Protesters chant slogans calling themselves ‘militants’, hold Al-Qaeda flags in Baitul Mukarram

Staff Correspondent

Witnesses said a radical ideological procession took place in front of the capital’s Baitul Mukarram National Mosque after Friday prayers, chanting “Who are you, who am I? Militant, militant.” The marchers carried flags bearing the symbols of international militant organizations such as Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS).

On Friday, the procession passed through Paltan from the High Court intersection to the north gate of Baitul Mukarram and entered the mosque.

Before the prayers began, a group of 80-100 people gathered at the northern gate of the Baitul Mukarram Mosque, chanting slogans such as ‘Establishing the Caliphate’, ‘Jihad is obligatory’, etc. At that time, they started chanting slogans such as ‘Who are you, who am I? Militant, militant’.

The marchers were seen holding black flags with the Arabic words ‘La ilaha illallah’ written on them, and a white circular banner below with the words ‘Muhammadur Rasulullah’ – a symbol commonly used by al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

Questions were raised with Haqqani scholars about this symbolic flag. According to Maulana Ehsanul Karim Madani, a renowned scholar of Chittagong, there is no instruction in Islam to use a black flag. Although they are labeled as suicide bombers, this group has no connection with Islam, and they cannot be called Islamists. Their ideology is contradictory to Islam.

There was no immediate official comment from law enforcement on the issue of the militant procession.

However, a senior official at the police headquarters, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the matter was “extremely serious” and intelligence agencies had already started reviewing the video footage.

Videos of parts of the incident have already spread on social media, where the marchers’ faces are clearly visible, with the flags of extremist organizations in their hands.

Security analyst Aminul Haque said, “Such a radical procession in a sensitive place like Baitul Mukarram is not only worrying, but also a threat to the future. Through this, the message of spreading extremism is being given both online and offline.”