Institutions of Political Islam in Bangladesh: Histories, Agendas, and Strategies

This book examines the socio-political histories, religio-political agendas and politico-militant (and for some, non-violent) strategies of institutions of political Islam in Bangladesh. Focusing on Jammat-e-Islami, Hefazet-e-Islam, Jammatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh (JMB), Ansar al Islam, Neo-Jammatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh (Neo-JMB), Tablighi Jamaat, and Islami Andolon Bangladesh, it shows how these groups are key actors in the securitization of the postcolonial socio-cultural, economic, and political histories (and future) of Bangladesh. The volume illustrates the complex ways in which every day lived experiences of peoples of Bangladesh, and securitized political and cultural pathways of state governance have shaped and impacted the histories and activities of these groups, and the strategies and agendas of these groups to gain political and socio-religious legitimacy within (and sometimes, beyond) the secularized cultural landscapes of Bangladesh. Moreover, the book argues that even though these Islamist groups bear the same agenda of transforming Bangladesh into an Islamic state, their strategies are different and unique. It also discusses the connections of some of these groups to other transnational institutions of political Islam and extremist groups such as Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS). This book will be a major intervention in the field of politics, religion, and South Asian studies.

Table of Contents:
1. Understanding Institutions of Political Islam 2. Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami: History, Agenda, and Strategies 3. Hefazat-e-Islam: History, Agenda and Strategies 4. Tablighi Jamaat: History, Agenda and Strategies 5. Islami Andolon Bangladesh: History, Agenda and Strategies 6. Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh: History, Agenda and Strategies 7. Ansar Al Islam: History, Agenda, and Strategies 8. Neo-JMB: History, Agenda and Strategies 9. Political Islam: An Endless Search for a Khalifa

About the Author :
Shafi Md Mostofa (PhD) is a theologian and security studies scholar with broad interests in political Islam, authoritarianism, modern South Asian history and politics, and international relations and the clash of civilizations. He is an Associate Professor of World Religions and Culture at Dhaka University’s Faculty of Arts and an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of New England, Australia. He also served as a senior fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. He is the author of Islamist Militancy in Bangladesh: A Pyramid Root Cause Model (Cham, Springer) and Dynamics of Violent Extremism in South Asia: Nexus between State Fragility and Extremism (Singapore, Palgrave Macmillan). He is also an editorial team member of the Journal of World Affairs, SAGE.