ABSTRACT
On 2 March 2006, after the spiritual leader of the JMB, Shaekh Abdur Rahman, meekly surrendered to law enforcement agencies from his safe house in the northeastern town of Sylhet after almost 35 hours of siege, the then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia spoke to the nation in prime time to declare that Bangladesh had proved to the world that it could successfully combat terrorism perpetrated in the name of Islam. Khaleda Zia remarked that many militants of the stature of Shaekh Rahman still remained out of touch, but quickly took credit saying “what Bangladesh did today with its merit, labor, courage and honesty, many rich and powerful countries of the world couldn't.” She expressed a wish that any sort of extremism, or movement, would die down and that terrorism in the name of Islam would end once and for all. 1 By 26 April 2006, all seven members of the Shura (the highest policy-making body) of the JMB, including the notorious Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai, were in custody. 2 It was by no means a small feat, particularly for a government which until about a year earlier had not only denied the existence of any militant organizations but had also described any discussions of militancy as a conspiracy against the government and the country. 3
