Written by Kashfia Nahreen
Unless we address the root cause of why “so-called” terrorist organisations form, we can never put a stop to it.
When a community faces oppression, colonization, and violence for decades on end, without seeing any hope for improvement, for equal rights, they become vulnerable to radicalization. When you are marginalized in your own land, when you’re forced to flee your homeland at gunpoint, when you face racism on a daily basis, when you feel no hope for change, how will you respond?
The “war on terror” is the biggest scam because it’s the state, the “Empire” that exploits minority groups and indigenous communities to the point where they feel the need to resist, and when they do indeed resist, the state sanctions further violence upon them. And the cycle continues until a full fledged “terrorist” group emerges, and the state launches a war against them for the sake of “national security.”
We have witnessed this time and time again.
By saying this, am I denying the threat posed by these groups? No, I am not. I’m highlighting the importance of how we need to approach this differently. The more we attack, the more we harass innocent civilians to “get to” the terrorists the further we push them towards radicalization.
There are extremists in every group, every community. There are Mir Jafores in every place. But that doesn’t mean we judge and treat entire communities based on the actions of the radical minority.
You know how Ku Ki Chin began? As an NGO in 2008 led by a Bawn community leader, a student of Dhaka University. In 2017, they emerged as a insurgent, seperationist group. What happened in the 10 years in between? What led to the radicalization?
Ku Ki Chin is seen as a threat to national security (and they are), but the fact that they have been committing violence against the Marma and Chakma communities is not highlighted. They have killed Chakma leaders and they claim that Ku Ki Chin members are the only indigenous inhabitants of the hills. And of course this radical mentality is problematic. But unless we understand why and how they became so radicalized, we cannot change anything. (They are also linked to an Islamic “terrorist” group – Ku Ki Chin trains them in exchange for money). The army will kill one member, and more members will be recruited. Cycle of violence will continue. Rinse and repeat.
To break free of the cycle of violence, we need to acknowledge the oppression against our indigenous populations. We need to address the inequality. We need to actualize the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord, ensuring the equal right and dignity of all adibashi people.
We also need to view “terrorists” as humans. Dehumanizing them leads to further violence. We cannot create an “us vs them’ mentality. We need to understand their point of view, and work on deradicalization, which cannot be done with violence. We need to get over the “divide and conquest” mentality cemented by the British Raj.
The army should be there to protect the people – all people, regardless of race or ethnicity. Military rule and oppression have to end. The army needs to end harassment of innocent adibashi people in the name of safety. Indigenous people need to be treated as equal citizens of Bangladesh (they are not treated equally, they haven’t in far too long. Please read up on Kaptai Dam and how it’s built over a Chakma town – the palace of their king is now under water. Please read up on Sajek).
If you can understand what’s happening in Palestine, and how and why Hamas came into being, then why can’t you understand why resistance groups in the hill tracts also began?
I will always, always, speak out for people who are marginalized. If that makes me a terrorist sympathizer, then that’s your opinion. Also the weaponization of the terminology of “terrorist” and “terrorism” are extremely problematic, and this too needs to be addressed.
If you’re tired of seeing my posts, trust me, this is nothing compared to the racist vitriol faced by adibashi people.
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