The following report is a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.

Issue 12 of Dabiq, the English-language magazine published by the Islamic State (ISIS), was released November 18, 2015; it confirms that a series of recent attacks on foreign nationals and Shi'ites were carried out by its fighters. In an article titled "The Revival Of Jihad In Bengal – With The Spread Of The Light Of Khilafah," clarifies that the October 24, 2015 attack on a procession of Shi'ite Muslims in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, was carried out by ISIS. The article's reference to "Bengal" includes both Bangladesh and the eastern Indian state of West Bengal.

The article states: "The blessed operation was the first to target the Rafidah of Bengal for nearly 400 years. Over a hundred of these murtadeen were killed and wounded." There were two recent killings of Italian national Cesare Tavella and Japanese national Kunio Hoshi in Bangladesh. Although all these attacks were claimed by the ISIS, it was suspected that these were carried out by some Bangladeshi Islamists who identified themselves with ISIS. However, this article formally confirms that the ISIS is growing its presence in Bangladesh, especially with its message of Khilafah.

Following is the text of the article:

"Mujahid Scholar Shaykh Abdur Rahman With Success In Gathering A Handful Of Muwahideen … [Established] An Organization Named Jamaatul Mujahideen [Bangladesh, Or JMB, Now Banned]

"As the Afghan jihad against the communists ended in the late Eighties, many of its veterans from various parts of the world – including Bengal [covering Bangladesh and India's West Bengal state] – returned to their homelands with the idea of opening jihad fronts there based on their newly gained experiences. However, as many of the returnees to Bengal from Khurasan [Afghanistan-Pakistan region] had mistakes in their creeds and methodologies, including mistakes related to Tawhid [Islamic monotheism] and Wala and Bara [loyalty to Muslims and disavowal of non-Muslims], the founding of a proper jihad organization in Bengal based on the Koran and Sunnah and the understanding of the Salaf [Islamic elders] was delayed for years until the late Nineties when Allah blessed the martyred mujahid scholar Shaykh Abdur Rahman with success in gathering a handful of muwahideen [Islamic monotheists] from different parts of the land to form an organization named Jamaatul Mujahideen [Bangladesh, or JMB, now banned] whose sole aim was establishing the law of Allah upon the earth. Thus, a new light of hope was born amidst the Muslims of Bengal, a land that for hundreds of years has been drowned in shirk [polytheism] and bid'ah [innovations incompatible with Islam] due to the effects of both European colonization and Hindu cultural invasion.

"Relying upon Allah alone, Shaykh Abdur Rahman and a few other mujahid scholars with him strived their utmost to gather the Muslims of Bengal upon a single platform based on the Koran, the Sunnah, and the understanding of the Salaf. The newly formed group provided proper military training for the mujahideen and performed operations against the murtad [apostate] soldiers and judges of the taghut [oppressor Bangladeshi] government and courts that ruled by manmade laws. With these blessed operations, Jamaatul Mujahideen [JMB] tried its best to awaken the Muslim masses of Bengal to the importance of ruling by Sharia and the fundamentals of Wala and Bara.

"By Allah's grace, the call of jihad reached various madaris (Islamic schools) in Bengal and people started joining the Jamaah [organization, or the JMB] in great numbers. Thus, the forces of the taghut along with the deviant palace scholars were shaken and so the murtad government imprisoned and executed the noble Shaykh Abdur Rahman along with a few other truthful scholars and mujahid commanders in 2007. May Allah accept them as martyrs and grant them the highest positions in Jannah [paradise].

"The former government, which consisted mainly of a coalition of murtadeen [apostates] from both the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (essentially the Indian subcontinent version of the so-called Muslim Brotherhood [of Egypt]), foolishly thought that the call of Tawhid, jihad, and khilafah would be crushed by the martyrdom of a few righteous scholars. The tawagheet [the oppressors], the palace scholars, and those with diseased hearts forgot the promise of Allah who said: They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light even if the kuffar despise such (Chapter As-Saff, Verse 8). They had forgotten that the tree of this Ummah is not watered except by the blood of its martyrs.

"These murtadeen also ignored Allah's warning mentioned in the… hadith [traditions, sayings or deeds of Prophet Muhammad]: Whoever shows enmity towards a wali of mine, then I have declared war against him (Reported by al-Bukhari from Abu Hurayrah). Thus, they felt secure from the punishment of Allah, ignoring his declaration of war against them. Within only a few years, many high-ranking officials and commanders of the taghut forces – including some involved in the execution of the mujahid scholars – were killed in a mutiny [on February 25-26, 2009] within the ranks of the murtad 'Bangladesh Border Guards.' In recent days, both the nationalist murtadeen of the BNP and the parliamentary murtadeen of the Jamaat-e-Islami – who both called for, rejoiced at, and actively partook in the 'legal' process that led to the execution of the mujahid scholars – these same murtadeen were humiliated, dragged into prison, and given life sentences and death penalties by the very same taghut courts. Some of them have already been executed by the taghut government of the Awami League [the current political party in power in Bangladesh]."

