US embassy cable - 05DHAKA5649

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DHAKA 005649 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/21/2015 
TAGS: KISL, PTER, PGOV, BG, BG Terrorism 
SUBJECT: GALIB'S PEOPLE REACH OUT TO EMBASSY TO PROCLAIM 
HIS INNOCENCE 
 
Classified By: A/DCM D.C. McCullough, reasons para 1.5 b, d. 
 
1. (C) Summary.  Two senior figures in Prof. Galib's Ahle 
Hadith group assured us that perceptions that their leader 
supports violence and terrorism are false and the work of 
Jamaat Islami and the leftist media.  They requested regular 
Embassy contact and invited us to visit their headquarters 
and madrassas.  End Summary. 
 
2.(C) On November 18, RLA and FSN Political Specialist met 
for more than two hours with Baharul Islam, Executive 
Committee member of Ahle Hadith Andolon Bangladesh (AHAB), 
and Sakhawat Hossain, the editor of the AHAB magazine "At 
Tahriq."  AHAB is an Islamic fundamentalist organization with 
international connections that is led by Dr. Muhammad 
Asadullah Al Galib, a Rajshahi University professor of Arabic 
who has been under arrest since February on charges that he 
aided and abetted terrorism by inciting his followers to 
violence against two Bangladeshi NGO's.  The northwestern 
district of Rajshahi borders India and is the home base of 
self-proclaimed Islamist warriors Bangla Bhai, who heads 
Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB), and Abdur Rahman, 
operational commander of the Jamaatul Mujahidin Bangladesh 
(JMB).  The BDG banned both groups in February, and JMB has 
taken responsibility for an escalating campaign of violence 
and threats against primarily judges that began with the 
August 17 nationwide bomb blasts.  According to DGFI, NSI, 
and other observers, Galib is the spiritual adviser of Bangla 
Bhai, Abdur Rahman, and their largely Ahle Hadithi followers. 
 
3. (C) According to Baharul, who did most of the talking, Al 
Hadith seeks to preach true Islam and "correct" the impurity 
in the traditional Islam practiced in Bangladesh.  The sect 
believes that Allah's word can be found directly in the Koran 
and the Hadith, and that imams are not needed to interpret 
the text.  Baharul stated that Ahle Hadith has 30 million 
followers in Bangladesh who are attracted to its message of 
equality and of subservient only to Allah.  (Note: Other 
estimates put Ahle Hadith adherents at a small fraction of 
that figure, sometimes as few as one million.  Baharul stated 
his estimate was based on unspecified adjustments to a 1989 
Ahle Hadith-conducted census.) 
 
4. (C) Baharul said that Ahle Hadith is a religious group 
with no interest in politics. However, because of their large 
following and liberal interpretation of "Jihad" or holy war, 
which does not mean violence, militant Islamic groups have 
targeted them for character assassination.  In terms of 
religious philosophy, AHAB is closest to those groups 
gathered under the banner of Islami Oikya Jote, a member the 
ruling coalition but without Cabinet representation.  Baharul 
claimed that another BNP coalition member, Jamaat Islami 
(JI), has mislead the BDG on Ahle Hadith's activities because 
AHAB's large membership and doctrinal "purity" are a threat 
to JI's authority.  JI, he said, also suffers from the stigma 
of being "a collaborator" with the Pakistanis in the 1971 
Independence War, and that its reputation for opportunism was 
further enhanced by its prior alignment with the Awami League 
(AL).  While AHAB supported BNP in the last election, it 
might support the AL in 2007 because, Baharul claimed, 
neither AHAB nor its followers were harassed or imprisoned by 
the AL government as has happened under BNP. 
 
5. (C) AHAB does not support the activities of violent 
extremist groups like JMB or JMJB, Baharul insisted.  When 
asked why JMB threatens to bomb government offices if AHAB 
leader Galib and some of his fellow AHAB detainees are not 
released, Baharul blamed a leftist secular press for 
publishing false reports to tarnish Galib.  He asserted that 
Galib does not believe that "jihad" justifies violence but 
that it is a spiritual fight.  Galib met Abdur Rahman one 
time but he does not believe in the violent conduct of Bangla 
Bhai or JMB.  Baharul recounted a horrendous death at the 
hand of Bangla Bhai's followers.  Furthermore, he stated, two 
disgruntled former members of AHAB are trying to tarnish 
AHAB's image by portraying it as an extremist group.  One is 
the group's former treasurer, Rezal Karim, who was expelled 
for embezzlement. The other is Shafiqual Islam, Assistant 
Registrar at Rajshahi University, who was sacked as Director 
of AHAB's Computer Center.  Shafiqual is a former journalist 
who has used those connections to discredit AHAB and 
especially Galib, Baharul said. 
 
6. (C) RLA inquired why AHAB does not combat these 
allegations of terrorist involvement more strenuously. 
Baharul responded that they have tried without success with 
the press and are now trying to reach out to the 
international community, which is why he wanted to meet with 
the U.S. Embassy.  (Note: This meeting stemmed from a request 
from RLA to AHAB for court documents on the various cases 
pending against Galib.  Five out of 11 cases have been 
discharged by either judges or the Ministry of Home Affairs 
for lack of evidence, and RLA wanted the documents to assess 
the judicial reasoning and determine what gaps, if any, may 
exist in current laws addressing terrorist conduct.  The two 
men did not bring the documents but said they would get them 
to RLA.) 
 
7. (C) AHAB is led by a 13-member executive committee, 
Baharul explained. Currently only seven are active because of 
death, illness or imprisonment (i.e., Galib and two others). 
After this, there is a 240-member consultative committee and 
four levels of committees starting with units in 42 of 
Bangladesh's 65 districts and going down to the village 
level.  AHAB operates five madrassas and orphanages, mostly 
in the northwest, and a medical clinic in Kushtia.  The only 
time Baharul was hesitant in his responses was when he was 
asked about AHAB's funding.  He said money came from 
individuals in Saudi Arabia but that AHAB was not influenced 
by that country's Wahabi teachings.  He said they were rather 
"salafis" meaning followers of the Koran and authentic 
Hadith.  He added that a "few NGOs" also contribute, 
including previously the Kuwait-based Islamic Heritage 
Revival Foundation.  (Note: The BDG has frozen IHRF's local 
accounts because of its contributions to AHAB.) 
 
8. (SBU) Baharul said AHAB would welcome American English 
teachers at its madrassas for males and females.  Women, he 
stated, should be able to work because they can contribute to 
a family's well being.  He invited Embassy officers to visit 
AHAB offices and madrassas in Kushtia and Rajshahi. 
 
9. (C) Comment: The cordial meeting was conducted largely in 
Bangla.  We take with an enormous grain of salt most of 
Baharul's statements, especially on Galib's alleged aversion 
to violence and AHAB's membership size.  However, the 
animosity between Ahle Hadithis and JI is well known, which 
was a major reason given last February for the BDG's 
willingness to crack down on Galib, JMJB, and JMB.  Still, it 
is interesting that Galib's group is reaching out to us, 
which might be a sign of desperation.  We are looking to take 
advantage of AHAB's invitation to visit their facilities in 
December in combination with an attempt to meet with Galib's 
colleagues at RU's Arabic Studies Department and other area 
Islamists. 
CHAMMAS