Democratic culture is the way to tackle religious extremism

The space for practicing religious extremism in the country is expanding. It is now visible in both online and offline spaces. The flow of extremist thought is becoming normalised. This is because its activities have increased, as have connectivity, debates and the number of followers.

Various reports, including Shadows Over the Ballot, published in December 2025 by the Canada-based research organisation SecDev, have presented an overall picture of the trends and prevalence of extremist practices in Bangladesh. The analysis is outlined in several sections below.

The SecDev report notes that violent extremist groups are attempting to construct new narratives by raising issues such as public discontent, anxiety, women’s issues, anti-India sentiment, the misrule of the Awami League, and the role of religion in state governance. In the 2019 book The Three Pillars of Radicalization: Needs, Narratives, and Networks (published by Oxford University Press), Arie W Kruglanski emphasises the importance of the “Three Ns”—Needs, Narratives, and Networks—in the practice of extremism.

Extremists first create a perceived need for their cause within society; they then construct a narrative and build networks to disseminate that narrative. It is true that in Bangladesh, the activities of extremist religious groups are steadily taking on new dimensions. Various forms of deprivation and dependency among people, such as lack of employment opportunities, insecurity, vengefulness, and aspirations for material or spiritual liberation, are particularly motivating individuals to become part of such networks or syndicates.

In the 2024 book Syndicates and Societies: Criminal Politics in Dhaka (published by Cambridge University Press), David Jackman notes that these syndicates operate under the control of specific groups and are run in a strict manner. The leaders of such networks also control the “mental production” of followers to sustain a constant state of emotional agitation. Jackman describes this situation as “When Crime Is Order”—that is, when crime itself takes the form of governance.

If such activities continue unchecked, they gradually begin to gain social acceptance. A lack of accountability online ultimately creates similar opportunities in offline spaces. Nobel laureate Filipino journalist Maria Ressa, in her book How to Stand Up to a Dictator, writes that online impunity very naturally transforms into offline impunity, which can undermine existing systems of checks and balances.

The space for dissenting views and alternative ideologies in society is gradually shrinking. A culture of fear is spreading. Once, it was the fear of authoritarian misrule; now, the threat posed by extremist religious groups is haunting people. Embedded within this climate of fear are the potential elements of violence. In a society marked by fear and deprivation, human rights or civil rights cannot flourish. As a result, progressive forces are weakening, and society is moving steadily toward an uncertain darkness.

According to the SecDev report, the total number of subscribers to online channels operated by extremist religious groups exceeds 30 million. Online platforms have become significant testing grounds for the practice of extremism. The report further notes that these extremist digital ecosystems are distinctly different from those of Islamist political organisations such as Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami or Islami Chhatra Shibir.

Although they may appear similar at first glance, religious extremist activities are not uniform in nature. Mainstream Islamist political parties seek to establish Sharia law by utilising democratic processes.

In contrast, extremist religious groups place no trust in democracy or elections; they advocate for the direct establishment of Sharia law. In their view, democracy is a Western framework that has failed to safeguard the interests of Muslims.

Extremist groups seek to ensure a strong presence in the social sphere with the aim of establishing Sharia law. In this regard, generating public consent is one of their main strategies. Other religion-based parties attempt to establish religious law in state governance by following democratic processes, for example, by securing public support through elections. If they receive a mandate through that process, they wish to move forward accordingly. (Note: the recent Al Jazeera interview of Jamaat’s Ameer, Md. Shafiqur Rahman.)

SecDev, after analyzing 15,000 social media posts by extremists, identified ten ideological tendencies in their beliefs. Notable among these are: democracy is fundamentally un-Islamic; participation in democratic processes undermines Muslims’ religious identity; elections are meaningless because they cannot change the secular system; religion-based parties and others who follow democracy are religiously deviant; democracy fails to ensure Muslims’ security and only Islamic rule can do so. According to the report, the activities of extremist religious groups are directly opposed to democracy and the electoral system.

The SecDev report highlights the use of misinformation as a propaganda strategy by extremist religious groups. Their primary target is the youth. According to data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 47 percent of the country’s total population is under the age of 25. Therefore, creating distrust in voting among roughly 15 million young voters would make their desired path easier—based on this assumption, extremist groups are prioritizing digital platforms over traditional party politics.

Citing the “Digital 2026: Bangladesh” report by DataReportal, SecDev states that the country has 64 million Facebook users, 56.2 million TikTok users, and approximately 49.8 million YouTube users. This “dense digital network” has been identified as a major field for spreading misinformation.

Between June and October 2025, fact-checkers verified 1,638 pieces of content, of which 1,102 were related to politics. More than half were based on misinformation. Within the extremist ecosystem, narratives promoting the rejection of democracy and political parties have been disseminated, and those who believe in democracy have been labeled as “atheists.”

The use of artificial intelligence has also been observed. The report states that AI-generated videos, deepfake audio, and edited images are being used to spread baseless claims. Narrative analysis identified elements of both active and passive violence. Individuals, groups, and institutions that believe in democracy, pluralism, and inclusion have been specifically targeted. In such circumstances, a tendency toward violent behavior can develop. The report mentions examples such as attacks on shrines, Chhayanaut, Udichi, and on The Daily Star and Prothom Alo.

The SecDev report states that extremist religious groups adhere to Takfirism. This is a doctrine in which Muslims with differing views are declared apostates, and violence against them is considered justified. It creates the notion of an “internal enemy.” Even slight deviation from rigid literal interpretations is deemed unacceptable. According to the report, the ideology of these active groups in the country is aligned with currents associated with Tehrik-i-Taliban or al-Qaeda. If this information is true, it is undoubtedly a cause for deep concern.

To control religious extremist activities, a consolidated commitment from democratic and progressive forces is essential. This is not the responsibility of any single individual or institution. Ensuring democratic values and civil rights can reduce such tendencies in society. There is no denying that state repression, discrimination, and injustice pave the way for extremism.

Broad dialogue, understanding, and cooperation among democratic forces are necessary. Critical information and analysis regarding the importance of differing views and ideologies must be disseminated in society. Inferior alternatives must be countered with better ones, through patience and non-violent means. The development of a humane and dignified democratic culture may be the most effective way to confront religious extremism.

* Khan Md. Rabiul Alam od a communication professional and teacher
* The views expressed here are the author’s own.