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

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Laundering country’s wealth to stop forever if Jamaat comes to power: Shafiqur Rahman

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islam Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman has vowed that stealing the country’s money will be permanently stopped if his party assumes power. “Those who have stolen the country’s money will be held strictly accountable, and the money will be recovered from them,” h

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Laundering country’s wealth to stop forever if Jamaat comes to power: Shafiqur Rahman

UNB
Published :
Jan 26, 2026 22:57
Updated :
Jan 26, 2026 22:57

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islam Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman has vowed that stealing the country’s money will be permanently stopped if his party assumes power.

“Those who have stolen the country’s money will be held strictly accountable, and the money will be recovered from them,” he said at an election rally at Wazir Ali High School ground in Jhenaidah on Monday evening.

The programme was presided over by Ali Azam Mohammad Abu Bakar, Jamaat’s candidate for the Jhenaidah-2 constituency.

Dr. Shafiqur Rahman said the party seeks unity, not division, and called for a political revolution through the upcoming 26th general election, similar to the people’s uprising against fascism in 2024.

“If anyone interferes with people’s voting rights under political disguise, their fingers will be broken. Fascism will not be allowed to return to this country,” he warned.

The Jamaat Ameer also claimed that extortion has increased in Jhenaidah since August 5. “Those who extort should feel ashamed. People earn money through hard work, and you take a share of it. Extortion is haram, but begging is not,” he said.

He criticized syndicates that raised prices during the fascist government and said, “We have driven fascism away with the fresh blood of our hearts. If anyone tries to return, we will stop it, because so many families have already suffered losses.”

Dr. Shafiqur Rahman outlined Jamaat’s development plans, including providing skill-based training for educated youths, establishing a medical college in Jhenaidah, improving healthcare, and digging railways and rivers for better communication. “If Jamaat comes to power, development will be non-discriminatory, and justice will always side with the people,” he said.

Referring to Jhenaidah as a district of martyrs, he said, “Many young lives, like that of Sohan, were brutally taken by tyrants, with unimaginable cruelty. I stand with the families of the victims.”

During the rally, district Jamaat leaders and constituency candidates – Ali Azam Mohammad Abu Bakar (Jhenaidah-2), Abu Saleh Md. Matiur Rahman (Jhenaidah-1), Matiar Rahman (Jhenaidah-3), and Abu Talib (Jhenaidah-4) – were presented with the party symbol, the scale, and urged voters to support them.​

 

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Politics: Jamaat’s crisis over Shariah and Islam

While Jamaat seeks, when expedient, to convey the message in certain quarters that it will not implement Shariah if it comes to power, its leaders, including MP candidates, openly speak about establishing Shariah law on television talk shows. Not only this, at the grassroots level, mid- and...

en.prothomalo.com

Politics: Jamaat’s crisis over Shariah and Islam

Zahed Ur Rahman
Published: 27 Jan 2026, 08: 26

The term “strategic ambiguity” is widely used in the field of international relations. When a state considers it to be in its interest not to clarify its position on a particular issue, it may choose either to remain silent or to issue differing statements at different levels.

The United States’ strategic ambiguity over whether it would militarily support Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attempt to seize the island by force is a well-known example. Since the fall of Sheikh Hasina, a similar discussion has been underway regarding Jamaat-e-Islami: if it comes to power, will it establish Islamic Shariah law or not?

As the election draws nearer, this question has grown more pressing. Recently, it has gained renewed attention following a report published by The Washington Post, which was based on an audio recording of conversations between a US embassy official in Bangladesh and journalists.

Some time earlier, the issue resurfaced after a delegation from the Christian community met with the Jamaat ameer. Upon leaving that meeting, one of the delegation members stated that the Jamaat ameer had assured them that Jamaat would not introduce Shariah law if it came to power. Citing this very stance, Islami Andolan later withdrew from its alliance with Jamaat, explaining that Jamaat’s reluctance to implement Shariah was the reason for its departure.

To date, we have not heard a clear, unequivocal statement from two or three of Jamaat’s top leaders as to whether the party would implement Shariah law if it assumed power. However, the party’s second-most senior leader was seen offering reassurances to India on this matter (despite Jamaat’s routine accusations that its rival, the BNP, engages in pro-India appeasement).