"The Various 'Jihadi' Groups In Bengal Then Became Fragmented Through Disputes Over Issues Of Creed, Methodology, Leadership, Strategy, And Tactics"



Shaykh Abdur Rahman who established Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh

"It was an ending similar to what befell the Iraqi Sahwat [Awakening] at the hands of their former Rafidi [Shia] allies. Thus, Allah made an example out of the various parties of kufr [unbelief] that had cooperated against the muwahideen. It was a lesson for others not to pursue a path leading to punishment in both the Dunya [Here in this world] and Akhirah [Life after death]. With the martyrdom of the mujahid leadership, the resolve of the caravan was tested heavily and the ranks were cleansed of a large number of hypocrites who had initially joined the group for potential worldly gains. Thus, only a few muwahideen remained patient upon the difficult path of jihad and sacrifice while always maintaining certainty in Allah's promise and always expecting good from Allah. They neither gave up jihad like the weak-hearted nor did they deviate from the proper methodology of the Koran and Sunnah [the traditions of Prophet Muhammad] by going after 'popular support' as many jihad claimants infected with the love of Dunya [worldly things] and irja [the deferral of judgment on the status of others as believers or unbelievers; the exclusion of acts from the definition of faith] sadly has done.

"The sincere mujahideen knew all along that it was neither the drones of the Crusaders nor their modern high-tech weaponry that could harm them, but it was the gradual and discreet decline of Wala and Bara within the hearts that could deal the greatest injury to the cause of jihad. And just as occurred in the 'Arab Spring,' this gradual decline of Wala and Bara reached its lowest peak during the mass protests in Dhaka against the atheist bloggers in 2013, as the jihad claimants started to openly call for an alliance with the grave-worshippers [such as the followers of the Barelvi school of Islam] who falsely claim to be 'lovers of the Prophet', the Jamaat-e-Islami who openly call for and support the religion of democracy, and the Deobandis who adopt the creed of the Jahmiyyah. This 'alliance' was called for in order to confront the 'common enemy' of atheists and leftists who would curse Islam and Allah's Messenger. The jihad claimants alleged that causing division within the Ummah over 'minor' issues would divide and weaken the 'Muslims' in front of the atheists.

"Similarly, they claimed that the mujahideen should perform prayer according to the Hanafi madhhab [school of thought] even if doing so entailed abandoning mutawatir sunan.[i] They justified this with a principle they had innovated, that the madhhab of the mujahideen was to perform prayer according to the custom of the local people, as if the madhhab of the mujahid should be different from that of the Salaf!

"These [so-called] jihad claimants demanded that the various jihad groups in Bengal give preference to maintaining 'popular support' and pleasing deviant 'scholars' over the Koran and the Sunnah, otherwise the 'jihad movement' would get 'crushed' by the martyrdom of leadership having no 'popular support' as they claimed had happened in the past with Jamaatul Mujahideen. They focused on the materialistic means over the divine support from Allah and rushed to compromise with murtadeen and heretics instead of relying upon Allah alone and remaining firm upon the methodology of Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah [Followers of the traditions of Prophet Muhammad]. They labelled as a 'Khariji' [defector from Islam] any Muslim who pronounced takfir upon those who fell into an explicit nullifier of Islam such as worshipping graves, joining parliament, and allying with the kuffar against the Muslims. Thus, a new fitnah was launched against the confused, young mujahideen with impressionable minds. Sadly, many of them became affected by this rotten call for a 'populist jihad.' The various 'jihadi' groups in Bengal then became fragmented through disputes over issues of creed, methodology, leadership, strategy, and tactics."

"The Rise Of The Khilafah [Led By Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi] And Its Effective Media Campaign Brought The Light Of Hope To The Hearts Of Young Mujahideen In Bengal, Just As It Did In Every Other Part Of The Globe"

"The Declaration of Khilafah

"Then, by Allah's grace, the Khilafah was revived from the blessed land of Syria on 1 Ramadan 1436 [30 June 2014 when Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi declared himself as Caliph]. The rise of the Khilafah and its effective media campaign brought the light of hope to the hearts of young mujahideen in Bengal, just as it did in every other part of the globe. Just as the strong military campaign of the soldiers of the Khilafah was crushing the forces of kufr on the physical battlefield, the strong media campaign launched by the media soldiers of the Khilafah on the ideological battlefield continued to crush and destroy every specious argument invented by the jihad claimants and those infected with the diseases of irja and hizbiyyah [loyalty to a faction rather than to the ummah as a whole]. And so truth started to shed its light very quickly and the muwahideen of Bengal rushed to pledge allegiance to the Khalifah.

