ISIS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, has been advancing quickly in the Middle East and has now entered a new country. The Dhaka Tribune reports that a new video has surfaced on YouTube that shows five Bangladeshis declaring themselves to be followers of ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
First ISIS group forms in Bangladesh
According to the report, the video is titled “Muslims in Bangladesh Give Bayah to the Caliphah Ibrahim (Hafiahulla).” The full video, which was uploaded five days ago, is embedded below. The group of five takes the Bay’ah oath, which is basically an oath of allegiance to an Islamic leader. The Islamic prophet Muhammad practiced Bay’ah.
The five members in the group wear masks and carry the Quran. They swear to follow Caliph Ibrahim ibn Awwad ibn Ali ibn Muhammad al-Badri al-Husayni al-Qurashi as their spiritual leader after the prophet Muhammad. The group says they will follow him “until death” and vows to organize Muslims in Bangladesh through his leadership “believing only in Allah as the supreme authority and Al Quran.”
ISIS begins reestablishing the Caliphate
In June, the top ISIS leaders said they reestablished the Caliphate in the areas that are under control in Iraq and Syria. The group appointed Emir Abu Bakr al-Bagdadi to be its leader. The group has been in existence since April 2013 when it grew out of al-Qaeda in Iraq. Since then, al-Qaeda has disavowed connections with ISIS, although it is now one of the biggest jihadist groups battling the Syrian and Iraqi governments.
According to the Dhaka Tribune, security experts believe that the reestablishment of an Islamic extremist like ISIS and the Khilafah ideology will result in major global consequences for global Jihad. Now that the group has moved into a new country, it has spread beyond the borders of Syria and Iraq where it has primarily been operating.
