Bangladesh bans Islamic group Hizb ut Tahrir: govt

Thu Oct 22, DHAKA (VoBD) - Bangladesh banned a controversial Muslim group Thursday for "destabilizing" the country, the government said, a day after a bomb attack targeted a ruling party lawmaker related to the prime minister. Home Minister Sahara Khatun told AFP that Hizb ut Tahrir Bangladesh has been banned for "unleashing destructive activities" and work that goes against the "laws of the land".

"We took the decision after reports from our intelligence agencies. They are found (to be) destabilizing the country," she said. Hizb ut Tahrir is a pan-Islamist group whose goal is to establish a global Islamic caliphate. They have been banned in a number of countries, mainly in Central Asia and the Middle East.
Hizb ut Tahrir's Bangladesh coordinator and spokesman Mohiuddin Ahmed said the allegation against his organization was "completely baseless". "We are law-abiding citizens of the country. We are not involved in any militancy activities. The government banned us because we have been raising voices against its fascist character," he told VoBD.

"We'll go to the court to overturn the ban."

The latest ban brings the number of outlawed Islamic groups in Bangladesh to five.

Four organizations including the Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were banned after they carried out a series of nationwide blasts that left 28 people dead, including four suicide bombers, in 2005. A bomb exploded Wednesday in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, targeting a ruling party legislator who is also a close relative of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Police said they were investigating the motive behind the attack but wouldn't say whether it was linked to any Islamic militant group. Law-enforcement agencies have also stepped up security in the capital.