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Shafi Md Mostofa

Shafi Md Mostofa

Shafi Md Mostofa, Ph.D., is an associate professor of World Religions and Culture at the University of Dhaka and a post-doctoral research fellow of the Democracy Institute at the Central European University, Hungary.

He is a theologian and security studies scholar with broad interests in political Islam, authoritarianism, modern South Asian history and politics, and international relations and the clash of civilizations. He has published extensively with Routledge, Springer, Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, SAGE, and Wiley and Blackwell; and the journals: Politics and Religion, Politics and Policy, Perspectives on Terrorism, Asian and African Studies, and Peace and Conflict Review. His sole authored book published from Palgrave Macmillan in 2021 on “Islamist Militancy in Bangladesh: A Pyramid Root Cause Model.”

Mostofa did his Ph.D. from the University of New England, Australia in 2020 with IPRA scholarship. He was awarded a Gold Medal by the President of Bangladesh for topping the MA examination in 2012 from the University of Dhaka. He contributes articles on Bangladeshi politics, religion, minority rights, human rights, and secularism.

Posts by Shafi Md Mostofa
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June 17, 2022

Another Anti-India Wave Sweeps Bangladesh

By Shafi Md Mostofa
Despite mass demonstrations protesting the comments by BJP leaders defaming the Prophet, the Awami League government has remained silent.
June 01, 2022

Rohingya Refugees Need Sustained Support from International Community

By Shafi Md Mostofa
With refugee flows from Ukraine and Afghanistan growing, will donors tighten their purse strings for Rohingyas?

May 17, 2022

Cyber Radicalization by Bangladeshi Islamists

By Shafi Md Mostofa
Bangladeshi Islamists may not have carried out attacks in recent years but they are active online.

May 02, 2022

What Drove India’s Jaishankar to Bangladesh?

By Shafi Md Mostofa
Regional geopolitics was an important item on the Indian foreign minister’s agenda.

April 18, 2022

US Human Rights Report Raps Bangladesh on the Knuckles

By Shafi Md Mostofa
The Biden administration has raised questions over the legitimacy of the Sheikh Hasina government over three years after the general elections.
April 11, 2022

BIMSTEC Gets a New Lease of Life

By Shafi Md Mostofa
In the 25 years of its existence, this Bay of Bengal grouping hasn't achieved much. That could change, with India viewing it as a vehicle for its strategic interests.

March 15, 2022

Is Hijab-Wearing Alien or Indigenous to South Asian Culture?

By Shafi Md Mostofa
The rising influence of Saudi Arabia’s puritanical Wahabi version of Islam is an important reason for a growing number of South Asian Muslim women wearing the headscarf.
March 03, 2022

New Election Commission Takes Charge in Bangladesh

By Shafi Md Mostofa
The current deadlock over participation in elections cannot be defused if the Election Commission doesn’t evoke confidence among opposition parties.

February 15, 2022

Rohingya Militancy: Myth or Reality?

By Shafi Md Mostofa
Rohingya refugees have so far proven surprisingly resistant to the siren call of global jihadi ideology.

February 08, 2022

Bangladesh and Myanmar Resume Talks on Rohingya Repatriation

By Shafi Md Mostofa
If the situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine state does not instill confidence in the Rohingya refugees, voluntary repatriation would be impossible.

January 12, 2022

Will al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent Find Support in India?

By Shafi Md Mostofa
The local branch of al-Qaida failed to appeal to Indian Muslims in the past, but it hasn’t given up.
January 04, 2022

Bangladesh-Maldives Bilateral Bond Grows

By Shafi Md Mostofa
Dhaka’s extension of a $200-million loan to Maldives strengthens its image as a rising economic power.

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