Event:

The second US-Bangladesh Partnership Dialogue was held during 27-28 May 2013 in Dhaka.  The partnership dialogue is now an annual reporting and performance evaluation event where Hasina government reports and takes policy directions from its master, the US. Through these dialogues the US can officially dictate on policy matters of Bangladesh ranging from politics, business to security issues. Sheikh Hasina's government had to discuss labour issues, the agreement on trade and investment - TICFA, private investment, Grameen Bank, Indo-pacific corridor, relationship with India and Myanmar, climate change, renewable energy, the so-called counter terrorism, women empowerment, health, food security, police training etc in the dialogue. It was difficult to find out what was left out from the agenda.

Before the dialogue, US Ambassador Dan W Mozena said that current political crisis in Bangladesh, upcoming national election and dialogue between the BNP and Awami League, Hefazat-e-Islam's 13 point demands, ongoing trial of crimes against humanity etc will also be discussed in the dialogue. He said that we (USA and Bangladesh) are friends and friends can discuss all current issues of each other. US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy R Sherman, who led the US delegates, said that Bangladesh needs to stop the cycle of violence before elections.  She said that the United States has a vital interest in ensuring the success of the Bangladesh while the partnership between the two countries is deeply rooted in shared democratic values, strong economic ties and mutual security concerns.

Comment:

Successive governments of USA are murderers of thousands of innocent Muslim men, women and children in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Current US administration is also responsible for allowing Bashar government to survive so that it can kill thousands of Muslims in Syria. On the other hand, Sheikh Hasina government is the murderer of the Ulema, the Huffaz and army officers in Bangladesh. Indeed, murderers of Muslims are partners. However, the partnership is dictatorial and lopsided, where the US government orders and Bangladesh obeys; where Bangladesh can never point fingers to US wrongdoings, while the US says and does as she wishes.

Did Hasina's government raise the internal issues of USA in the dialogue such as poverty in USA, gun control issue, situation of Muslims residing in USA or US foreign policy matters such as its policy towards Muslim lands in general, drone attacks in Pakistan, its role in Syria? Did Bangladesh point out that the ideology of capitalism practiced by USA has devastated the whole world politically, economically and culturally? Did Bangladesh ask USA to stop its attack on Islam and Muslims in the name of the ongoing war on terror?

Allah (swt) warned us against taking His enemy and our enemy as friends. Allah (swt) said,

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا عَدُوِّي وَعَدُوَّكُمْ أَوْلِيَاءَ تُلْقُونَ إِلَيْهِمْ بِالْمَوَدَّةِ وَقَدْ كَفَرُوا بِمَا جَاءَكُمْ مِنَ الْحَقِّ يُخْرِجُونَ الرَّسُولَ وَإِيَّاكُمْ أَنْ تُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ رَبِّكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ خَرَجْتُمْ جِهَادًا فِي سَبِيلِي وَابْتِغَاءَ مَرْضَاتِي تُسِرُّونَ إِلَيْهِمْ بِالْمَوَدَّةِ وَأَنَا أَعْلَمُ بِمَا أَخْفَيْتُمْ وَمَا أَعْلَنْتُمْ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْهُ مِنْكُمْ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ سَوَاءَ السَّبِيلِ (*) إِنْ يَثْقَفُوكُمْ يَكُونُوا لَكُمْ أَعْدَاءً وَيَبْسُطُوا إِلَيْكُمْ أَيْدِيَهُمْ وَأَلْسِنَتَهُمْ بِالسُّوءِ وَوَدُّوا لَوْ تَكْفُرُونَ

"O you who Believe! Do not take My enemies and your enemies as allies, extending to them affection while they have disbelieved in what came to you of the Truth... You confide to them affection, but I am most knowing of what you have concealed and what you have declared. And whoever does it among you has certainly strayed from the soundness of the way.  If they gain dominance over you, they would be to you as enemies and extend against you their hands and their tongues with evil, and they wish you would disbelieve." [Surah Mumtahanah 1-2]

Following the footsteps of USA has already resulted in despair and destruction all over the world. We must abandon so-called friendship with USA immediately and adopt Islam as an ideology for our state. There is no doubt that Islam will be victorious and the Islamic Khilafah "Caliphate" state will dictate policy of the whole world according to the Qur'an and Sunnah, as our Prophet (saw) said,

"لا يبقى على ظهر الأرض بيت مدر ولا وبر إلا أدخل عليهم كلمة الإسلام بعز عزيز، أو بذل ذليل"

"Surely, this deen will reach the boundaries of the day and night and Allah will not spare a rural or an urban dwelling except that He would cause Islam to enter it by elevating some and degrading others. A glory with which Allah elevates Islam and a humiliation with which Allah degrades Kufr (disbelief)". [Ahmad and Ibn Hibban]

Muhammad Raiyan Hasan

Member of Hizb ut Tahrir, Wilayah Bangladesh