Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen has called for a whole of society approach to prevent violent extremism and for greater community engagements with the involvement of youth, women, community and religious leaders. He made the call at a high-level event held on the sidelines of the LDC5 Conference in Doha, Qatar on Thursday. In his remarks, the Bangladesh Foreign Secretary highlighted Bangladesh's government’s strict policy of ‘zero tolerance’ against extremism.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s zero tolerance policy against terrorism has been hailed by the governments, intelligence agencies and media all over the world. Following the government’s zero tolerance policy against terrorism and drugs, over the last few years, law enforcing agencies have been trying to destroy militancy with an iron-hand by conducting countrywide anti-militant drives and so far their efforts deserve plaudits.
Bangladesh has done a lot to counter
extremist ideology in the physical
space and now the country needs to
counter that in virtual space too
Since the Holey Artisan attack, we have seen some strong anti-militancy campaign around the country to curb the growing risks of militant attacks. And thus Bangladesh has become a blazing instance to the rest of the world in curbing militancy and terrorism.
Law enforcers now claim that militant groups have mostly been demolished, but fear of terror attacks continues to grow as terrorists are now being recruited through internet. Bangladesh has done a lot to counter extremist ideology in the physical space and now the country needs to counter that in virtual space too.
A group with vested interests have always been trying to hinder the country’s progress and prosperity by carrying out militant activities. It is clear that as long as militancy is an ideological paradox and there are anti liberation forces, it would be a challenge to wipe out militancy from this soil.
We all need to be vocal against terrorism and militancy to make the pertaining development sphere sustainable. We must work to free our society from the grip of drugs, terrorism and militancy. In a country that was founded on the values of secularism and tolerance, there can be no room for ideologies which spread hatred and violence. At the same time, we must not forget that it is not enough to merely capture the militants which exist, but ensure that individuals are not radicalized in the future.