Bangladesh government has launched a large scale counter propaganda to fight extremist ideology and groups like the ISIS. The move comes after it was discovered that the young men involved in the attack on July 3 at Holey Artisan Bakery were from top schools and were strongly motivated by extremist ideology and online propaganda of ISIS.
The government however claims the ISIS has no presence in Bangladesh.
Soon after the terror attack, the Ministry of Education gave clear instructions to all schools and colleges to regularly monitor students and teachers and report all suspicious activity.
Speaking exclusively to CNN-News18, Hasanul Haq Inu, Minister for Information and Broadcasting said, "The govt has intensified counter propaganda after the Holey Artisan Bakery attacks. We have asked television authorities, radio and even cinema to dedicate more time for addressing false propaganda, rumours, misinterpretation of religion and destruction of history".
The Minister said the Bangladesh state-run television and other broadcasters have been asked to make small television commercials and even documentaries to tell people about the reality and counter terror ideology," he said.
"Terrorism is a political phenomenon and must be handled politically. Law enforcement agencies can take care of terrorists, but terrorism can only be destroyed when you crack down on people who propagate it, who make hate speeches and instigate attacks," he added.
The government claims that at least a hundred Muslim clerics have signed a letter asking people to reject terror ideology.
The fact the students who were involved in the brutal killing of twenty hostages were from top schools like Scholastica, North South University and Turkish Hopes came as a huge shock for the government.
Recently the Bangladesh police also arrested a teacher formerly employed with one of these universities on conspiracy charges. The government claims it has begun close monitoring of all schools and universities across Bangladesh.
Minister Hasanul Haq Inu told CNN-News18, "We have asked all educational institutions to go for interactive meetings with guardians, students and teachers. There are question and answer sessions on what students should do and should not do, what religion means and how guardians must behave."
Confirming the directive, Professor Atiqul Islam, Vice Chancellor of North South University said the institution has already held four interactive sessions for over six thousand students. The discussions revolved around the curse of extremism and misinterpretation of religious scriptures.
On the directions of the government the college has also formed an anti-terror committee asking students to report the slightest hint of terror-related activity.
The notification, a copy of which is also on the college website, says the identity of the informer will be kept a secret. One of the main tasks of this anti-terror committee is to monitor online activity and social media accounts of all students.
Talking about the extent of vigilance, Prof Islam said, "If any student remains absent without reason for ten days then his guardian is called and questioned about the student’s whereabouts. If the case is suspicious we report it to law enforcement authorities immediately".
Schools have handed out a list to the government containing the names of students who have been missing for the last three years.
The government is also monitoring provocative preachers. Zakir Naik of Peace TV is one such speaker whose speeches have been formally banned in Bangladesh.
Top government officials also confirmed that he will not be allowed to enter the country. This after investigators said that some of the accused in the Holey Artisan Bakery attack may have been inspired by Naik.
Comments
0 comment