Abstract The radical Right in Europe and Islamist parties in Muslim countries have conventionally... more Abstract The radical Right in Europe and Islamist parties in Muslim countries have conventionally been portrayed as fundamentally different. The article uses material from Bangladesh to argue that the two share a wide set of characteristics and can be understood as fundamentally similar. Theoretically, we suggest a concept of the radical Right that encapsulates a set of deeper sentiments found to some extent in any culture or society. These deeper sentiments are normally obfuscated by attention-grabbing current events, but, isolated analytically, can be seen to give rise to parallel developments in different contexts. Our argument expands the theoretical value of the concept of the radical Right and helps understand recent political developments in Muslim-majority Bangladesh and, potentially, the wider authoritarian turn.
Against the backdrop of the resurgence of Islam and emergence of political Islam post 1970s, as w... more Against the backdrop of the resurgence of Islam and emergence of political Islam post 1970s, as well as the replacement of the 'Red' menace with the 'Green' menace at the end of the Cold War, Islam as a religion and political ideology has attracted renewed attention in international relations. Predictably, scholarship remains divided over Islam's influence in politics and international relations. On one hand, many liberals, Western conservatives and neo-conservatives see Islam as an illiberal, violent and fascist religion. On the other hand, critics of conservatives and post-Islamist scholars argue that the forces of modernity, particularly democratisation and globalisation, can tame Islam. This thesis, by contrast, argues that international relations scholarship requires a more nuanced approach to explain and understand the relationship between Islam and politics. Drawing upon the political experience of Bangladesh, the fourth largest Muslim state in the world, ...
This article examines the deeply contested approaches of ‘political Islam ’ towards modern democr... more This article examines the deeply contested approaches of ‘political Islam ’ towards modern democracy in Bangladesh, the third largest Muslim country in the world, where shari’a law is not the source of public law and where a democratic government is in place. Selecting the political manifestos and constitutions of three different influential Islamist parties, the Jamat e Islami Bangladesh, Hizbut Tahrir Bangladesh and Jamatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh, the study examines through discourse analysis why Islamists take such a hostile approach towards democracy. At first sight Islamists desire the establishment of an alternative governing system, such as the Caliphate, to replace the present parliamentary system of governance in Bangladesh. Islamists also advocate a change of state philosophy from ‘People’s Republic of Bangladesh ’ to an ‘Islamic State’, arguing that shari’a should be the legal framework of the country. The key finding of this research, however, is that Political Islam in B...
Mubashar Hasan argues that in order to resist increasing radicalism in Bangladeshi society, the s... more Mubashar Hasan argues that in order to resist increasing radicalism in Bangladeshi society, the state needs to promote cultural alternatives which support values of inclusion and moderation such as Bangladeshi Rock ‘n’ Roll music.
Though scholars have demonstrated BNP’s policy support for Islamization and political Islam, a li... more Though scholars have demonstrated BNP’s policy support for Islamization and political Islam, a link between BNP’s allegiance to the ummah, state-led Islamization, and the growth of political Islam in Bangladesh has yet to be established. The aim of this chapter is to establish that link. To illustrate it, firstly, I discuss the emergence of BNP in Bangladesh politics. Secondly, through analysing the party platforms, I shall show that the BNP defines itself as a party supportive of moderate political Islam. Thirdly, two case studies will demonstrate that the party extends its support to illiberal Islamist groups in order to undermine key liberal values such as freedom of speech and personal liberty. In sum, this chapter along with the previous chapter demonstrates how political Islam sets the framework of main stream politics in Bangladesh that creates pressure on the state to promote Islamization.
The objective of this chapter is to offer a typology of transnational drivers igniting ummah iden... more The objective of this chapter is to offer a typology of transnational drivers igniting ummah identities in Bangladesh in a political climate where major parties and the state promote and support ummah. The typology includes: transnational Islamist parties, Islamic NGOs, migrants (people who are moving across borders), transnational scholarly networks and the Internet. This typology is not exhaustive, rather the purpose behind offering this typology is to invoke thoughts. Finally, this chapter argues that such varied transnational waves of ummah have three significant implications for Bangladesh: (a) weakening of the state-given identities and attachment towards citizenship, (b) increasing threat to state security, and (c) challenging the idea of modern day politics. In other words, this chapter demonstrates how Bangladeshis, by passing traditional “high” political structure such as the state and major parties, mount multiple criticisms to the Westphalian narrative by using a non-Wes...
