Al-Qaeda's Digital Web: How Online Networks Shape Bangladesh's Mainstream

• A study by SecDev and Rupantar reveals a sophisticated online radicalization network in Bangladesh, moving extremist narratives into mainstream public discourse.
• Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) orchestrates over 1,200 social media channels, reaching an estimated 30 million users by mid-2025, with subscriptions surging over 2,000% by January 2026.
• Extremist groups have shifted from overt calls for violence to a "cultural influencer" style of radicalization on mainstream platforms like Facebook, using veiled language and "soft entry points."
• The network exploits public distrust in state institutions, positioning itself as an "alternative moral authority" by amplifying narratives of corruption and injustice.
• The systematic penetration of public discourse by these resilient, decentralized networks poses a long-term threat to social cohesion, risking a "hybrid ideological regime" in Bangladesh.