“Soon after student protesters dramatically took down Bangladesh’s government
last month, a group of boys broke into the home of Tureen Afroz, the former
chief prosecutor of a tribunal for war crimes committed during the nation’s
independence movement in the early 1970s. They burst into her bedroom,
interrogated her about why she wasn’t wearing a hijab — a head covering worn by
some Muslim women — and then proceeded to shave her head. For days, the youths
kept her hostage, stabbing her with pencils and lecturing her about Islam.
Afroz worried that they’d rape her young daughter. “I thought they’d kill me,”
she said, recalling the incident from her house in Dhaka, the capital. “We were
terrified.” Bangladesh, home to the world’s fourth-largest Muslim population,
is now at a critical turning point.”











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Eye on Extremism



September 27, 2024



Bloomberg: Chaos In Bangladesh Opens Door To Islamic Extremists
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“Soon after student protesters dramatically took down Bangladesh’s government
last month, a group of boys broke into the home of Tureen Afroz, the former
chief prosecutor of a tribunal for war crimes committed during the nation’s
independence movement in the early 1970s. They burst into her bedroom,
interrogated her about why she wasn’t wearing a hijab — a head covering worn by
some Muslim women — and then proceeded to shave her head. For days, the youths
kept her hostage, stabbing her with pencils and lecturing her about Islam.
Afroz worried that they’d rape her young daughter. “I thought they’d kill me,”
she said, recalling the incident from her house in Dhaka, the capital. “We were
terrified.” Bangladesh, home to the world’s fourth-largest Muslim population,
is now at a critical turning point.”



Associated Press: Netanyahu Vows To Use ‘Full Force’ Against Hezbollah And
Dims Hopes For A Cease-Fire
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“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday vowed to carry out
“full force” strikes against Hezbollah until it ceases firing rockets across
the border, dimming hopes for a cease-fire proposal put forth by U.S. and
European officials. Israel carried out a new strike in the Lebanese capital,
which killed a senior Hezbollah commander, and the militant group launched
dozens of rockets into Israel. Tens of thousands of Israeli and Lebanese people
living near their countries’ borders have been displaced by the fighting.
Netanyahu spoke as he arrived in New York to attend the annual gathering of
world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly, where U.S. and European officials
were putting heavy pressure on both sides of the conflict to accept a proposed
21-day halt in the fighting to give time for diplomacy and avert an all-out
war.”




Recent CEP Press Releases

* Counter Extremism Project Statement Marking 9/11
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* Premiere of New Documentary on UANI's Role in the U.S. Seizure of the Suez
Rajan Coincide with UNGA
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* CEP Statement on U.S. Indictment of Hamas Leaders
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* Extremist Content Online: Active Clubs Celebrate "Frontier" Boxing and MMA
Event, White Supremacist CashApp Fundraiser Removed, White Power Webstore
Advertises on Telegram
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C
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EP Statement on Executions of Hostages by Hamas



CEP Mentions



Focus Online: Escalation As A Strategy: A Ground War Is Brewing Between
Hezbollah And Israel
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“Tensions in the Middle East are reaching a new high. Terrorism specialist
Hans-Jakob Schindler analyses the possible effects of the Israeli
counterattacks on Lebanon and outlines scenarios for the future. What is Iran
doing? Who needs to intervene urgently now?”



FDD's Long War Journal: Analysis: The Houthis Have Challenged The Rules-Based
International System And Must Be Defeated
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“The Houthis have long been a worry to anyone concerned with the well-being
of the Yemeni people, the stability of the Arabian Peninsula, and security in
the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb. But the prominent role they have taken upon
themselves since October 7 in the Axis of Resistance has taken these concerns
to a new level. Of the extremist and terrorist groups that take their lead from
Iran, the Houthis are one of the more independent-minded. They are capable of
refusing to do Iran’s bidding when it conflicts with their interests.
Nevertheless, they have become increasingly enthusiastic co-belligerents with
Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and the Iraqi Shia militias, and the evidence shows
that the Iranians are fully witting partners in this aggression.”



Syria



Reuters: Over 30,000 Crossed Into Syria From Lebanon In Past Days, Says Un
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“Well over 30,000 people, mainly Syrians, have crossed into Syria from
Lebanon in the past 72 hours, the UN refugee agency said on Friday, amid an
escalating conflict between Israeli forces and Hezbollah that has killed
hundreds of people in Lebanon. About 80% of those crossings are Syrians, and
about 20% are Lebanese, said the UNHCR representative in Syria, Gonzalo Vargas
Llosa, adding that about half are children and adolescents and that men are
making the crossing in smaller numbers than women. "They are crossing from a
country at war to one that has faced a crisis conflict for 13 years," an
extremely difficult choice, he told a news conference. "We will have to see
over the next few days how many more do so," added the representative.”



