According to the report, Jamaatul Mujahedin Bangladesh (JMB) was formed in 1998. The activists of this mainstream Islamist outfit believe in capturing state power though armed revolution and running the country by establishing Islamic rule. JMB has developed a strong network across the country and Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) was formed as its militant front to carry on armed operations. JMJB's agenda is the neutralistation of the left-wing extremists, particularly the cadres of the Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP).

Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HUJI) was formed reportedly with assistance from Osama bin Laden. It has around 15,000 members in Bangladesh, including local residents and foreigners who are mostly the students of various madrasas.

Shahadat-AL-Hiqma (SAH) was launched in 1997 but started its activities openly in 2001 under the banner of an NGO. Hizbut Towhid (HT), Hizb-ul-Tahir (HUT) and Islami Biplobi Parishad (IBP) are some other Islamist outfits on a similar mission to establish an Islamic state in Bangladesh through armed revolution.

Among so many questions that were raised after the serial bombing of August 17, the most vital one is regarding the source of finance of these Islamic outfits. Over fifteen hundred obtain funds from donors in developed countries. The intelligence agencies are now closely watching the activities of some Islamic NGOs, particularly their sources of funds and how they utilised the money prior to August 17.

According to the report published in The Daily Star on August 31, some 34 foreign funded major Islamic NGOs are registered with the NGO Affairs Bureau and 15 of them are getting over Tk 200 crore in donation very year from the donors. The amount obtained by each of these NGOs in a year, varying from Tk 5 crore to 70 crore, mainly come from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and United Arab Emirates (UAE). Some of these NGOs also get funds from the US and UK. These NGOs include Islamic Relief Organisation (IRO), Al Markajul Islami, Ishra Islamic Foundation, Ishrahul Muslimin, AL Forkan Foundation, AL Maghrib Eye Hospital, etc. There are several hundred local Islamic NGOs registered with the Social Welfare Department. These local NGOs also get foreign donation, but have no accountability to the government as they work as affiliates of the foreign funded ones.

Bangladesh Bank on September 1 asked the commercial banks of the country to send detailed information on the bank accounts of Maulana Fariduddin Masud, ex-director of Islamic Foundation and his organisation Isla-hul Muslemin Parishad, who was detained for his suspected link to the August 17 bombings. The intelligence agencies found three crore taka in three accounts of Maulana Masud who withdrew Tk 70 lakh in the month of June and suspected that the money was used for the bomb blasts of August 17.

Kuwait-based NGO Revival for Islamic Heritage Society and Saudi Arabia-based NGO AL Haramain Islamic Foundation are also suspected to have links to Islamic militants. These NGOs get donations from the Middle East countries for construction of mosques, hospitals, and orphanages, but spend the major portion of money to fulfill their hidden mission.

Qwami madrasas, with their number raised to over 10,000, also depend on money coming in from the Middle East countries. A large portion of the funds collected for the Qwami madrasas is allegedly used for training of Islamic militants.

Foreign Donation Regulation Ordinance 1978 is the law for regulating foreign funds received by the NGOs. But due to some vacuum in the ordinance, some of the NGOs are misusing the foreign funds. To ensure fool-proof supervision and to bring the overall activities of the NGOs under their scrutiny, the NGO Affairs Bureau has prepared a draft amendment to bring some major changes in the existing ordinance, making greater room for the regulator to monitor and evaluate the operations of the NGOs. Earlier, a cabinet sub-committee also submitted an exhaustive report and a set of recommendations to the government for monitoring the activities of the NGOs and bringing them under a legal framework. But fate of the proposed amendment to the existing foreign donation regulation ordinance hangs in balance due to some procedural complexities coupled with the lack of initiative from the concerned authorities. But to check the flow of foreign funding to Islamic outfits, some new provisions must be incorporated in the existing ordinance in a bid to enhance the government's control over the NGOs' operations.

Money laundering is another means of financing Islamic militants in Bangladesh. A section of religion-based political leaders visit Middle East countries every year raising funds in the name of religious and charitable organisations and have recourse to money laundering for bringing the funds. In Bangladesh, the Money Laundering Prevention Act-2002 came into force on April 5, 2002 with the aim to prevent money laundering. But under the present critical situation, Bangladesh is not able to increase its own anti-money laundering capabilities effectively. Funds for the Islamist outfits and other illegal trade that are laundered through banks and financial institutions threaten the security of the country.

Both the area and volume of money laundering has substantially increased in Bangladesh in recent days and the scope for combating it has become complex due to its global nature. Some exporters and importers of the country also help transferring foreign funds that are channeled through laundering and mainly come via Bangkok and Singapore. Saudi Arabia, under pressure from the United States since the September 11, 2001 attacks to clamp down on local support for militants, approved anti-money laundering laws as a part of their efforts to combat the financing of global terrorism. In fact regional-based long term progammes are needed to combat money laundering.

Bangladesh is likely to be able to strengthen monitoring of bank accounts and fund transactions to detect terrorism financing effectively from now on, as the country has since acceded to an international anti-terrorism convention. Except for the International Convention for Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, Bangladesh had earlier acceded to 11 other anti-terrorism conventions, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on December 9, 1999. The country delayed to accede or ratify that particular convention for several years because of its reservations about some of the clauses in the convention. However, the government has recently decided to accede to the International Convention for Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, realising its significance in the context of present global situation.

Apart from the UNO, some other countries had also been putting pressure on the Bangladesh government to ratify the convention, particularly after the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York city. According to the Foreign Ministry officials, accession to the convention has paved the way for the government to examine bank accounts and monitor fund transactions to detect terrorism financing. Besides, it will help prevent illegal money transfers through the banking channels. If necessary, Bangladesh will also be able to seek international cooperation in this regard.

The author is Assistant General Manager, Sonali Bank, Head Office, Dhaka.