Secularism is often seen as a key component of liberal democracy, yet the concept is deeply roote... more Secularism is often seen as a key component of liberal democracy, yet the concept is deeply rooted in European history and philosophy. Mubashar Hasan discusses how Bangladesh’s Prime Minister has invoked the Medina Charter to promote minority rights and religious freedom in a Muslim-majority state.
India Quarterly: A Journal of International Affairs, 2017
Against the backdrop of 2016 terrorist attack in Dhaka, this article argues that in the terrain o... more Against the backdrop of 2016 terrorist attack in Dhaka, this article argues that in the terrain of Bangladeshi literatures on migration, little is explored about the impact of south–south migration in unleashing security threat to Bangladesh. This article offers a historic trajectory of south–south migration and security threat to Bangladeshi state. It argues that while it is important to understand migration from various point of views, scholars have ignored to explore the nexus between migration and security threat of the sender state. This article explains why to some Muslim migrants of Bangladesh, bad ideas such as terrorism may seem to form an option and how globalisation played a role in fostering bad ideas. It proposes that scholars of migration require to indulge in further research to understand the nexus between outward migration and security threat to Bangladesh.
Journalists are currently facing a multitude of threats. Commonly, these are considered in terms ... more Journalists are currently facing a multitude of threats. Commonly, these are considered in terms of harassment and bodily harms such as incarceration and murder of journalists. In the Bangladeshi case we argue that the parameters for evaluating what constitutes safety for journalists go beyond conventional wisdom. On the basis of in-depth interviews of 23 Bangladeshi journalists, we argue that the concept of journalists’ safety has three intertwined dimensions. First, journalists’ safety incorporates avoiding bodily harm (imprisonment, enforced disappearance, and so forth), and harassment, as well as economic and career threats. Second, in order to remain safe, journalists undertake various tactics including compromising the objectivity of news in a regime where security apparatus and pro-government journalists work in tandem to surveil and intimidate non-partisan journalists. Third, the tactics used by journalists decrease public faith in the media and the media can no longer play ...
Based on field research, this article focuses on the little-known phenomenon of Bangladeshi ‘boat... more Based on field research, this article focuses on the little-known phenomenon of Bangladeshi ‘boat people’ seeking entry to Thailand and Malaysia. It identifies how in a populous country of the Global South, familiar with various kinds of worker migration and movements of people, changing political, social and ecological contexts may generate and drive yet more manifestations of migration, also related to trafficking. In particular, certain developments in international relations connected to religious politics are shown to be instrumental in facilitating migration through legal and illegal channels. The interviews identify significant motivating factors that suggest an urgent need to develop policy recommendations, also in South Asia, to alleviate risks and suffering for irregular migrants and their families.
This article traces the formation of the secular in Bangladesh during the period of 1947–71. Argu... more This article traces the formation of the secular in Bangladesh during the period of 1947–71. Arguably, this is a period when the idea of a ‘secular Bengali nation’ as opposed to ‘Islamic Pakistani nationalism’ was coined in by the political forces to foster imagination of a Bengali root of East Pakistan. This article argues with multiple evidence that particular project of secular Bengali nationalism in the sense of strict separation of religion and politics as opposed to religious nationalism makes little sense in contemporary Bangladesh as major parties here are found to manipulate religious nationalism in a society where simplistic and unenlightened interpretation of religion plays a significant role. This article argues that the idea of secular nationalism had multiple meanings and roots during 1947–71 and by acknowledging diverse roots of secular nationalism, it is possible to make sense of contemporary Bangladesh that is by all secular indicators turned into an intolerant enti...
ABSTRACT Over the past twenty years, an influential body of conservative scholarship has focused ... more ABSTRACT Over the past twenty years, an influential body of conservative scholarship has focused on the alleged conflict between Islam and the West. Following widespread criticism of this scholarship, a number of commentators have revived its core assumptions to claim that the real conflict is between liberal democracy within Muslim societies and the political ideology of Islamism. In this article we trace the evolution of this scholarship, and suggest that recent empirical developments in the Muslim world suggest the potential for post-Islamist parties to successfully adapt to the demands of democratic competition within Muslim societies. In this context, the emerging conflict is not between Islam and the West, or Islamism and the West, but between two very different discursive practices within the Muslim world that invoke Islam for radically different purposes.A traveler enters the world into which he travels, but a tourist brings his own world with him and never sees the one he's in.