The mujahideen of Bengal realized that there was no room for blind partisanship towards any organization once the Khilafah had been declared and that there was no longer legitimacy for any independent jihad organization, whether 'Jamaatul Mujahideen,' 'Al-Qaeda,' or any other group. Thus, the sincere men from the various jihad groups rushed to support the Khilafah and join the ranks of its soldiers in Bengal. They united their ranks behind a single Qurayshi imam [Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi from the tribe of Quraysh who only are entitled to become caliphs] and did not fear the blame of the blamers who chose to remain behind, those who blindly held to organizations that had claimed Mullah Omar was the true Emir-ul-Momineen [Leader of the Faithful Muslims, or Caliph] although he had been dead for years.

"Rather, he had been dead even before they started using him as an excuse not to unite the whole Ummah behind one single leader. The mujahideen realized that the unity of the Ummah could only happen through a leader with true authority, not an unwise man in some unknown hiding place releasing outdated video messages with pledges of allegiance to a dead man and scolding others for not doing the same!

"Thus, Allah united the ranks of mujahideen in Bengal once again after they were fragmented. He gave them the honor of becoming soldiers of the Khilafah upon the prophetic methodology, Insha Allah."

"The Islamic State Has Warned The Pagan Nation Of Japan Against Further Endangering The Lives Of Japan's Citizens Through Japanese Support For The American Crusade"

"The Revival of Jihad through the Light of the Khilafah

"On 14 Dhul Hijjah 1436 [September 28, 2015], by Allah's grace, a security cell belonging to the soldiers of the Khilafah in Bengal assassinated an Italian crusader named Cesare Tavella on the streets of Gulshan in the city of Dhaka. This noble deed shook the tawaghit of the land as well as the crusaders living there, as the assassination occurred within the 'Diplomatic Zone' of the capital, supposedly the most secure residential area of the country. Only days later, on 19 Dhul Hijjah 1436, by Allah's grace, another security cell belonging to the soldiers of the Khilafah in Bengal targeted a Japanese citizen [Kunio Hoshi] in the northern region of Rangpur. These blessed back-to-back attacks have caused havoc among the citizens of the Crusader nations and their allies living in Bengal and forced their diplomats, tourists, and expats to limit their movements and live in a constant state of fear. Moreover, the powerful message of a unified Ummah working under the leadership of the Khilafah, beautifully conveyed by these blessed attacks in a distant region, has once again proven to the arrogant Crusader nations that from Tunisia to Bengal, their crusader citizens will never enjoy any peace or security in any part of the Muslims' lands, bi-idhnillah, as long as they continue to be at war with the Islamic State.

"Shaykh Abu Muhammad al-Adnani (hafidhahullah [May Allah protect him]) – the official spokesperson of the Islamic State – said, 'O muwahideen in Europe, America, Australia, and Canada, O muwahideen in Morocco and Algeria, O muwahideen in Khurasan and al-Qawqaz [Caucasus], O muwahideen everywhere upon the face of the earth, O brothers in creed, O people of Wala and Bara, O patrons of the Islamic State, O you who have given bai'yah to the Khalifah Ibrahim [Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi] everywhere, O you who have loved the Islamic State, O you who support the Khilafah [led by Al-Baghdadi], O you who consider yourselves from amongst its soldiers and patrons:

"Your state [led by Al-Baghdadi] is facing a new campaign by the Crusaders. So O muwahid, wherever you may be, what are you going to do to support your brothers? What do you wait for while the people have become two encampments and the heat of the war increases day by day? O muwahid, we call you up to defend the Islamic State. Dozens of nations have gathered against it. They began their war against us at all levels. So rise O muwahid. Rise and defend your state from your place wherever you may be (Indeed Your Lord if Ever-Watchful).

"He also said: O muwahid, do not let this battle pass you by wherever you may be. You must strike the soldiers, patrons, and troops of the tawaghit. Strike their police, security, and intelligence members, as well as their treacherous agents. Ruin their sleep. Embitter their lives for them and busy them with themselves. If you can kill a kafir American or European – especially the spiteful and filthy French – or an Australian, or a Canadian, or any other kafir from the harbi kuffar, including the citizens of the countries that entered into a coalition against the Islamic State, then rely upon Allah, and kill them in any manner possible, regardless of the method (Indeed Your Lord is Ever-Watchful).

