Just after Bangladesh’s radical Jamaat e Islami lost election, Türkiye’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan dispatched a high-powered delegation led by his son Bilal Erdogan, a move described by analysts aimed at boosting up the sullied image of the pro-Pakistan party. To court the public, Bilal brought star German footballer of Turkish origin Mesut Ozil. Ozil and Bilal were joined by Turkish international Cooperation Agency (TİCA), chairman Abdullah Eren in their visit to Bangladesh. On the country’s top public university campus, the Turkish delegation publicly appeared before university students alongside the student wing of Jamaat, Islami Chhatra Shibir – an outfit ranked as the third most active non state armed outfit by US anti-terror index in 2013. The exclusion of other student bodies on the stage and the secrecy before the visit reportedly triggered widespread outrage among students.
During the past Awami League led government, Turkey sheltered and granted citizenship to one of the self-confessed Islamic hardliners turned editor Mahamudur Rahman for years who publicly supported getting Bangladesh entangled as a route to supply arms to Indian terrorists. An ardent Turkish advocate, Mahamudur, upon his return to the country, publicly called Hindu religious order ISKCON a terrorist organization, that rights bodies added instigated the persecution of minorities that saw over 3000 attacks including at least hundred killings under Yunus regime. His newspaper, that earned notoriety as mouthpiece of radical outfits, publicly opposed to the possible appointment of Richard S. Howard, the UN Secretary-General’s nominee for Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh, slapping a fictitious charge on his sexual orientation that triggered Islamists protests leading to the cancellation of the appointment. Even to cover up the identity of the extremists who set fire to leading newspaper offices, his newspaper introduced the attackers as “Students and Citizens”, another brazen instance to project ordinary citizens as violent.
Another Paris based self-exiled online activist with proven credentials for inciting violence with Islamists, who called the need for forging ties with Turkey essential, recently stirred another wave of anti minority campaign. In the run up to the recent visit of Turkish foreign minister, the activist demonized minorities with anti-India slur as he called construction of a temple in a local northern village a conspiracy of India without any proof, that later capitalized by Islamists who are calling for the demolition of the temple, what rights bodies called an attempt to incite communal riot.
On top of that, a key militant outfit leader and a sacked officer from Bangladesh Army known as Major Zia allegedly received support from Turkish intelligence for years to remain absconding during the rule of Awami League, according to some counter terrorism experts. With a bounty from US State Department due to his involvement in the killing of Bangladesh origin US citizen, Zia reportedly emerged as a top leader of the Al-Qaeda-inspired militant outfit Ansar al Islam. He was found to be directly involved in at least six murders of writers and bloggers. After the regime change, as Zia has emerged on facebook, the discussion of Turkish backing for him gained ground but no denial came from either side.
These activities offer a glimpse into Turkish government sponsored effort to promote extremist elements who seek to keep the country unstable, incite Islamists for minority persecution and empower militants who deem liberals as enemies, a grand design to keep the entire region destablisied, what perhaps aligns with Erdogan’s mission to emerge as the guardian of Muslim world.
So when the Turkish foreign minister, during his recent meeting with his Bangladesh counterpart, claimed that Bangladesh is extremely important for a stable South Asia, it appeared plainly ironic.
The Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan is a former Chief of the country’s top intelligence agency MIT. His priorities for the recent Bangladesh visit became clear when he pitched for defence cooperation including joint production of drones in Bangladesh.
A key danger of defence cooperation with Turkey lies in its consistent and aggressive support for Islamists that would hardly bring any gain for ordinary citizens and rather add extra burden on the millions of people already slipped into poverty last year. Of course, Bangladesh needs cooperation in defence to become self-sufficient but reliance on any foreign nation that anchors the foundation on lies and deception would only make the situation complicated and vulnerable. In fear of retribution, several former counter terrorism officials, on condition of anonymity, have also expressed concern over the growing military and strategic cooperation as they pointed out Turkish patronage for extremist ecosystem in Bangladesh for last twenty months.
During the visit, Hakan Fidan also tried to draw sympathy from Bangladeshis with pledges of support for Rohingya repatriation which appeared another hoax as Turkish intelligence is widely believed to have been involved with the extremist outfits that have been recruiting militants in the Rohingya camps exploiting poverty due to cuts in aid agencies.
Also beneath the much hyped signing of MoU for enhancing bilateral agreement on cultural front lies another betrayal with culturally involved people of Bangladesh. According to the stated MoU both countries will collaborate in the preservation, protection, restoration, and promotion of cultural heritage. But over last twenty months, thousands of statues associated with liberation war heritage have been vandalized by very forces backed by Ankara and these acts were tantamount to cultural genocide, as described by many activists.
In an earlier oped, a progressive left party aligned student leader brought to light another key finding that under pretext of scholarship for higher studies, Ankara seeks to focus on hunting a certain section of students who are aligned with the Islamist outfits, a bias in full display.
Turkey is like a bear offering a warm woolen embrace but Bangladesh will do well to realise that this could be really suffocating.
