; Whereas former NATO Allied Land Command leader General John W. Nicholson has expressed growing concern regarding al-Qaida activities in Bangladesh; Whereas repeated attacks on religious minorities, expanding religious intolerance, and growing destabilization caused by radical groups, including JeI and Islami Chhatra Shibir, undermine United States economic and strategic interests in Bangladesh; Whereas there is a growing trend of Islamic extremism in Bangladesh tied to pro-Islamic State of Iraq and Syria activity, with several arrests of Islamists linked with the terrorist group made in recent years; and Whereas the United States should more actively engage with the Government of Bangladesh over their shared interests in safeguarding human rights, religious freedom, and secular democracy in Bangladesh, while preventing the growth of religious extremism and militancy: Now, therefore, be it