[🇧🇩] Political Activities of Jamaat-E-Islami

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[Saif]

Jamaat seeks gunman, police protection for its ameer

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has sought round-the-clock deployment of a gunman for its ameer, Dr Shafiqur Rahman, and the posting of armed police personnel for the security of his residence.

www.thedailystar.net

Jamaat seeks gunman, police protection for its ameer

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has sought round-the-clock deployment of a gunman for its ameer, Dr Shafiqur Rahman, and the posting of armed police personnel for the security of his residence.

The party sent a letter to the home adviser with the request, which was received at the ministry on December 21.

The letter, a copy of which The Daily Star obtained, said Jamaat has long been engaged in what it described as a "just struggle" to establish people's fundamental rights, build a justice-based society and consolidate democracy, and that it has become a popular political party through that process.

It claimed that during the previous "fascist" government, Jamaat's leadership faced "inhuman" torture, oppression, killings and enforced disappearances. The party further alleged that for building movements against "wrongdoing and misdeeds",

its leaders became targets of "Awami terrorists", and that after the "July uprising" those elements chose "killings and attacks", which it said recent incidents prove.

The letter was signed by AFM Abdus Sattar, office secretary of Jamaat.

Referring to the upcoming election, Jamaat said it fears an increase in activities by what it described as "Awami terrorists" to foil the national election.

The party said Shafiqur's political activities have increased as party chief and that he is travelling across the country to hold wayside gatherings and rallies.

The letter said appointing a gunman for his round-the-clock security and deploying armed police personnel for the security of his residence was "urgent", and requested the home adviser to take steps accordingly.

A copy of the letter was also sent for information and necessary action to the inspector general of police at Police Headquarters, the DMP commissioner, and the additional IGP (Special Branch).

Confirming the development, Chief of Special Branch and additional inspector general of police Golam Rasul said, "We have received the letter; now we will analyse the security threats and then take steps accordingly."

On December 13, a core committee meeting on law and order decided that a gunman can be assigned to high-profile candidates and that security at residences assessed to be at high risk can be improved.

On December 15, in a major development, the government issued policy guidelines on granting firearm licences and appointing retainers, persons to carry firearms, to individuals who are politically important and candidates contesting the national election.

Based on scrutiny and threat analysis, these individuals will be provided security or be granted a firearms licence, along with election candidates.

The development comes amid growing concern over candidates' security in the wake of the shooting of Sharif Osman Hadi, one of the frontliners of last year's July uprising and an MP aspirant for Dhaka-8, a day after the election schedule was announced.

After fighting for his life for six days, Hadi died on December 18 while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Singapore.

A home ministry source said intelligence agencies have also identified around 200 high-profile individuals, including 157 student coordinators across the country who played an important role during the July uprising, and that the government is planning to provide security for them based on security assessments.​

 

[Saif]

Jamaat grand rally in Dhaka on 3 Jan

According to Jamaat sources, a recent meeting of the party’s Central Executive Council decided to hold the grand rally in Dhaka.

en.prothomalo.com

Jamaat grand rally in Dhaka on 3 Jan
Staff Correspondent Dhaka
Published: 24 Dec 2025, 19: 45

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami will hold a grand rally in Dhaka on 3 January, demanding the arrest and trial of the killers of Inqilab Moncho convener Sharif Osman bin Hadi, the recovery of illegal weapons, and the arrest of terrorists.

The party is expected to officially announce the programme soon.

According to Jamaat sources, a recent meeting of the party’s Central Executive Council decided to hold the grand rally in Dhaka.

The rally will take place on Manik Mia Avenue on 3 January.

Sources further said that a rally implementation committee has already been formed under the leadership of Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar.

Several sub-committees have also been formed under this committee. These committees have held multiple meetings to ensure the success of the rally. The party is also preparing to bring people to Dhaka from district and upazila levels.

Jamaat’s central publicity and media unit chief Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair told Prothom Alo that Jamaat will hold a grand rally in Dhaka on 3 January demanding the arrest and trial of Osman Hadi’s killers and the recovery of illegal weapons.

He said the matter would be formally announced soon.

Several central leaders of the party said efforts are underway to gather several hundred thousand leaders, activists, and supporters at the rally on Manik Mia Avenue.

When asked, Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad told Prothom Alo that Jamaat is considering holding a large gathering in Dhaka demanding the arrest and exemplary punishment of those responsible for the murder of Sharif Osman bin Hadi. Discussions are ongoing in this regard.​

 

[Saif]

NCP forming alliance with Jamaat, claims Abdul Qader

Abdul Qader further claims that there are discussions that Nahid would become prime minister if Jamaat-NCP alliance win the election

en.prothomalo.com

NCP forming alliance with Jamaat, claims Abdul Qader

Staff Correspondent Dhaka
Published: 25 Dec 2025, 16: 48

Abdul Qader Collected

Abdul Qader, one of the leaders of the July uprising and a former coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, has claimed that the National Citizen Party (NCP) is moving toward an electoral seat-sharing arrangement with Jamaat-e-Islami.

