Even in the new, democratic Bangladesh led by Nobel laureate Mohammed Yunus, they commemorated October 7. To remember the civilian victims of the heinous slaughter perpetrated by Hamas and call for the return of the hostages still held in Gaza? Not quite. What was commemorated, indeed, celebrated, was Operation Tufan Al Aqsa: which is the name given by Hamas and cutthroat groups in the pay of Iran such as Hezbollah and Houthi, to the aforementioned massacre of civilians. The celebration was held at the Engineering Institute in Dhaka and the event was organized by the hardline organization Al Markazul Islami, infamous for its ties to Al Qaeda. And haranguing the attendees were senior Hamas leaders, including Sheikh Khaled Quddumi, the organization's spokesman, and Sheikh Khaled Mishal, chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau both residing in Doha. Also present at the event were prominent Islamist figures from Pakistan, such as Shaikhul Islam Mufti Taqi Usmani and Maulana Fazlur Rahman, both influential in the country's most radical circles, as well as a Taliban representative. The gathering of this acolyte of declared terrorists and assorted sympathizers has raised serious concerns in India and beyond. Indian security agencies have been placed on high alert, but the specter of a renewed increase in the activities of the terror international in the region creates concerns throughout the geopolitical region. The signs, on the other hand, are far from reassuring. On the same days that the jihadist gathering took place, in fact, the country's Hindu minority was celebrating the Durga Puja festival, nine days and nights dedicated to the worship of the goddess Durga. Incidents of violence, murders, burned houses and temples, a veritable pogrom, against the Hindu minority (and also the Christian minority) began immediately in the aftermath of the installation of the new government: on the occasion of the Durga Puja, the situation escalated further. Radical Islamic groups marched through the streets protesting public celebrations and opposing national holidays for the Hindu holiday. A sixteen-point demand has been submitted calling for various restrictions on Hindus' freedom of religion and belief. Not only that, the same government-sponsored radical groups have enjoined Hindus to leave within seven days or face violence. Incidents include open harassment of Hindu women, vandalism of homes and places of worship, the burning of the Indira Gandhi Cultural Center, with its 21,000 books, and homes and businesses belonging to Hindu nationals. There have also been several reported cases of Hindu civil servants being kidnapped and subsequently forced to resign. And this, they say, is only the beginning. In the new interim government in Dhaka, which they say is in danger of being as 'interim' as the Taliban government, sit equal parts Islamic hardliners more or less linked to Pakistan, members of the military and, surprise, individuals linked in one way or another to Washington. Beginning with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Yunus (accused at home of bribery and of charging 28 percent interest on Grameen Bank loans) who is inextricably linked to the Clinton Foundation. And apparently the two student representatives who were included in Yunus's cabinet had, in the months leading up to the 'revolution' that toppled the government of ex-premier Sheikh Hasina, had a series of meetings with Pakistani and American intelligence representatives in Doha, Qatar, where the cream of the crop of international terrorism representatives sit. Indeed, it is rumored in and around Dhaka, and has been rumored for months, that the regime change was strongly desired by Washington: “I could have remained in power if I had ceded the island of Saint Martin to the United States, thus allowing the Americans to control the Bay of Bengal,” Hasina said. Who as early as last spring denounced heavy American interference in the country's affairs. The ex-premier's statements were promptly denied by U.S. State Department spokesman Andrew Miller, but heavy American interference in Bangladesh's elections last January is a fact. Hasina's grand refusal about the military base would have angered Washington, which would have used the opportunity to place a more accommodating government in Bangladesh: a government that would ensure not only the pursuit of U.S. strategic interests in the region, but also, through a potential resurgence of terrorism, refugees and instability on the Indian border (heretofore deemed 'secure') the ability to keep Delhi in check whenever Indian government decisions prove contrary to U.S. interests in the region and beyond.