"In addition, the Islamic State has warned the pagan nation of Japan against further endangering the lives of Japan's citizens through Japanese support for the American crusade. Dabiq wrote the following, commenting on the arrogant decision of the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to support the Crusader coalition: 'Prior to Shinzo Abe's thoughtless pledge of support for this crusade, Japan was not on the list of priorities to be targeted by the Islamic State, but through Shinzo Abe's foolishness, all Japanese citizens and interests – wherever they may be found – are now a target for the soldiers and patrons of the Khilafah everywhere' (Issue 7, Foreword, page 4)."

"[On October 24, 2015], The Day Of Ashura, The Soldiers Of The Khilafah Detonated A String Of Bombs On The Rafidah [Shias] Who Had Gathered For A Large Shirki [Polytheistic] Procession In Front Of One Of Their Largest Temples [Shia Mosque In Dhaka]"

"Thus, the soldiers of the Khilafah in Bengal pledged their allegiance to the Khalifah Ibrahim (hafidhahullah), unified their ranks, nominated a regional leader, gathered behind him, dissolved their former factions, performed the necessary military preparations, and hastened to answer the order from the Islamic State leadership, by targeting the Crusaders and their allies wherever they may be found. On 10 Muharram 1437 [October 24, 2015], the day of Ashura, the soldiers of the Khilafah detonated a string of bombs on the Rafidah [Shias] who had gathered for a large shirki [polytheistic] procession in front of one of their largest temples [Shia mosque] – known as 'Hosseini Dalan' – in the city of Dhaka. The blessed operation was the first to target the Rafidah of Bengal for nearly 400 years. Over a hundred of these murtadeen were killed and wounded. Feeding off the momentum from these blessed attacks, the mujahideen carried out a daring raid less than two weeks later on 21 Muharram 1437, choosing to assault a group of policemen preparing to set up a checkpoint in an area in Dhaka. They stabbed one of them to death and wounded four others, and all praise is due to Allah.

"And while the soldiers of the Khilafah in Bengal are busy preparing for further attacks on the kuffar, by Allah's permission, the secular murtadeen of the present Awami League government continue to twist the facts on the ground and play a blame game in an effort to put political pressure on the murtadeen of both the nationalist BNP and the parliamentary Jamaat-e-Islami. Meanwhile, the soldiers of the Khilafah continue to rise and expand in Bengal, by Allah's grace, and will continue to terrorize the Crusaders and their allies until the rule of Allah is established on the earth.

After months of arresting muwahideen and falsely claiming more than once that they had arrested the 'top ISIS-coordinator' for Bengal, the shameless, lying murtad [apostate] government came out right after the blessed operation of Tavella Cesare to say: 'there is no ISIS in Bangladesh!' They repeated the same lie over and over like a broken record after each of the blessed operations performed by the soldiers of the Khilafah, all in a desperate effort to save face before the international community of kufr [unbelief] and hide their inability and the impotence of their law enforcement agencies to provide security to their Crusader masters and Rafidi citizens.

"The murtad Bengali government will soon realize, by Allah's permission, that shamelessly denying facts on the ground and playing childish blame games with the murtad opposition will be of no avail to them, as the Islamic State is indeed here to stay, Insha'Allah [Allah willing]. It is here to stay in Syria and Iraq. It is here to stay in Khurasan and al-Qawqaz. And it is here to stay from Tunisia all the way to Bengal even if the murtadeen despise such. The Khilafah will continue to expand further until its shade covers the entire earth, all the lands where the day and night reach, Insha'Allah.

"In the end, it is the responsibility of the Muslims in Bengal to support the Khilafah. It is also the duty of all mujahideen in Bengal who support the Islamic State to close their ranks, unite under the soldiers of the Khilafah in Bengal, and aid them in every possible way. Allah said: Indeed, Allah loves those who fight in His cause in a row as though they are a (single) structure joined firmly (Chapter As-Saff, Verse 4). He also said: O you who have believed, fight those near you of the kuffar and let them find in you harshness. And know that Allah is with the righteous (Chapter At-Tawbah, Verse 123). The Prophet also said: Perform jihad against the mushrikeen [polytheists] with your wealth, your lives, and your tongues (Sahih: Reported by Abu Dawud and an-Nasa'i from Anas). May Allah bless the mujahideen in Bengal, support them, and grant them continuous success so that they may become a source of strength and support for the oppressed Muslims in both Bengal and Burma [now Myanmar]. May Allah unite the ranks of the Muslims in every region under the shade of the Khilafah."

Source: Dabiq, Issue No. 12, November 18, 2015. The original English of the essay has been lightly edited for clarity and standardization.