Islamist militants are organising again in Patuakhali under the banner of Hizbut Tauhid, an Islamist organisation which is still operating legally in the country while propagating jihad through distributing books and leaflets among villagers including school children.
Local police administration confirmed the matter. One of the local residents close to the organisation told this correspondent that anybody who does not join the organisation is a kafir or infidel, and military measures are a must to establish Islam.
Sources said, a temporary camp of Hizbut Touhid is already operating at the residence of an assistant teacher of a girls' high school under Mirzaganj upazila.
A month ago the owner of the house and another man distributed books and leaflets propagating Islamist militancy among students of the school, the titles of which are 'Islamer Prokrito Ruprekha' (Real Framework of Islam), and 'Islamer Prokrito Salah' (Real Namaz in Islam) written by one Mohammad Bayazid Khan Panni of korotia in Tangail. A day later the principal of the school took back all the books from the students, a student told this correspondent.
On page 49 of 'Islamer Prokrito Ruprekha' the author said, “It is a fully military programme,” citing, “the great prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) went into 107 battles in 9 years to establish Islam in the world. He also directed all his followers to continue their battles or jihad against the mosreqs and kafirs. So we adopted a military programme.”
A leaflet tilted 'Prokrito Islamer Daak' said, “We are observing some Islamic rules at a personal level, like namaz, Ramadan, Hajj, etc, but in most fields like economics, politics, the judiciary, and other social activities we follow the rules made by men. So they are all mosreqs.”
On January 11 to 14, which coincided with Moharram 1 to 4 of the Muslim calendar, a team of four to five members from Barisal visited Mirzaganj to motivate and encourage the new recruits of the local chapter of Hizbut Touhid, local sources said.
They already formed the Mirzaganj upazila unit committee of the organisation and are now trying to form the Patuakhali district unit committee, with permission from Abu Bakar Siddique, the officer-in-charge of Mirzaganj police station, a local member of the organisation claimed to this correspondent.
When contacted, the OC of Mirzaganj police station told The Daily Star that two persons came to the station a month or two ago and they talked to the duty officer. “When I was informed about the matter, I gave an oral permission to continue the activities in the area as Hizbut Touhid is not a banned organisation,” he added.
A team of about 5 to 7 members go to Ballavpur area about 3 to 4 kilometres from the district headquarters under the sadar upazila every Thursday to motivate the local people there. They are also distributing books and other publications of the organisation there. They urge the people to join Hizbut Touhid saying they will go to zannat or heaven after death if they do so, local people said.
Only two months ago Habibutr Rahman of Patuakhali and four others were arrested by local police from Chandpur when they were distributing jihadi books and leaflets among the people, the local sources said.
Barguna police arrested four men including the district ameer of the jihadist organisation in October 2007 when they were distributing similar books and leaflets, Barguna police sources said.
Saifullah, brother of Sanaullah Nuri, the ameer of Barisal district unit of the organisation, was killed by the local people of Gouranadi upazila last year while he was distributing jihadi books among the people there, the sources added.
Over 1,500 people including about 700 women activists of Hizbut Touhid took part in a 4-day training course on militancy between April 4 and 7 of 2007 on board a launch under the guise of a boat journey from Dhaha to Kuakata, said a participant in the course.
“Male participants took training in bomb making and other weapons operation separately while women participants took training in recruiting techniques,” she said adding, “Patry leaders prefer women members as they can easily motivate the local people, especially the local women.”