A detailed report warns that Dhaka is rapidly emerging as a hub for terrorist and extremist groups, signalling Bangladesh’s accelerating shift toward Islamisation. The resurgence of powerful Islamist organisations is reshaping the state’s political, religious, and security landscape with regional consequences.
A recent analytical report has raised serious concerns about Bangladesh’s fast-accelerating drift towards Islamisation, warning that Dhaka is rapidly transforming into a central hub for several terrorist and extremist organisations with growing regional and international linkages. The report highlights that groups such as Jamaat-e-Islami, Ansarullah Bangla Team, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B), Islamic State-inspired local modules, and multiple lone-wolf extremists are re-establishing themselves in the country after years of suppressed activity.
According to policy analyst Abhinav Pandya, founder of the Usanas Foundation, Bangladesh is witnessing a major ideological shift, one that mirrors Pakistan’s past trajectory of state-driven Islamisation. Writing in First Post, Pandya argues that a series of recent events clearly indicate a renewed push to reshape governance, constitutional values, and societal structures in accordance with hardline Islamist ideology.
Rapid Islamisation Marked by Influential Movements
The report emphasises the growing influence of powerful Islamist movements such as Khatm-e-Nabuwat, a transnational organisation that promotes the doctrine of the “finality of Prophethood.” This doctrine asserts that Prophet Muhammad is the last prophet, and any deviation from this belief is treated as apostasy. This ideology has historically been used to justify discrimination and targeted violence against Ahmadiyya Muslims, also known as Qadianis.
A notable event underscoring this trend occurred on January 3, 2025, when an international conference on Khatm-e-Nabuwat was held at the Bait-ul-Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka following Friday prayers. The gathering featured prominent international religious figures, including Ali Omar Yaqub Abbasi, Imam of Masjid Al-Aqsa in Palestine, who attended as the chief guest.
The conference was organised in two sessions: the first was presided over by Junayed Al Habib, Executive President of the International Majlish-e-Tahaffuje Khatme Nubuwwat, while the second session was chaired by Acting President Sajidur Rahman. Both sessions reportedly amplified hardline messages against the Ahmadiyya community, echoing an alarming escalation of intolerance.
Targeting Minorities: A Dangerous Pattern
The report notes that Islamist organisations in Bangladesh have a long history of targeting non-Muslim minorities, including Hindus and members of the Iskcon community. However, the recent wave of activism has largely centred on demanding that Qadianis be officially declared non-Muslims. This intensifying rhetoric mirrors Pakistan’s Islamisation drive of the 1950s and 1970s, which led to severe persecution of the Ahmadiyya community.
Pandya warns that Bangladesh appears to be following the same trajectory. In Pakistan, early anti-Ahmadi agitations empowered Deobandi extremists, who later became instrumental in shaping Pakistan’s jihadist landscape and influencing state policies. The report argues that a similar empowerment of extremist factions in Bangladesh could destabilise the region and serve the interests of transnational jihadist networks.
Political Shifts Enabling Resurgence of Extremism
The report underscores that the resurgence of these groups has been made possible partly due to political shifts within Bangladesh. The former Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina had launched a sweeping crackdown on extremist outfits after 2005, significantly diminishing their operational capacity. However, her ouster in 2024 has created what analysts call a “favourable environment” for Islamist groups to reorganise, expand, and assert greater influence.
The weakening of state controls, combined with heightened geopolitical engagement from Pakistan-linked networks, has turned Bangladesh into fertile ground for the spread of global pan-Islamist ideologies. Intelligence assessments cited in the report indicate that these groups are leveraging grassroots religious mobilisation, international alliances, and political instability to strengthen their positions.
Implications for Regional Security
Security experts warn that the developments in Bangladesh may have far-reaching consequences for South Asia’s stability. With Dhaka becoming an operational and ideological centre for multiple extremist networks, neighbouring countries may face increased cross-border radicalisation, recruitment, and terror financing flows.
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Analysts stress that Bangladesh’s future trajectory will depend heavily on whether its political leadership can counter the expanding influence of these extremist movements and reassert a secular, inclusive national identity.