In a Facebook post on Thursday morning, Abdul Qader said that if everything goes according to plan, the announcement of this alliance may come on Friday.

No immediate response from the NCP was available regarding the matter. After Abdul Qader’s post, calls were made to the mobile phones of five top NCP leaders, including convener Nahid Islam and member secretary Akhtar Hossain, but they did not respond. Jamaat-e-Islami also gave no immediate reaction.

Although Abdul Qader is not formally affiliated with the NCP, his comrades from the July uprising went on to form this political party.

Like him, NCP convener Nahid Islam and other top leaders were coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.

In the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) election held last September, Abdul Qader contested for the post of VP from an NCP-backed panel.

Abdul Qader is known as a supporter of Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan, a former coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.

After the uprising, Asif Mahmud joined the interim government but has stepped down from his advisory post and is contesting the upcoming national parliamentary election as an independent candidate from the Dhaka-10 constituency. He is not joining the NCP.

On the same day, NCP joint member secretary Mir Arshadul Haque announced his departure from the party, claiming that the NCP is on the wrong path, Abdul Qader posted on Facebook claiming that he had learned about the party’s alliance with Jamaat.

In his post, Abdul Qader wrote: “The grave of youth politics is about to be dug. NCP has finally decided to form an alliance with Jamaat. Ignoring the hopes and aspirations of people and party leaders and activists across the country, they have taken such a self-destructive decision solely to serve the interests of a handful of leaders. If everything goes as planned, the announcement of this alliance may come tomorrow, Friday. Through this, NCP will effectively be absorbed into the womb of Jamaat.”

The schedule for the 13th parliamentary election and a referendum has been announced for 12 February. NCP has entered the electoral field with the Shapla Kali (water lily bud) symbol and has announced candidates in more than a hundred constituencies. While it has formed the Gonotantrik Sangskar Jote with the AB Party and the Rastro Songskar Andolon, reports say it is continuing talks with more parties.

Abdul Qader claims that the NCP initially demanded 50 seats from Jamaat, and after bargaining, the number was settled at 30. Under this condition, the NCP would not be able to field candidates in the remaining 270 seats.

He further claims that there are discussions that Nahid would become prime minister if they win the election, and if they fail to win, he would become the leader of the opposition.​

 

[Saif]

Jamaat keeps exploiting religion to woo voters

The Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is allegedly using religious sentiment as a political tool to attract voters ahead of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad elections slated for February 12 next year.

www.newagebd.net

Jamaat keeps exploiting religion to woo voters
Solamain Salman 26 December, 2025, 23:45

The Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is allegedly using religious sentiment as a political tool to attract voters ahead of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad elections slated for February 12 next year.

Grassroots leaders of the party are mainly campaigning among voters saying that it was their religious duty to vote for the Jamaat, or else their faith in the Almighty would not survive.

Many of such election campaign contents have gone viral, drawing huge criticism and fear of exploiting religious belief in the election.

Political analysts, rights activists, and civil society leaders said that such practices could undermine democratic norms and fuel social polarisation.

They said that the Jamaat’s voter mobilisation strategy heavily relied on invoking religious identity, which they warned could destabilise the pre-election environment by creating fear, coercion and communal tension.

They alleged that the Jamaat was deliberately exploiting faith and religious emotion to enhance and consolidate its voter base while using religion as a shield to deflect criticism of its political agenda and historical record.

There are growing allegations that Jamaat activists and supporters are telling voters that casting ballots for Jamaat candidates will ensure their entry into jannat (heaven), while failure to vote ‘in favour of Islam’ in the upcoming election would put their iman (faith) at risk.

At a rally in Kutubdia of Cox’s Bazar, Jamaat leader and Kutubdia Samadia Alim Madrasa principal Mohammad Abu Musa defended the statement that Jamaat was ‘selling tickets to heaven.’

Invoking religious scripture, he said that Allah spoke of selling jannat in exchange for sacrifice and asked rhetorically, ‘If the Jamaat does not sell the ticket to heaven, then who will?’

At another rally, Jamaat supporter Mohammad Hafijur Rahman sought votes for Jamaat-nominated candidate Mubarak Hossain in the Comilla-5 constituency, saying that if people did not vote ‘in favour of Islam’ in the upcoming election, their faith would not survive.

Asked, former Jahangirnagar University teacher and rights activist professor Anu Muhammad said that the Jamaat had always used religion for political purposes and even took pride in doing so.

He described this as a systematic exploitation of people’s religious sentiments.

