May 30, 2025 9:50 pm
Full News

Bangladesh has limited time to choose between anarchy and democracy

Michael Rubin

Muhammad Yunus is at best a useful idiot for Jamaat-e-Islami and other war criminals; at worst, he is also a pawn for the Chinese. Either way, he today betrays Bangladesh, its traditional secularism, and its minority population. Time is running out for Bangladeshis to choose on their own; whether in Islamabad, Beijing, or New Delhi, the choice may soon be made for them.

When Egyptians poured into the streets in 2011 to demand President Hosni Mubarak’s ouster, they sought democracy and opportunity. Mubarak was a dictator, even if he pretended otherwise. Many Egyptians also resented the influence of the military in the country’s economy. Young Egyptians, unemployed and underemployed, did not feel merit mattered and that the state treated them fairly.

When Mubarak resigned, Egyptians hoped for a new beginning. During its decades in opposition, the Muslim Brotherhood had perfected the rhetoric of democracy. They used academics and think tank analysts to launder their image in the West, but behind the scenes, the Muslim Brotherhood was as dictatorial and ideological as ever. “Listen and repeat” was its mantra when young democracy-focused activists attended its meetings. They accepted no discussion. The Muslim Brotherhood activists, who had worked secretly for decades, had an ideological, religious objective, and they did not want democracy to get in its way.

The Muslim Brotherhood rule ended after just a year not simply because Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, commander-in-chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces, ousted President and Muslim Brotherhood affiliate Mohamed Morsi but because the millions of young people who forced Mubarak’s ouster returned to the streets when they recognised that Morsi had played them for fools. What Western diplomats called a coup, many Egyptians considered a revolution.

There are certain parallels to Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina grew more autocratic during her last 15 years in power. Brute force backfired as she failed to keep quota reform protests from escalating. Muhammad Yunus, the chief adviser of Bangladesh, may not himself be an Islamist, but whether due to ego, naivety, or his own personal animosity toward the Awami League, he provides cover for Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami whose agenda has less to do with democracy than with social transformation.

Here, too, there is a parallel to Iran. A full ten per cent of the Iranian public participated in the 1979 protests against the Shah. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was careful in his interviews prior to his return to Iran to speak the language of democracy. “In the Islamic Republic the rights of the religious minorities are respectfully regarded,” Khomeini told Austrian television on November 6, 1978. Ten days later, he told Britain’s Guardian newspaper, “I don’t want to have the power or the government in my hand; I am not interested in personal power.”

When he returned to Iran less than three months later, it was a different story; he quickly consolidated power, imprisoned or drove many minorities out of the country, imposed an Islamic Republic, and ruled for the next decade as its supreme leader. Iranians today seek democracy but remain trapped under a regime that has little popular legitimacy.

The question now is whether young Bangladeshis and civil society leaders who wanted democracy will instead settle for the terror and dictatorship that Jamaat-e-Islami seeks to impose with the backing, financing, and logistical support of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.

Yunus also tilts to China, selling out Bangladeshi nationalism to the People’s Republic’s predations. Pakistan sold its sovereignty to China. Its much-ballyhooed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor now saddles Pakistan with almost $40 billion in debt Pakistanis can never repay without betraying their own sovereignty. Yunus’ naivete and ego now threaten the same with Bangladesh. This raises another scenario: Grenada.

Grenada won its independence from Great Britain in 1974, but five years later, the communist leader Maurice Bishop ousted its elected prime minister, Sir Eric Gairy, in a coup when Gairy was outside the country. Bishop contracted with Cubans and Algerians to build a new airport capable of accommodating Soviet bombers. This raised the concern of the United States, but Americans simply watched with caution.

What took the conflict in Grenada to the next level was Grenada’s own internal chaos. Many Grenadians grew wary of Bishop’s performance, ultimately leading the communist party’s Central Committee to push him aside and place him under house arrest. His supporters rallied and freed him, but he eventually surrendered to the superior force of the Grenadian armed forces.

The new prime minister, Bernard Coard, was unwilling to take any more chances. An armed forces firing squad executed Bishop and his key supporters on the spot and then ousted Coard as well. The Grenadian army then imposed a shoot-on-sight curfew as Cubans poured into the country to help them consolidate control.

It was in this context that, on October 25, 1983, President Ronald Reagan ordered the US military to invade Grenada to oust the Cuban forces, protect American students on the island, and restore democracy. Freedom House today ranks Grenada as among the world’s most democratic countries, on par with France and Italy and superior to the United States.

Muhammad Yunus is at best a useful idiot for Jamaat-e-Islami and other war criminals; at worst, he is also a pawn for the Chinese. Either way, he today betrays Bangladesh, its traditional secularism, and its minority population.

Bangladeshis now have three choices: They can realise Yunus and Jamaat-e-Islami play them for fools and return to the streets like Egyptians did to make clear that they want democracy, reform, and rule of law. Their goal was never to replace Sheikh Hasina’s increasing secular autocracy with a religious dictatorship. Egyptians have yet to achieve their democracy, but Bangladeshis have a stronger legacy of democracy with which to work.

Alternatively, Bangladesh can go the Grenada route. India may have no choice to intervene. Indians are more reticent than Americans about military intervention, but New Delhi must recognise the choice is no longer conflict or no conflict, but rather a choice between conflict on India’s terms or conflict on China and Pakistan’s terms.

The third choice is to allow Bangladesh to continue down the rabbit hole into radicalisation and terror sponsorship. Heefazat-e-Islam openly seeks to establish Islamic law throughout Bangladesh under the banner, “Bangladesh will become Afghanistan, and we will become Taliban.” In such a case, India must prepare for a perpetual insurgency launched not only from Pakistan but Bangladesh as well.