Abstract The radical Right in Europe and Islamist parties in Muslim countries have conventionally... more Abstract The radical Right in Europe and Islamist parties in Muslim countries have conventionally been portrayed as fundamentally different. The article uses material from Bangladesh to argue that the two share a wide set of characteristics and can be understood as fundamentally similar. Theoretically, we suggest a concept of the radical Right that encapsulates a set of deeper sentiments found to some extent in any culture or society. These deeper sentiments are normally obfuscated by attention-grabbing current events, but, isolated analytically, can be seen to give rise to parallel developments in different contexts. Our argument expands the theoretical value of the concept of the radical Right and helps understand recent political developments in Muslim-majority Bangladesh and, potentially, the wider authoritarian turn.
Against the backdrop of the resurgence of Islam and emergence of political Islam post 1970s, as w... more Against the backdrop of the resurgence of Islam and emergence of political Islam post 1970s, as well as the replacement of the 'Red' menace with the 'Green' menace at the end of the Cold War, Islam as a religion and political ideology has attracted renewed attention in international relations. Predictably, scholarship remains divided over Islam's influence in politics and international relations. On one hand, many liberals, Western conservatives and neo-conservatives see Islam as an illiberal, violent and fascist religion. On the other hand, critics of conservatives and post-Islamist scholars argue that the forces of modernity, particularly democratisation and globalisation, can tame Islam. This thesis, by contrast, argues that international relations scholarship requires a more nuanced approach to explain and understand the relationship between Islam and politics. Drawing upon the political experience of Bangladesh, the fourth largest Muslim state in the world, ...
This article examines the deeply contested approaches of ‘political Islam ’ towards modern democr... more This article examines the deeply contested approaches of ‘political Islam ’ towards modern democracy in Bangladesh, the third largest Muslim country in the world, where shari’a law is not the source of public law and where a democratic government is in place. Selecting the political manifestos and constitutions of three different influential Islamist parties, the Jamat e Islami Bangladesh, Hizbut Tahrir Bangladesh and Jamatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh, the study examines through discourse analysis why Islamists take such a hostile approach towards democracy. At first sight Islamists desire the establishment of an alternative governing system, such as the Caliphate, to replace the present parliamentary system of governance in Bangladesh. Islamists also advocate a change of state philosophy from ‘People’s Republic of Bangladesh ’ to an ‘Islamic State’, arguing that shari’a should be the legal framework of the country. The key finding of this research, however, is that Political Islam in B...
Mubashar Hasan argues that in order to resist increasing radicalism in Bangladeshi society, the s... more Mubashar Hasan argues that in order to resist increasing radicalism in Bangladeshi society, the state needs to promote cultural alternatives which support values of inclusion and moderation such as Bangladeshi Rock ‘n’ Roll music.
Though scholars have demonstrated BNP’s policy support for Islamization and political Islam, a li... more Though scholars have demonstrated BNP’s policy support for Islamization and political Islam, a link between BNP’s allegiance to the ummah, state-led Islamization, and the growth of political Islam in Bangladesh has yet to be established. The aim of this chapter is to establish that link. To illustrate it, firstly, I discuss the emergence of BNP in Bangladesh politics. Secondly, through analysing the party platforms, I shall show that the BNP defines itself as a party supportive of moderate political Islam. Thirdly, two case studies will demonstrate that the party extends its support to illiberal Islamist groups in order to undermine key liberal values such as freedom of speech and personal liberty. In sum, this chapter along with the previous chapter demonstrates how political Islam sets the framework of main stream politics in Bangladesh that creates pressure on the state to promote Islamization.
The objective of this chapter is to offer a typology of transnational drivers igniting ummah iden... more The objective of this chapter is to offer a typology of transnational drivers igniting ummah identities in Bangladesh in a political climate where major parties and the state promote and support ummah. The typology includes: transnational Islamist parties, Islamic NGOs, migrants (people who are moving across borders), transnational scholarly networks and the Internet. This typology is not exhaustive, rather the purpose behind offering this typology is to invoke thoughts. Finally, this chapter argues that such varied transnational waves of ummah have three significant implications for Bangladesh: (a) weakening of the state-given identities and attachment towards citizenship, (b) increasing threat to state security, and (c) challenging the idea of modern day politics. In other words, this chapter demonstrates how Bangladeshis, by passing traditional “high” political structure such as the state and major parties, mount multiple criticisms to the Westphalian narrative by using a non-Wes...
