Bangladesh is moving towards religious extremism in New York Times report, Yunus protests

POBNEWS24, Dhaka Apr 2, 2025 : Bangladesh is standing on the threshold of religious extremism. The influential US daily “The New York Times” has published such an analytical report. The report says that Bangladesh is a country in crisis and the Yunus government is serving the country by standing on a large field of Islamic extremists. Sheikh Hasina’s government had been keeping all these extremists under control and by expelling them, this field of radical Islamic fundamentalism will help create major unrest in the regions. However, the Yunus government’s office has commented that these information is misleading. In a press note on Tuesday, it was claimed that the report is inconsistent with reality, misleading and one-sided. Meanwhile, Home Affairs Advisor Lieutenant General (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said that there is no rise in militancy in the country after the interim government took office on Wednesday. He said this while visiting various police stations in the capital to exchange Eid greetings and inspect activities.
Regarding the New York Times report, Yunus’ office said that it not only oversimplifies the political and social reality, but also unfairly stigmatizes a nation of 180 million people. Bangladesh has made unprecedented progress last year, which has been ignored in this report. Rather, misleading and biased explanations have been given focusing on some isolated incidents, which do not reflect the real situation in the country.
Yunus’ press wing has analyzed the report and highlighted the real situation in Bangladesh.
Although the article highlights some aspects of religious tension and conservatism, it ignores the overall development and positive changes in Bangladesh. In particular, Bangladesh has achieved significant success in the field of women’s development, and the interim government is very committed to women’s safety and development. The note says, ‘Youth Festival 2025′, where about 2.7 million girls from every corner of the country participated in 3,000 sports and cultural events. The participation of marginalized communities, indigenous people and disadvantaged women has been ensured in this festival, which is an important reflection of the social and cultural development of Bangladesh. However, ignoring 2,999 successful events centered on the incident of opposing a football match and questioning the social progress of Bangladesh on this basis is purposeful and misleading. The report says that the Yunus government did not take any action against all these extremists, a big example of which is the mischief of the banned militant organization Hizb ut Tahrir. Rejecting this issue, the press note says that Principal Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus did not take a strong enough stand against extremists. This is completely baseless. Dr. Yunus has fought for women’s empowerment all his life. As the founder of Grameen Bank, he has given millions of women the opportunity to become self-reliant. In recognition of which he received the Nobel Prize. As a father of two daughters, Dr. Yunus has always been vocal in favor of women’s rights and security.
Regarding attacks on Hindus, burning of Ahmadiyya Muslim houses and atrocities on hill tribes, Yunus’ office says that there have been some clashes after Sheikh Hasina’s departure, which are the result of a power struggle between political opponents. But presenting these as religious violence is extremely misleading. The press wing says that the government has repeatedly made it clear that ensuring the security of minorities is one of its top priorities. The extremists are being severely suppressed through law enforcement and counter-terrorism operations. But unfortunately, these efforts of Bangladesh are not being properly reflected in the international media. Bangladesh has now emerged as one of the fastest growing economies in Asia. The country’s exports have increased by about 12 percent in the last seven months. Despite political unrest, the banking sector remains stable and the exchange rate of the taka has stabilized at Tk 123 per dollar. In addition, Bangladesh will become a middle-income country by 2026 and the world’s ninth largest consumer market by 2030. The chief advisor has been working tirelessly to move the country forward for the past eight months. Bangladesh has received $2.1 billion in loans, investments and grants through his recent visit to China. But the report says the country’s future is heading towards other poverty-stricken regions of the world. This is the imagination of Sammunna Kalpana Prasut and Mirtha. The press note says that an ‘Investors Conference’ will be held in Dhaka next week. Where more than 2,300 investors from 50 countries will participate. Top executives of global companies like Meta, Uber, Samsung will be present. The press note says,
It is wrong to highlight the impunity of one individual in an isolated incident and promote the entire country as a victim of extremism. It is wrong to judge a country of 180 million people based on a few isolated incidents.
Extremist groups are active in many countries of the world, but that does not belittle the progress of those countries. Similarly, Bangladesh is also taking effective measures against extremism and is moving forward on the path of democracy and social progress.
The report’s claim that the rise of extremism is inevitable as a result of Bangladesh’s political changes is a grossly exaggerated and wrong view. Bangladesh’s democratic spirit, active civil society, young people and women’s leadership are resisting extremism.