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Bangladesh is the third largest Muslim country in the world and one of the recent challenges that the country faces is religious extremism and violence. The existence of Islamic militant groups is not new to the country. However, these groups are now increasingly relying on transnational networks and narratives. Bangladesh, which was historically secular, is now increasingly turning towards religion as a source of its national identity. To discuss these developments and the transformation of the country from a secular to a religious state, Dr Imran Ahmed, a Consultant at ISAS spoke to Dr Shafi Mostafa, adjunct Lecturer at the University of New England (UNE) in Australia where he completed his PhD. He is also an Assistant Professor in Department of World, Religion and Culture at Dhaka University.