‘The Jamaat can’t offer meaningful political or economic programmes and carries a major historical crime from 1971. To cover up that past, it continues to use religion,’ he said.

Anu Muhammad also said that the way Jamaat presented religion gave it a fascist character because rejecting Jamaat politics was made to appear as rejecting Islam itself.

‘They promote the idea that Islam must be practised only in the way they define, which is a fascist mindset,’ he said, adding that the Jamaat used religion as a shield to pursue its core political and corporate interests.

He said that the Jamaat sustained discriminatory politics through the use of religion and that its consequences were seen in 1971. ‘These are still visible today,’ he added.

Such misuse of religion, he warned, is dangerous for society, including for people who are themselves religious.

According to Communist Party of Bangladesh former president Mujahidul Islam Selim, the election code clearly prohibits the use of religious sentiment in election campaigning.

He urged the Election Commission to take strong action against violations involving money, muscle power, administrative manipulation, and communal provocation.

The Jamaat, Selim said, lost its moral and political legitimacy on December 16, 1971, when Pakistan surrendered along with its auxiliary civil and paramilitary forces, which, he said, included Jamaat.

However, he said, both the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party later enabled the Jamaat to return to politics despite that historical record.

Transparency International Bangladesh executive director Iftekharuzzaman said that money, muscle, and religion had long been the dark tools of political capital in Bangladesh.

‘When people’s religious sentiments are exploited through deceptive interpretations of religion, it is not only unethical but also a form of religious sacrilege,’ he said.

He added that such practices contradicted the July Charter, which commits Bangladesh to being a multi-religious country where all citizens enjoy full religious freedom.

‘Creating fear and intimidation by playing the religious card for political gain is blatantly deceitful,’ he said.

Bangladesh Rashtra Songskar Andolon president Hasnat Kayum said that the Jamaat was simultaneously exploiting religion and attempting to co-opt leaders of the July uprising to expand its political base.

By switching between religion, coercion and the July movement whenever it suits its interests, the Jamaat is breaking established political norms, which could create instability and uncertainty and push Bangladesh toward a serious future crisis, he said.

Among other examples of using religion by the Jamaat, Jamaat candidates in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj have openly framed their campaigns around establishing Islamic governance.

New Age staff correspondent in Rajshahi reported that at a campaign meeting in Char Ashariadaha Union under Godagari upazila recently, the Jamaat’s Rajshahi-1 JS polls candidate professor Mujibur Rahman urged voters to support the party’s ‘scale’ symbol, saying Qur’anic law could only be implemented through state power.

He said that although Bangladesh had ‘hundreds of thousands of huffaz and khatibs,’ Islamic laws had not been established because they did not fight ‘as soldiers or mujahids’ to implement them.

He told the crowd that those who rejected Qur’anic guidance were ‘kafir’, ‘zalim’ and ‘fasiq’, which he said were ‘Allah’s words’, adding that the ‘light of the Qur’an’ must enter parliament so that no ‘man-made law’ could operate.

He also urged supporters to mobilise neighbours and women voters, saying that on the Day of Judgement people would be asked whether they voted for ‘Allah’s law or man-made law.’

In Chapainawabganj, Jamaat central working committee member and Rajshahi city amir professor Keramat Ali, the party’s nominee for Chapainawabganj-1, told voters during door-to-door campaigning that the country’s problems could be solved if state affairs were run according to Islamic principles.

He criticised corruption, mismanagement and inequality, claiming that Islamic governance had historically eliminated social deprivation, claiming that the Jamaat would soon publish its election manifesto focused on honesty and accountability.

Similar campaigning is being reported from Sylhet.

New Age staff correspondent in Sylhet reported that Abdur Razzak, a farmer of Mollarchak village in Dakshin Surma upazila, said Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir leaders had repeatedly asked him and his neighbours to vote for the Jamaat, saying it was a religious duty of Muslims.

Shahin Ahmed, a grocer in Satpara village of Biswanath upazila, said that the Jamaat activists told them that Islamic laws would be introduced if the party was voted to power.

‘They told us that the Jamaat would win this election and all Muslims must take part in establishing the law of Allah and the rule of righteous people,’ he said.

Among many other similar statements available on social media, the Jamaat nominated candidate Iqbal Hossain for the Pabna-5 constituency said that ‘choosing the leader of a Muslim state is the foremost obligation (farz) which is even more important than saying prayers, fasting, performing Hajj and giving Zakat’.

Islamic speaker Amir Hamza, also a Jamaat candidate for the Kushtia-3 seat, recently commented that casting a vote in the election will earn the reward for the prayers of 18 crore people.

Contacted, Jamaat assistant secretary general Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair on Friday told New Age that the party did not allow the use of religion in election campaigning.

He said that the party was centrally monitoring the issue and warned that strict action would be taken against anyone found using religion for electoral purposes.​