Riots in Bangladesh may benefit Islamists

But the rise of Islamist politics and extremism is a relatively new and disturbing chapter in the country's political evolution – one that highlights just how much the democratic parties have, through their rivalry, ground the democratic process to a halt.

When out of power, both parties boycott parliament and call for crippling nationwide strikes. The Awami League, for example, has refused to attend parliament for most of this year; the BNP did the same when the Awami League was in power before 2001.

From this bruising conflict, Islamist political parties have emerged as efficient, competent governors.

"The overwhelming factor is organization," says Ajai Sahni, director of the Institute for Conflict Management in New Delhi. "[The Islamists] do provide a very large range of social security to very large parts of the population, which allows [them] to consolidate strong support."

That efficiency, coupled with political acrimony, paid political dividends for Jamaat-e-Islami in 2001. The ruling BNP, desperate for a partner to challenge the Awami League in elections, struck a deal with the religious party and formed a coalition government. The BNP won the elections and Jamaat-e-Islami took 18 seats in parliament, a small but solid footing.

Jamaat-e-Islami's power to project an Islamist agenda has grown considerably now that it controls several powerful ministries, as well as a host of welfare organizations, schools, and madrassahs. The party also owns a staggering array of businesses in banking, real estate, and other services.

Jamaat's leaders insist their party is committed to democracy and that their aim is to introduce an Islamic state through the ballot box. But many observers say their rise has contributed to an environment of intolerance and, by extension, militancy.

The culmination of that uptick was the synchronized explosion of nearly 500 bombs throughout Bangladesh in August 2005. The attack was followed months later by Bangladesh's first-ever suicide bombings, which killed several lawyers and judges. An Islamic militant group claimed responsibility for the attacks, and subsequent arrests revealed that several suspects were former members of Jamaat-e-Islami's student wing, according to local news reports. Jamaat-e-Islami has consistently denied any such links.

Many are worried that the hatred between the BNP and the Awami League runs so deep that each would rather ally itself with Islamist parties than with the other – despite the potential damage to the nation's political discourse and the parties themselves.

But while the main parties squabble for short term gains, spawning violence like the kind seen this weekend, Jamaat-e-Islami is painstakingly realizing its vision.

"This party believes in changing the people's future," says Mr. Kamruzzaman. "We do not think that the country will change over night. We believe if we go slow, people at the end of the day will support us."

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