Third blogger slain in Bangladesh streets

On Tuesday morning the third Bangladeshi blogger since the beginning of the year was found hacked to death in the streets of Sylhet, Bangladesh. Ananta Bioy Das, a contributor to the secular blog Mukto Mona, was hacked to death with knives and meat cleavers on his way to work. By 10:30 AM, Al-Qaeda’s Indian sect, AQIS, claimed credit for Das’s death with a series of tweets from a username Ansar Bangla 8, an apparent reference to Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), also a group accused of having ties to Islamist organization Jamaat-e-Islami.  The JeI are currently allied with the Bangladesh National Party, the BNP,  which is the ruling Awami League government’s main opposition. The JeI was founded by leading Islamist ideologue S.A.A. Maududi, whose work “Jihad in Islam” is considered highly influential. The Organization has been highly active seeking to advancing Islamic blasphemy law.

Das’s slaying was the third of its kind this year, with previous attacks occurring in February and March. AQIS leader Asim Umar has claimed responsibility both attacks. In February, Aviit Roy, an American blogger was hacked to death while walking in Bangladesh. According to his wife, who was also attacked, the local police stood by and watched the attack happen. A suspect in Roy’s murder had threatened Roy’s life several times on Facebook, and was arrested in 2013 for making threats towards a cleric. Washiqur Rahman, known for writing satirical columns about religious extremism was slain in March in the same fashion Das and Roy had been attacked. The three victims were all a part of the Shahbag movement, a movement in favor of the death penalty for Islamist political leaders’ crimes during Bangladesh’s war for independence. In recent months, young Bangladeshi Islamists have expressed their outrage with the Shahbag movement, further dividing the young Bangladeshi population’s opinion on whether the nation should be a secular or Islamic state.

The dangers in Bangladesh for those who speak critically of Islam is highlighted by major political disagreements over the role of religion in Bangladeshi politics and culture. The AL government has been criticized for its increasing intolerance for unconventional or oppositional views, with its Information, Communication and Technology Act banning any publishing of material that, “creates the possibility for the deterioration of law and order.” The dangers and unrest have influenced protests in the city of Sylhet, which are demanding justice and the arrest of the hacking suspects. Many officials, both in Bangladesh and in the United States have criticized the police and State’s response to the attacks, claiming the lack of arrests showcases an inadequacy in Bangladeshi law enforcement. It is undeniable that another attack on Bangladeshi bloggers is planned, ABT has already tweeted graphics of the current victims with text under the images stating, “Next target is loading…stay tuned.”