Forensic teams investigate the site where Ananta Bijoy Das was killed on a busy street at 8:30am. Picture: AFP PHOTOSource: AFP
A group named Ansar Al – Islam (Helpers of Islam) have released a statement on who they will be targeting following several attacks on bloggers in Bangladesh in recent times. Potential victims include those who insult the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and anyone not allowing the rulings of Shariah or misrepresenting Islam. The group emphasized that, “we DO NOT and WILL NOT target any people who have different religious view or belief” that is providing they do not come within the categories described in their statement which is included in full on this blog.
A group named ‘Ansar al Islam Bangladesh-2’ claimed responsibility for the killing of Rajshahi University teacher AKM Shafiul Islam in November 2014,
See following link,
“Islamist group claim responsibility of RU teacher murder”,
http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2014/11/16/islamist-group-claim-responsibility-of-ru-teacher-murder
The Guardian reported on May 12th, 2015 that 3 bloggers have been killed so far this year including Ananta Bijoy Das who was targeted by a group of 4 masked attackers in the street with machetes as he travelled to work. The newspaper reported that,
“Imran Sarker, head of a Bangladeshi bloggers’ association, said Das was an atheist who wrote blogs for Mukto-Mona, a website formerly moderated by Avijit Roy, a Bangladeshi-born US citizen who was stabbed to death in the capital, Dhaka, in February.”
See following link for full story,
“Third atheist blogger killed in Bangladesh after knife attack”
Roy’s attack on February 26th was allegedly claimed by al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). Following this attack, Washiqur Rahman, a 27-year-old “atheist blogger” was hacked to death in Dhaka in March. Two madrassa students were arrested in connection with this incident.
Ananya Azad (age 25) fears for his life after receiving a Facebook message which read, “You would be the next person. So be careful.” A hit list of 84 secular and atheist writers emerged in 2013 and his name appears on the document. He has every reason to be concerned as according to an article in Think Progress, “his father, Humayun Azad, sustained serious injuries when he was attacked in 2004 by machete-wielding assailants after he wrote a satirical novel on Islamist extremism.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Asia Program Research Associate Sumit Galhotra, condemned the killings stating,
“the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina must take urgent steps to ensure the security of critical bloggers in Bangladesh given this series of murders. Authorities can show their commitment to curbing this violent trend by finding Ananta Bijoy Das’s killers and bringing them to justice.”
A letter was written to the Guardian from a number of writers including members of PEN which supports “freedom of expression” calling for the Bangladeshi government to take urgent action,
See link,
“Bangladesh must act on these brutal attacks on bloggers”
Statement of Ansar Al – Islam
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
-:- Our Next Targets -:-
All praise due to Allah (S) and peace and blessings to the great man on the earth and our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Allah (S) said in the holy Quran
ﻗَﺎﺗِﻠُﻮﻫُﻢْ ﻳُﻌَﺬِّﺑْﻬُﻢُ ﺍﻟﻠّﻪُ ﺑِﺄَﻳْﺪِﻳﻜُﻢْ ﻭَﻳُﺨْﺰِﻫِﻢْ ﻭَﻳَﻨﺼُﺮْﻛُﻢْ ﻋَﻠَﻴْﻬِﻢْ ﻭَﻳَﺸْﻒِ ﺻُﺪُﻭﺭَ ﻗَﻮْﻡٍ ﻣُّﺆْﻣِﻨِﻴﻦَ
“Fight them; Allah will punish them by your hands and will disgrace them and give you victory over them and satisfy the breasts of a believing people” (Surat At-Tawbah, Ayat 14).
We are targeting the following people
(1)
Those who are insulting our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Allah (S) and our religion Islam. We have no problem with the atheists bloggers, atheism or with other religions or belief but we will not tolerate insulting out Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). We are targeting those who are insulting our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the name of atheism.
(2)
People who are not allowing to follow the rulings of shariah.
-He/She might be a teacher of a University, College or School.
-He/She might be a leader of a certain area or locality or a political party.
-He/She might be a Judge, Advocate, Engineer or Doctor etc.
(3)
Those who are presenting Islam wrongly in His/Her writings or talks and trying to keep Muslims far from the real teaching of Islam which is one of the main agendas of crusaders in the Muslim nations all over the world.
-He/She might be a well known writer.
-He/She might be a poet or free thinker or so called intellectuals.
-He/She might be an editor of a newspaper of magazine.
-He/She might be a actor, journalist, producer, director or actor etc.
(4)
Those who are opposing, lowing and presenting wrongly the rulings of shariah by his/her talks or writings using media or any other means of publications.
(5)
Those who are trying to destroy Muslim social values by introducing and spreading the nudity and zina among the Muslim youths. “Keep in mind that there is a huge difference between doing something bad personally and spreading it in the society.”
(6)
Those who are tying to remove the shariah rulings from the existing Islamic systems, values, cultures and economics.
(7)
Those who are trying to stop the establishment of Islamic rulings (Shariah).
In short :
Those who are trying to insult our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Allah (S) and our religion by any means such as writings, talks or physical works. We DO NOT and WILL NOT target any people who have different religious view or belief but those described before in our statement.
May Allah (s) destroy his enemies. May Allah (s) give victory to the mujahideen over crusaders, kuffar and murtaddin and satisfy the breasts of a believing people. Certainly help comes from him (Allah) and He is our only helper and guardian. We only obey Him and pray Him. All praise to Allah (S) and peace and blessing to our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
——————————————————————
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Ansar Al Islam Bangladesh
End
Links
“Blogger hacked to death in busy street in Bangladesh is third killed since February”
“Bangladeshi blogger named on hitlist warned: ‘You will be next’
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/28/bangladeshi-blogger-ananya-azad-named-hitlist
Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights/WOT and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad . She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.
Carol Anne Grayson (Radical Sister) blog 
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So what is it exactly that is making you angry? Fear for the bloggers, the fact that I write on very difficult issues? Or something else?