https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21790/the-rise-of-radical-islamism-in-bangladesh-a-new
The rise of radical Islamic influence under Yunus’s watch threatens to transform Bangladesh from a secular democracy into a theocratic state.
The passive response of Mohamad Yunus’s interim government’s to these demands signals either weakness or tacit approval of the country’s Islamization.
Yunus’s interim government lifted the bans imposed on Jamaat-e-Islami, its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir, and “all associated organizations.” At the same time, the interim government banned Sheikh Hasina’s secular Awami League party. Yunus also freed hundreds of jihadists, and in the post-Hasina era, Islamist flags and “Islamic State” banners have been seen on the streets of Dhaka.
Islamist candidates from Jamaat-e-Islami will be allowed to run in the next elections, but not the secular Awami candidates.
The new Cyber Security Ordinance 2025, which has been criticized for potentially suppressing dissent, and the amendments to the Anti-Terrorism Act, which have enabled the banning of all activities of the Awami League, demonstrate how quickly the country is descending into chaos.
Even with Bangladesh Bank’s desperate measure of raising the policy rate to 10%, citizens continue to bear the brunt of economic mismanagement. The promise of economic recovery under a Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist, who has been a darling of the American Democratic administrations, has turned into a nightmare for millions of Bangladeshis who struggle with basic necessities as their purchasing power decreases daily.
Meanwhile, [Yunus’s] courtship of China and Pakistan, reveals a foreign policy that lacks strategic thinking. In April 2025, Yunus invited China to establish an economic base in Bangladesh, stressing that Dhaka is the “sole guardian of the ocean” in the subcontinent…. On June 19, 2025, China hosted a first trilateral meeting with Bangladesh and Pakistan, aimed at enhancing cooperation in trade, and revealing an intent to isolate India in the subcontinent.
The economic indicators paint a grim picture of Bangladesh under Yunus’ stewardship.
The political situation under Yunus reveals a government sliding into being another failed state, ripe for terrorists, and unable to chart a constructive course.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohamad Yunus’s transition from economist to head of Bangladesh’s interim government has proven fatal for Bangladesh. Since assuming power in August 2024, Yunus has presided over a nation sliding into political chaos, radical Islamism, economic distress, and social fragmentation. Bangladesh has devolved into a governance crisis that threatens Bangladesh’s economic stability and democratic future.