Time is running out for Bangladeshis to choose on their own; whether in Islamabad, Beijing, or New Delhi, the choice may soon be made for them.

Alternatively, Bangladesh can go the Grenada route. India may have no choice to intervene. Indians are more reticent than Americans about military intervention, but New Delhi must recognise the choice is no longer conflict or no conflict, but rather a choice between conflict on India’s terms or conflict on China and Pakistan’s terms.

The third choice is to allow Bangladesh to continue down the rabbit hole into radicalisation and terror sponsorship. Heefazat-e-Islam openly seeks to establish Islamic law throughout Bangladesh under the banner, “Bangladesh will become Afghanistan, and we will become Taliban.” In such a case, India must prepare for a perpetual insurgency launched not only from Pakistan but Bangladesh as well.

Time is running out for Bangladeshis to choose on their own; whether in Islamabad, Beijing, or New Delhi, the choice may soon be made for them.

Michael Rubin
Senior Fellow

Related News
Trump to Buy Tesla Car in Support of Musk
Russia-Ukraine Ceasefire Possible “At Any Moment
U.S. Vows Crackdown on Chinese ‘Exploitation’ of Universities and Research Theft
Palestinian President Abbas Designates Successor, Excluding Hamas from Future Transition
US Vice President JD Vance to Visit India for Strengthening Bilateral Ties
Turkish TV Series Captivating Global Audiences, Now Targeting the U.S. Market
Related Posts
Hundreds Swept Away in Devastating Floods in Nigeria
Uncertainty Clouds June 2 Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks as Kyiv Demands Clarity on Kremlin’s Term
India Shifts Military Doctrine: Navy to Lead Response Against Future Pakistan Aggression
Israel Accepts New US Ceasefire Proposal; Hamas Reviews Counterpoints
Top DOGE Officials Step Down Following Elon Musk’s Departure
Trump’s Emergency Tariff Strategy Faces Legal Setbacks, But White House Remains Defiant
More News

US Treasury Secretary Raises Concerns Over Chinese Cyber Activity

January 6, 2025 – US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has raised serious concerns with Beijing regarding “malicious cyber activity” by Chinese state-sponsored actors. This comes just days after the US Treasury Department reported a breach in December 2024, which resulted in unauthorized access to some of its workstations and unclassified documents. In a virtual meeting […]

India Lifts Import Ban on Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses After Original Order Goes Missing

Court Ends 35-Year Ban Due to “Untraceable” Document The Delhi High Court has lifted a 35-year-old import ban on Salman Rushdie’s controversial novel The Satanic Verses, after Indian authorities were unable to locate the original notification prohibiting the book. The decision came Tuesday in response to a 2019 petition by reader Sandipan Khan, who sought […]

Syria’s Central Bank Appoints Its First Female Governor

The Central Bank of Syria has appointed Maysa Sabrini as its new governor, marking the first time in the country’s history that a woman has taken this position in the Middle Eastern nation. Maysa holds a master’s degree in accounting from Damascus University. She began her career at the Central Bank of Syria in 2010. […]

US and UK Negotiate Bilateral Trade Agreement to Strengthen Economic Ties

On February 27, US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that the United States and Britain are negotiating a bilateral trade agreement. This deal aims to avert US tariffs and bolster the already strong trading relationship between the two nations. “We’re going to have a great trade agreement,” Mr. Trump stated […]

Trump Set to Impose New Steel and Aluminum Tariffs, Eyeing Broader Trade Measures

President Donald Trump announced his plan to implement a 25% import tax on all steel and aluminum entering the United States, with the largest impact expected on Canada, the leading supplier of aluminum to the U.S. Trump also teased a forthcoming announcement later this week about reciprocal tariffs on nations that impose import taxes on […]

Trump Threatens 50% Tariff on EU Goods, iPhones Also Targeted

The Voice News: U.S. President Donald Trump has recommended imposing a 50% tariff on all goods imported from the European Union (EU), according to a post he shared on social media on Friday, May 23. The new tariff is expected to take effect starting June 1. This news was reported by the BBC. Trump stated, […]

India to Launch Global Campaign to Expose Pakistan’s Support for Terrorism

India to Launch Global Campaign to Expose Pakistan’s Support for TerrorismNew Delhi, May 16 – India is set to embark on a large-scale diplomatic initiative aimed at exposing Pakistan’s continued support for terrorism on the global stage. The campaign will involve 40 multi-party parliamentarians, divided into seven groups, traveling to key world capitals to present […]

Russia Moves to Remove Taliban from List of Banned Organizations, Signaling Geopolitical Shift

MOSCOW – A bill has been officially submitted to the Russian State Duma proposing the removal of the Taliban from the list of banned organizations in Russia, signaling a potential shift in Moscow’s approach to international relations and counter-terrorism efforts. This legislative move could mark a strategic step towards cooperating with the Taliban in counter-terrorism […]

Yakuza Leader Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Nuclear Materials and Drugs

NEW YORK – On January 8th, US authorities announced that Takeshi Ebisawa, a leader of the Japanese yakuza criminal underworld, pleaded guilty to handling nuclear material sourced from Myanmar and seeking to sell it to fund an illicit arms deal. Ebisawa, along with co-defendant Somphop Singhasiri, had previously been charged in April 2022 with drug […]

Ceasefire Won’t Work Unless Hamas Gives Hostage List: Netanyahu

The ceasefire will not go into effect at a predetermined time until Hamas releases a list of hostages to be released. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave such a warning on Sunday. The cease-fire is scheduled to take effect at 8:30 a.m. local time on Sunday. Earlier, the Palestinian armed group Hamas said that the […]