US bill strikes global terror funding: Implications for Bangladesh

By Rafael Khan

In a historic move that could reshape global anti-terrorism strategy, the US House of Representatives has passed the โ€œNo Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act,โ€ authored by Republican Congressman Tim Burchett.

After years of advocacy, this landmark legislation, passed on June 23, aims to ensure that American taxpayer funds never end up in the hands of terrorist organisationsโ€”directly or indirectly.

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The ripple effects of this bill are expected to reach far beyond the borders of the United States, including countries like Bangladesh, where the fight against radical Islamist networks has become a pressing national concern.

A blow to the hidden global web

Terror networks are no longer confined to remote mountain regions. They are digitally connected, often state-sponsored or aided through complex NGO and international aid routes. In Bangladesh, numerous Islamist-linked organisations have long operated under the guise of education, relief work, and microfinance.

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As Rep. Burchett stated in his announcement, the billโ€™s passage is not just policy; itโ€™s a principle

The passage of this US bill sends a stern message to global institutions: there will be no more tolerance or indirect funding of radical ideologies.

Bangladesh has been grappling with a silent war.

While the Sheikh Hasina-led government cracked down on visible terror groups like Jamaโ€™at-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), thereโ€™s a second layer of concernโ€”Islamist sympathisers embedded in political, financial, and educational institutions captured power on August 5, 2024, through a silent military-backed coup by radical Islamists and radical leftists. These entities often receive foreign donations in the name of development.

Analysts warn that figures like Muhammad Yunusโ€”criticised by some for channelling Western funds into controversial programsโ€”might come under renewed scrutiny in this shifting climate. Many believe that ideological radicalism disguised as philanthropy could be exposed more rapidly now that the U.S. has drawn a clear legal line.

End of the safe haven era?

International aid, once a cloak for terrorist financial networks, is now being reevaluated. The bill adds weight to the growing movement in Europe and Asia to trace money trails that empower radical Islam, not just in war zones, but in peaceful democratic societies.

Already, some pro-Islamist NGOs of South Asia are under financial investigation, and Bangladeshi counter-terror agencies are expected to collaborate more with the US after this legislation. The question remains whether this collaboration will take place with Yunus or the future elected government of Bangladesh.

A global war of morality

As Rep. Burchett stated in his announcement, the billโ€™s passage is not just policy; itโ€™s principle. It reflects a growing Western consensus that terror, in any form and funding, must be surgically cut off.

In the backdrop of Iranโ€™s political chaos and the collapse of its radical proxy network, this US bill can be seen as part of a larger geopolitical reset. The fall of โ€œRadical Iran,โ€ many experts argue, signals the slow disintegration of the broader Radical Islam enterpriseโ€”one that had long survived through loopholes in international law and soft diplomatic treatment.

Bangladesh at a crossroads

Now, with international oversight intensifying, Bangladesh must choose between cleansing the system of all Islamist undercurrents or risk being sidelined in future global alliances.

The political will, regional coordination, and financial transparency of Bangladeshi institutions will be under the microscope in the coming months.

This bill may mark the beginning of the endโ€”not just for terrorโ€”but for the global ideology that shelters it. โ€œThe war is no longer just on the battlefieldโ€”itโ€™s in the banks, in the books, and behind the speeches of false saints,โ€ one security analyst remarked. The world may finally be waking up.

Rafael Khan: Writer and activist

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