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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 25-Aug-04
New Islamic terrorist group claims credit for Bangladesh bombing leading to massive unrest and further violence

Web Log - August, 2004

New Islamic terrorist group claims credit for Bangladesh bombing leading to massive unrest and further violence

Like Pakistan, Bangladesh is overwhelmingly Muslim but still has excellent relations with the U.S.

India and surrounding countries, including Pakistan and Bangladesh <font size=-2>(Source: CNN)</font>

India and surrounding countries, including Pakistan and Bangladesh (Source: CNN)

One of the reasons for the excellent relations is that the country receives plenty of economic aid from America, totalling $100 million in 2001. Bangladesh is a low-lying country with plenty of rivers. jungles and rain, giving the country a fertile soil that provides bountious crops that feed the burgeoning population. However, almost every year the country is hit with natural calamities -- floods, cyclones, tornadoes, tidal floods -- and requires U.S. assistance to protect human health and encourage economic growth.

When the United Nations partitioned India following World War II in order to create a separate country for India's Muslims, apart from its Hindu population, Bangladesh was made part of Pakistan. However, East Pakistan's mostly Bengal population (language: Bengali) was in constant friction with West Pakistan's more multiethnic population (language: Urdu). As a result, East Pakistan broke off as the People's Republic of Bangladesh ("Bengal nation") in 1971.

Bangladesh has had a troubled political history since then, marred by several coups.

However, the level of violence took a sharp upwards turn last week when an assassination attempt on opposition political leader Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League party, involving grenades and gun fire, killed 19 persons and injured 200 others at a political rally in Dhaka.

This has sparked riots and demonstrations involving tens of thousands of people in cities throughout the nation. There's also been further violence, the worst of which was a mob attack on a passenger train, dousing it in gasoline and setting it on fire.

The country has been practically shut down by a two-day strike (also called a hartal), and a new hartal and more riots and demonstrations are expected this weekend.

On this web site, I try to focus only on things with worldwide strategic significance, and so ordinarily I might not have written about a local disturbance of this type. However, there are two aspects of this situation that are worthy of attention.

First, a previously unknown Islamic group, Hikmatul Zihad, has claimed responsibility for the bombings. New Islamic terrorist groups have been springing up around the world, from Egypt, across the southern Asia sub-continent, and then down into the Pacific Islands (where tensions are also growing because of an increasing threat level between China and Taiwan).

These Islamic groups are becoming more and more violent, and are linking together in a loosely formed league related to al Qaeda.

Second, the level of public response to this act of violence has been much larger than anyone expected. This indicates a level of public fury that can have international effects.

Now put these two facts together. The objective of the international Islamic terrorist movement is to use terrorist attacks to spark a civil war that could spiral out of control and spark an Asian and Middle Eastern uprising against the Crusader and Zionist (Christian and Jewish) infidels.

They've tried that in Iraq, but it's failed there because Iraq is in a generational awakening period, since only one generation has passed since the last crisis war, the Iran/Iraq war of the 1980s. For that reason, a major civil war in Iraq is almost impossible.

But other regions are well into generational crisis periods, since three or more generations have passed since the last crisis war. These include Palestine, Kashmir, the Caucasus, and now Bangladesh.

In the long run, the odds are with the Islamic terrorists. If history is any guide, and it is, then sooner or later, one of these regions will provide the spark that they're looking for. (25-Aug-04) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 25-Aug-04 New Islamic terrorist group claims credit for Bangladesh bombing leading to massive unrest and further violence

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 25-Aug-04
New Islamic terrorist group claims credit for Bangladesh bombing leading to massive unrest and further violence