Counter-jihad blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider was brutally murdered. In response, are Bangladeshi authorities cracking down on jihadists and Islamic supremacists? Of course not. They’re shutting down counter-jihad blogs, of course — in line with the Islamic supremacist authoritarian impulse to crush all dissent.
“Bangladesh cracks down on anti-Islam blogs,” from AFP, February 21 (thanks to Maxwell):
DHAKA: Bangladesh has launched a crackdown on Internet sites for “hurting religious feelings” in the majority Muslim nation amid protests by Islamic groups against bloggers seen as anti-Islamic, officials said Thursday.
Giasuddin Ahmed, vice chairman of the country”s telecommunications regulator, told AFP at least two websites had been blocked. Authorities had also removed 10 blog posts for “spreading hatred, provoking social disorder and hurting religious feelings of the people”.
“We”ve taken the actions in line with the country”s ICT (Information Communication Technology) Act,” he told AFP.
Authorities have also asked blog operators to “moderate” their posts to try to filter out anti-religious writings, another official said.
Tensions have risen in Bangladesh over the alleged anti-Islamic blog posts by Ahmed Rajib Haider, who was hacked to death near his home in the capital Dhaka last week.
In recent weeks Haider and fellow bloggers had launched huge protests demanding a ban on the largest Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami, and the execution of its leaders for alleged war crimes in the 1971 war for independence.
Police have yet to comment on a motive for Haider’s killing. But his brother said Haider was targeted by Jamaat’s student wing for his online activities.
Fellow bloggers said a pro-Jamaat website had issued a veiled threat against Haider. Jamaat has condemned the murder and denied any role….