Former Bangladesh Minister and Awami League leader Mohammad Ali Arafat has accused the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government of fostering radical Islamist forces in the country. Arafat shared a video on social media showing an ISIS flag being waved near the Parliament building in Dhaka during the funeral of extremist leader Sharif Osman Hadi. The video captured a participant expressing intentions to raise the ISIS flag atop the Parliament building in the future.
Arafat highlighted the growing influence of radical Islamists in Bangladesh under Yunus’ leadership, citing the presence of the ISIS flag at Osman Hadi’s funeral as evidence. He criticized Yunus for allowing such extremism to flourish and alleged that the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina faced opposition from these radical groups for her efforts to combat their influence and focus on economic development.
Arafat further claimed that the violent attacks on prominent media offices and cultural institutions in Bangladesh following Hadi’s death were orchestrated by radical Islamist groups. He pointed out that organizations like The Daily Star, Prothom Alo, ‘Chhayanaut,’ and ‘Udichi Shilpigoshthi’ were targeted by supporters of Osman Hadi, who were associated with extremist factions.
