Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS) is the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, the largest Islamic political party in Bangladesh.  Although ICS is legal, and a member of legitimate organizations such as the International Islamic Federation of Student Organisations (IIFSO), Islami Chhatra Shibir is extremely militant and has been linked to numerous acts of violence over the years.  In addition, the group has also been linked to a number of larger terrorist organizations both in Bangladesh, and internationally. <P><br /><br />Islami Chhatra Shibir was founded in 1941, along with the establishment of its parent group, the Jamaat-e-Islami.  Today, the group has grown to be one of the largest Islamic student organizations in the world.  Like the Jamaat-e-Islami, the ICS is an Islamic fundamentalist organization that seeks to establish an Islamic state in Bangladesh.  The ICS has its main base of power in the universities of Bangladesh, most notably at Chittagong and Rajshahi.  Furthermore, the group has a great deal of influence in the large madrassa (religious school) system throughout Bangladesh.  <P><br /><br />Despite claims of legitimacy from the group, the ICS is undoubtedly a militant organization.  The violence perpetrated by the ICS can generally be put into two categories.  The first category involves inter-fighting between ICS and other student organizations on university campuses.  The ICS's main rival on campuses is the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), student wing of the Awami League, a political opponent of Jamaat-e-Islami.  Clashes between the BCL and ICS have caused numerous deaths over the year, most notably in July 2000 when suspected ICS members killed 6 BCL activists in a shooting attack in Chittagong.  The second category of violence includes general terrorism beyond the borders of educational institutions.  The ICS has been blamed for numerous terrorist attacks throughout Bangladesh, including the bombing of an Awami League rally in July 2001 that killed over 20 people.  Although an ICS activist was arrested in connection with the incident, the man was later released, and ICS was never directly implicated.  <P><br /><br />ICS has also been linked to several larger terrorist organizations.  Many officials and news sources allege that the group is nothing more than a recruiting ground for Bangladeshi terrorist groups such as Harakat ul-Jihad-i-Islami and Jamatul Mujahedin, while others simply view ICS as a front for Jamaat-e-Islami terrorist operations.  The ICS has also been linked to international groups such as the Taliban and al-Qaeda, but concrete linkages have never been proven, and these accusations usually come from Awami League politicians.  In any case, Islamic militancy in Bangladesh has exploded over the past few years, and it does not seem far-fetched that ICS might have, or soon have, affiliations with these groups. <P><br /><br />