Secularism is often seen as a key component of liberal democracy, yet the concept is deeply roote... more Secularism is often seen as a key component of liberal democracy, yet the concept is deeply rooted in European history and philosophy. Mubashar Hasan discusses how Bangladesh’s Prime Minister has invoked the Medina Charter to promote minority rights and religious freedom in a Muslim-majority state.
India Quarterly: A Journal of International Affairs, 2017
Against the backdrop of 2016 terrorist attack in Dhaka, this article argues that in the terrain o... more Against the backdrop of 2016 terrorist attack in Dhaka, this article argues that in the terrain of Bangladeshi literatures on migration, little is explored about the impact of south–south migration in unleashing security threat to Bangladesh. This article offers a historic trajectory of south–south migration and security threat to Bangladeshi state. It argues that while it is important to understand migration from various point of views, scholars have ignored to explore the nexus between migration and security threat of the sender state. This article explains why to some Muslim migrants of Bangladesh, bad ideas such as terrorism may seem to form an option and how globalisation played a role in fostering bad ideas. It proposes that scholars of migration require to indulge in further research to understand the nexus between outward migration and security threat to Bangladesh.
Journalists are currently facing a multitude of threats. Commonly, these are considered in terms ... more Journalists are currently facing a multitude of threats. Commonly, these are considered in terms of harassment and bodily harms such as incarceration and murder of journalists. In the Bangladeshi case we argue that the parameters for evaluating what constitutes safety for journalists go beyond conventional wisdom. On the basis of in-depth interviews of 23 Bangladeshi journalists, we argue that the concept of journalists’ safety has three intertwined dimensions. First, journalists’ safety incorporates avoiding bodily harm (imprisonment, enforced disappearance, and so forth), and harassment, as well as economic and career threats. Second, in order to remain safe, journalists undertake various tactics including compromising the objectivity of news in a regime where security apparatus and pro-government journalists work in tandem to surveil and intimidate non-partisan journalists. Third, the tactics used by journalists decrease public faith in the media and the media can no longer play ...
Based on field research, this article focuses on the little-known phenomenon of Bangladeshi ‘boat... more Based on field research, this article focuses on the little-known phenomenon of Bangladeshi ‘boat people’ seeking entry to Thailand and Malaysia. It identifies how in a populous country of the Global South, familiar with various kinds of worker migration and movements of people, changing political, social and ecological contexts may generate and drive yet more manifestations of migration, also related to trafficking. In particular, certain developments in international relations connected to religious politics are shown to be instrumental in facilitating migration through legal and illegal channels. The interviews identify significant motivating factors that suggest an urgent need to develop policy recommendations, also in South Asia, to alleviate risks and suffering for irregular migrants and their families.
This article traces the formation of the secular in Bangladesh during the period of 1947–71. Argu... more This article traces the formation of the secular in Bangladesh during the period of 1947–71. Arguably, this is a period when the idea of a ‘secular Bengali nation’ as opposed to ‘Islamic Pakistani nationalism’ was coined in by the political forces to foster imagination of a Bengali root of East Pakistan. This article argues with multiple evidence that particular project of secular Bengali nationalism in the sense of strict separation of religion and politics as opposed to religious nationalism makes little sense in contemporary Bangladesh as major parties here are found to manipulate religious nationalism in a society where simplistic and unenlightened interpretation of religion plays a significant role. This article argues that the idea of secular nationalism had multiple meanings and roots during 1947–71 and by acknowledging diverse roots of secular nationalism, it is possible to make sense of contemporary Bangladesh that is by all secular indicators turned into an intolerant enti...
ABSTRACT Over the past twenty years, an influential body of conservative scholarship has focused ... more ABSTRACT Over the past twenty years, an influential body of conservative scholarship has focused on the alleged conflict between Islam and the West. Following widespread criticism of this scholarship, a number of commentators have revived its core assumptions to claim that the real conflict is between liberal democracy within Muslim societies and the political ideology of Islamism. In this article we trace the evolution of this scholarship, and suggest that recent empirical developments in the Muslim world suggest the potential for post-Islamist parties to successfully adapt to the demands of democratic competition within Muslim societies. In this context, the emerging conflict is not between Islam and the West, or Islamism and the West, but between two very different discursive practices within the Muslim world that invoke Islam for radically different purposes.A traveler enters the world into which he travels, but a tourist brings his own world with him and never sees the one he's in.
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Papers by Mubashar Hasan