Alleging that thousands of people are killed in the streets of Bangladesh for protesting against a “collusion of the anti-Islam secular government”, al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri is reported to have invited people to “confront this crusader’s onslaught against Islam”But no media of Bangladesh could independently verify the authenticity of the message. The Ministry of Home Affairs has also termed the al Qaeda message as baseless. The call came in an audio message posted by al-Qaeda’s media production house ‘As-Sahab Media’ on a website jihadology.net, which promotes jihad (war for religious cause) across the globe.”A massacre of Muslims is being carried out these days, and the Muslim world is totally oblivious to it. The western media is colluding with the killers to belittle its significance and hide the facts,” Zawahiri is reported to have said in his message. The message titled ‘Bangladesh: A Massacre Behind a Wall of Silence’, contains photographs from Hefajat-e Islam programmes and law enforcers action on them.Meanwhile, knowledgeable people in their reactions to the unverified message said there might be some foul play behind it. Describing the statement as provocative they expressed surprise over its release using some TV channels and print media. Ambassador Sarwar Hossain Mollah talking to The New Nation said, “I think there is a game behind it. Those who opposed the country’s liberation war, will face punishments, he said in his reaction. Meanwhile, Moulana Abdur Rab Yusufi, city leader of Hefazat Islam (HI) said he did not think al Qaeda has any link with any organisation of Bangladesh. The release of such a message in the name of al Qaeda, he said, would be good neither for the country ,nor for any quarter. Such message, he said might have been released to create opportunity for any quarter to serve its evil design. Ahalullah Wasel, IOJ leader while talking to The New Nation said, ” We work with the people showing respect to law of the land and the Constitution. HI or IOJ, he said, has no connection with such organization. He described the release of the message as a part of a conspiracy even to harass Islamic forces of the country. It might have been designed to put the country’s Islamic forces to more difficult situation, he feared.