Iran



The Washington Post: Hezbollah Is Pounded By Israel, But Key Ally Iran Is
Reluctant To Intervene
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“Israeli airstrikes are dealing withering blows to Hezbollah, one of Iran’s
most important allies and a key defensive buffer for the Islamic Republic. But
Tehran has been reluctant to intervene on behalf of the militant group,
choosing instead to pursue engagement with the West. In the 11 months since
Hezbollah escalated its attacks on Israel — a show of support for Hamas in Gaza
— the group has suffered the heaviest losses of its four-decade history. Its
leadership has been decimated, its munitions destroyed, and its communications
compromised by attacks last week that turned pagers and radios into bombs. But
while Iran has offered rhetorical support, it has not joined the fight.
Hezbollah “is completely able to defend itself and to defend Lebanon and
Lebanese people,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said this week at the
United Nations.”



Afghanistan



Associated Press: Taliban Who Banned Women From Public Spaces Say No One Faces
Discrimination In Afghanistan
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“The Taliban said Thursday it was absurd to accuse them of gender
discrimination and other human rights violations, as four countries vow to hold
Afghanistan’s rulers accountable under international law for their treatment of
women and girls. Australia, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands are set to
start legal proceedings against the Taliban for violating a U.N. convention on
women, to which Afghanistan is a party. The countries launched the initiative
on Wednesday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, which is taking
place in New York until Monday. Despite promising more moderate rule after they
seized power in 2021, the Taliban have barred women and girls from education
beyond sixth grade, many public spaces and most jobs. In August, the Vice and
Virtue Ministry issued laws banning women’s bare faces and prohibiting them
from raising their voices in public.”



Pakistan



Associated Press: Pakistani Security Forces Say They Killed 8 Militants In A
Raid In The Restive Northwest
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“Pakistani security forces killed eight militants in an overnight raid in a
former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban in the volatile northwestern region
that borders Afghanistan, the military said Thursday. Troops also seized
weapons and ammunition from the insurgents’ hideout after an intense shootout
in North Waziristan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, it said. The
military provided no details about the slain militants, including their
affiliation. Such operations often target the Pakistani Taliban, also known as
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. North Waziristan was a base for the TTP and
other militant groups until many were killed or forced out in multiple
operations by security forces. The TTP is a separate group but a close ally of
the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021. The
Taliban takeover next door has emboldened the Pakistani Taliban who have
stepped up attacks on Pakistani forces.”



Lebanon



Associated Press: Israel-Hamas War Latest: With Nearly 700 Killed In A Week,
Lebanon Fears Gaza-Level Violence
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“Nearly 700 people have been killed in Lebanon this week, according to
Lebanon’s health ministry. Israel has dramatically escalated strikes, saying it
is targeting Hezbollah’s military capacities and senior Hezbollah commanders.
Top Israeli officials have threatened to repeat the destruction of Gaza in
Lebanon if the Hezbollah fire continues, raising fears that Israel’s actions in
Gaza since Oct. 7 would be repeated in Lebanon. The International Organization
for Migration estimated Thursday that more than 200,000 people have been
displaced in Lebanon since Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel
in support of Hamas after it stormed into Israel, sparking the Israel-Hamas
war. Lebanon says a total of 1,540 people have been killed within its borders
in that time. The United States, France and other allies jointly called for a
21-day cease-fire.”



Middle East



Reuters: Saudi Arabia Forms Global Alliance To Push For Israeli-Palestinian
Two-State Solution
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“Saudi Arabia has formed a global alliance to push for a two-state solution
to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the country's foreign minister, Prince
Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, said on Thursday on the sidelines of the United
Nations General Assembly meeting in New York. The alliance includes a number of
Arab and Muslim countries and European partners, the Saudi state news agency
reported, without specifying which countries had committed to join. European
Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on X the first meetings would be
in Riyadh and Brussels. After the eruption of the Gaza war last October between
Israel and the militant Palestinian group Hamas that rules Gaza, Saudi Arabia
put on ice U.S.-backed plans for the kingdom to normalize ties with Israel, two
sources familiar with Riyadh's thinking said earlier this year.”



Africa



Associated Press: Military Juntas In 3 West African Nations Investigate A
French Journalist Over Jihadi Analysis
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“Prosecutors in military junta-ruled Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso launched
investigations on Wednesday against the French journalist and researcher Wassim
Nasr into what they called his “apology of terrorism” and “complicity” in
alleged terrorist acts, in the latest action against the Western media. In a
message to The Associated Press, he condemned the move as intimidation and an
attack on journalism. Nasr, who works for the French broadcaster France 24,
gave a detailed analysis of a rare, deadly jihadi attack in Mali’s capital
Bamako on Sep. 17. The prosecutors accused him of having been in contact with
the attackers and that they communicated their location, objectives and death
toll in real time with him. Nasr also made comments that “amount to blatant
acts of publicity and support of the terrorists,” Manzo Hadiza, the deputy
prosecutor of Niger, alleged during a press conference Wednesday.”



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