedly been displayed in the open. In many cases, it was found that those displaying the flags belonged to the Tawhidi Janata.

Another official said that this outfit backs groups such as the Islamic State openly. They follow similar ideologies, and the Tawhidi Janata in the past has been accused of attacking Sufi shrines and Baul gatherings in Bangladesh.

The official said now there is concrete intelligence that suggests that Hamas is reaching out to the Tawhidi Janata to spread its tentacles in Bangladesh. This is a dangerous development, and an unorganised group such as the Tawhidi Janata will use this alliance to spread violent ideology that would be detrimental to the national security of Bangladesh.

Security analysts say that the Tawhidi Janata is not an unknown group. While it has indulged in violent activities, its style of functioning is what makes it hard to keep track of this group. It is largely unorganised and keeps coming now and then.

“Their style of functioning is not structured. They do not depend on terror modules or sleeper cells, and this makes tracking their activities even harder,” officials say.

Officials say that the members of this outfit are aligned with various radical groups. While there are a few who are sympathetic towards the Jama’atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya, a banned terror outfit, some lean more towards the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT). Some members have even been found to be aligned with Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami in Bangladesh (HuJI).

Officials say Hamas would prefer to align with a loosely organised group that is difficult to track. The terror outfit is not interested in carrying out routine attacks in Bangladesh. Instead, its objective is to spread its ideology across the country and eventually allow that influence to spill over into India.

In Bangladesh, Tawhidi Janata has already launched a campaign in which its members are using social media and taking to the streets carrying Kalema flags. The campaign centres on the alleged persecution of Muslims, with a particular focus on Palestine. Officials say this closely aligns with Hamas’ narrative, making Tawhidi Janata a suitable vehicle for the Palestine-based terror group to further its agenda.

–IANS

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