New Delhi, March 11 -- The 2024 people's uprising marked a rise in regional nationalism, leaving questions over the future of secularism and democracy in Bangladesh and resulting in rising tensions with India. The increased visibility of radical Islamist groups in post-Hasina Bangladesh has emboldened Islamic nationalism in the country. Even as the Nobel laureate, Muhammad Yunus, leads the nation following Sheikh Hasina's resignation and flight, Bangladesh's interim government has moved to lift the ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami party (JI), which has been previously charged under antiterrorism laws indicating a mainstreaming of radical Islamist groups.

Religious nationalism, fringe mainstreaming

With this turn towards religious nationalism,...