The Diverse Roles of Bangladesh’s Diaspora Communities in Jihadism

Abstract

Diaspora radicalisation has increasingly become a source of major concern for home and host countries, especially with technology facilitating easier communication with the global village. The popular perception used to be that expatriates were less vulnerable to radicalisation, but this paper argues that in reality the scenario is completely different. Using a desk-based literature review and interviews in Dhaka, and focusing on the Bangladeshi diaspora, the findings of the study show that members of the diaspora communities have increasingly been targeted, or indeed target other members, for radicalisation. Radical expatriates have not only recruited new members online and raised funds to support terrorism, they have also provided charismatic leadership, thereby directing extremist groups from the front.