On January 15, 2013, the government of Bangladesh and Russia signed a $1 billion arms deal. According to the Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russia will provide Bangladesh a credit of $1 billion, which will be spent on the purchase of Russian weapons and military technology. Newspapers in Dhaka reported that the purchase agreement includes orders for armoured vehicles and infantry weapons, air defence systems and Mi-17 transport helicopters. This deal generated huge discussions in the political arena of Bangladesh.

Regarding the purpose of the weapons purchase, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a press conference on January 23, 2013, said, "It is futile to become a king without swords and shields." Armed forces of Bangladesh will become strong and capable of defending the nation's independence and sovereignty, she added. She also said that Bangladesh needed the military equipment as the country was engaged in UN peacekeeping missions.

Our question to the PM is what is the use of these weapons when the Border Security Forces (BSF) of India kills our people in the border regions almost on a daily basis. In fact, just two weeks before the arms deal the BSF opened their account by killing two Muslims on January 1 and killing two and abducting another two Muslims on January 2 this year. In 2012, it is reported that at least 48 people were killed by BSF, 319 were tortured, 140 were abducted and 106 sustained injuries. Sheikh Hasina with all her existing swords and shields did nothing to stop these atrocities. Moreover, her Home Minister MK Alamgir, after the January 1 and 2 incidents of killing and abduction by BSF, said that the government will investigate whether the BSF had broken its agreement with Border Guards Bangladesh that two forces would not open fire unless it was for self-defence. As expected, BSF immediately claimed that Indian border guards had opened fire to save their own lives on both occasions. Leaders like Sheikh Hasina are the biggest protector of India and the biggest obstacle to protecting the Muslims of the Bangladesh.

Also, when Muslims of Myanmar are persecuted, killed, raped and tortured, Sheikh Hasina orders the armed forces to seal the borders and forcefully return the Muslims who come to us for help. Be it the oppressions and atrocities in Kashmir, Gujrat, Myanmar, or our own border; Sheikh Hasina and her counterpart Khaleda Zia, when she is in power, failed to protect the Muslims. They never allowed our Muslim armed forces to rescue the Muslims from being killed, tortured and looted. Rather they shamelessly allow the US under the guise of the UN to hire our armed forces to secure US strategic interests while Muslims bleed.

It must be remembered that Russia itself is an oppressive country that persecutes Muslims especially in Chechnya. Russia supplies arms to the governments who torture and kill Muslims. In December 2012, Putin visited India and signed weapons deal worth $3 billion. Russia is also playing its part with America by supporting the butcher of Syria and delaying the solution to the Syria crisis where more than 60,000 Muslims have been in last two years. Russia is a belligerent state and Islam does not allow defence deals with countries that have designs against Islam, Muslims and Islamic State.

Our Prophet (saw) said, "Blood of the Muslim is more pure than the Kabah and its surroundings." In the Islamic State, the armed forces will perform its duty according to the Qur'an and Sunnah. The vision of the Khilafah "Caliphate" state is to carry and establish Islam throughout the world. The army will protect the Muslims from Kafir aggressors according to the way shown by our Prophet (saw) when he ordered the Muslim army to march in response to the call of a Muslim woman who was maltreated by the Jews of Banu Quraydah. The state will also provide the army with the best and highest possible training and weapons etc to perform its duties. And only by doing that, the honour and dignity of the Muslims and its army will be re-established.

Muhammad Raiyan Hasan

Member of Hizb ut Tahrir, Wilayah Bangladesh