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Published by Seth Oldmixon on September 7, 2016

Lal Masjid: A Case Study in Pakistan’s Self-Defeating Counter Extremism Strategy

Pakistan has long been accused of playing a “double game” in Afghanistan – supporting international security efforts while also providing direct support for Taliban militants. But it’s not just in Afghanistan that the Pakistani state’s counter-terrorism policies are causing confusion. At home, too, Pakistan appears to be pursuing a self-defeating strategy towards eliminating terrorist groups….

Published by Seth Oldmixon on July 26, 2016

Battle for the Soul of a Nation

The terrorist attack at Holey Bakery in Dhaka earlier this month deviated in important ways from the previous trend of assassination-style attacks against specific individuals in Bangladesh. The perpetrators targeted a group of random individuals, prolonged the attack to maximize media exposure, and engaged in an attack that provided little hope of escape. However, these…

Published by Seth Oldmixon on June 6, 2016

To Save Bangladesh, Political Parties Must Return to the Country’s Founding Principles

In declaring independence from Pakistan, Bangladesh sought to leave behind the country’s long history of ethnic and provincial discrimination. It also sought to dispel the radical Islamist ideology that has driven Pakistan so far from the pluralistic vision of its founding father, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. In 1972, Bangladeshis enshrined in their founding constitution the principles of…

Published by Seth Oldmixon on March 10, 2016

Bangladesh: Escaping the Shadow of Pakistan

Continue reading at ForeignPolicy.com Photo credit: MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP/Getty Images

Published by Seth Oldmixon on February 5, 2016

India’s Blasphemy Laws

The terrifying effects of Pakistan’s draconian blasphemy laws are well documented. Mere allegations have resulted in mob violence that has destroyed Hindu temples, Christian churches, and taken the lives of the accused. Even fundamentalist Muslims have found themselves entangled in the dangerous and subjective web blasphemy allegations. With this situation playing out so close to…

Published by Seth Oldmixon on November 23, 2015

Jamaat-e-Islami, al Qaeda, and Secularism in South Asia

Last year, al Qaeda called for jihad against the government of Bangladesh, accusing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and government of trying to “eliminate every trace of Islam” from the country, and turning Bangladesh into “an Indian outpost.” Al Qaeda called on Islamists to “organize ourselves for a popular and inclusive intifada” to replace Bangladesh’s secular…

Published by Seth Oldmixon on July 29, 2015

Malik Ishaq’s Death And Its Implications For the Pakistani State

Notorious terrorist leader Malik Ishaq was killed on Wednesday in a firefight between Pakistani police and over a dozen Islamist militants. Ishaq was the leader of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), a militant anti-Shia organization. He has been implicated in dozens of cases and is believed to be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Shia in Pakistan….

Published by Seth Oldmixon on July 22, 2015

Pakistani Terrorist Group Operating in Rohingya Camps

The name Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) may be unfamiliar to many, but it is only the most recent alias adopted by Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and it’s front group, Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) believed to be responsible for the 2001 attack on India’s parliament and the 2008 attacks in Mumbai that killed over 160 innocent people. FIF…