In a chilling display of rising radicalism, Bangladeshi Islamic cleric Maulana Abdul Quddus Faruqi has openly called for suicide bombings in Kolkata, echoing Taliban-style jihadist tactics in a now-viral video. The 11-minute sermon, uploaded on March 8 to the Hasan Media YouTube channel, has amassed over 1.3 lakh views, spreading violent rhetoric and hate speech against Hindus and India.
“If the Bangladeshi army permits, here’s what I will do. What will I use? Suicide bombers. I’ll send suicide bombers to Kolkata,” Faruqi said, quoting what he claimed was a Quranic verse that instructs: “Die first, then kill the Kafirs.” He went on to cite the Taliban’s strategy against the US and Soviet forces, claiming it as a successful model of resistance.“Forget about using 70 fighter jets, I wouldn’t even use seven planes to take over Kolkata… I would send suicide bombers,” Faruqi declared, using inflammatory religious references to justify the call for violence.
In the same video, Faruqi added that Taliban fighters used bikes with bombs strapped to their bodies, crashing into army camps to kill “300 American soldiers.” He praised these methods as heroic, adding, “Who died first? The Muslim biker. And who did he kill? The Kafirs.”
Inflammatory Anti-Hindu Rhetoric
The cleric’s speech did not stop at calls for terrorism. He launched into a hate-filled tirade against Hindus, attempting to provoke his audience with derogatory and dehumanizing language.“I know their favourite foods are dirty things like urine, dung, and turtles… I know how scared these Hindus get when they see blood. These idol-worshippers are terrified of blood,” Faruqi said.
This open call for violence and hate has raised alarm among Hindu rights groups, many of whom have shared the viral clip across social media platforms. Analysts warn that the reach and impact of digital radicalization far exceeds that of traditional offline sermons, making such rhetoric more dangerous than ever.
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YouTube Channel and Radical Links
The Hasan Media channel, which has over 12.4K subscribers and 148 videos, describes its content as “Waz Mahfil, Islamic songs, and other religious programming.” However, the platform has become a breeding ground for extremist ideology, also hosting sermons by Jashimuddin Rahmani, the chief of Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT)—an al-Qaida-affiliated terror group.
Rahmani was controversially released by the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus shortly after the August 2024 exit of Sheikh Hasina. In his own videos, Rahmani urged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to “free Bengal from Modi’s rule and declare independence.”
Rising Radicalism in Post-Hasina Bangladesh
Faruqi’s rhetoric is being seen as a marker of growing Islamist extremism in Bangladesh following the departure of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Her secular governance had previously acted as a buffer against such radical ideologies. Now, Islamists appear emboldened, operating both online and offline without consequence.
The widening digital reach, paired with permissive political environments, poses a serious threat to regional stability, particularly to India’s eastern states.
Security experts urge both Indian and Bangladeshi authorities to monitor online radicalization platforms and clamp down on hate speech before it escalates into coordinated threats.
As the clip continues to circulate across South Asian networks, the call for jihad, glorification of Taliban tactics, and anti-Hindu vitriol serve as a stark warning of how unchecked extremism can metastasize through digital media in volatile political climates.
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