In a BBC Bangla report titled “How Delhi is currently thinking about Bangladesh’s upcoming election”, reference is made to a meeting with Jamaat-e-Islami’s nayeb-e-ameer, Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, during a recent visit to Dhaka. According to Dr Sreeradha Datta, she asked him, “Suppose you obtain enough seats to form a government—would you then seek to introduce Shariah law in the country?” He reportedly replied: “Where did you hear that? When and where have we ever said that, if we win, we will introduce Shariah law in Bangladesh?” (18 September 2025)

Anyone who reads Jamaat’s constitution will find such statements astonishing. It bears little resemblance to the constitution of a political party; rather, it reads like that of a purely religious organisation. A brief look at a few provisions makes this clear.

The first principle of Jamaat’s permanent policy states that, in making any decision or adopting any course of action, Jamaat shall give priority solely to the commands and injunctions of Allah Almighty and His Messenger (peace be upon him). The first condition for becoming a full member (rukn) is the observance of obligatory and essential religious duties in personal life and abstention from major sins.

The foremost duty of the Jamaat ameer is to prioritise obedience and allegiance to Allah Almighty and His Messenger (peace be upon him) above all else. The first clause of the oath taken by a rukn declares that the ultimate goal of the member’s life is to attain Allah’s pleasure and success in the hereafter by striving wholeheartedly to establish the religion, prescribed by Allah and demonstrated by His Messenger, for the sake of comprehensive peace in the world and the welfare of humanity—and that, with pure intent, the individual joins Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami to pursue this objective.

We are therefore speaking of a political party whose central membership requires one to be a practising Muslim. That means, a non-Muslim can never qualify. Jamaat attempts to create the impression of inclusivity by offering non-Muslims the status of “associate members”, but the constitution makes it clear that all substantive activities are conducted by rukns. Consequently, a non-Muslim can never become the ameer of the party.

While Jamaat seeks, when expedient, to convey the message in certain quarters that it will not implement Shariah if it comes to power, its leaders, including MP candidates, openly speak about establishing Shariah law on television talk shows. Not only this, at the grassroots level, mid- and lower-tier leaders and activists are presenting voting for the “daripalla” (balance scale) symbol as a religious obligation, while some even portray it as a “ticket to paradise”.

This raises an obvious question: if Jamaat is signalling that it will not implement Shariah, why is the Shariah narrative simultaneously being sustained on the ground?

Politically, Jamaat-e-Islami finds itself in a profound dilemma. Because the word “Islam” is embedded in its name, and because it has long campaigned under the slogan “We want Allah’s law”, a section of its core supporters votes for Jamaat precisely in the hope of establishing Islamic Shariah. At the same time, Jamaat appears to understand that pursuing state power makes the politics of Shariah implementation counterproductive to that objective.

This explains why, in student union elections, Islami Chhatra Shibir has removed the word “Islam” from its manifestos and replaced it with the language of “welfare”. Moreover, the potential international reaction to the introduction of Shariah after an electoral victory is made clear in the remarks of the US diplomat cited in The Washington Post report.

This is precisely the “strategic ambiguity” referred to at the beginning of this article, an approach Jamaat has adopted as the election approaches. Rather than offering clarity, it seeks to keep both narratives alive simultaneously. This, however, should not be acceptable.

Voting for Jamaat instead of the BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) is not the same as voting for the BNP instead of the Awami League, or vice versa. There are fundamental ideological differences at stake. Jamaat’s ameer must publicly and unequivocally state whether Jamaat-e-Islami will implement Islamic Shariah if it comes to power. If so, he must also present a clear framework for what that Shariah would entail.

This is particularly important because many prominent Islamic scholars, including the current ameer of Hefazat-e-Islam, do not recognise Jamaat’s interpretation as authentic Islam. We will not enter into that theological debate here, but Jamaat must nevertheless clarify its position.

If Jamaat or any other “Islamic” party declares its intention to establish Shariah, the question inevitably arises as to whether it retains the right to engage in politics under Bangladesh’s existing constitution. Conversely, if Jamaat insists it will not implement Shariah, then another question follows: by using the word “Islam” in its name, is it misleading the public? Indeed, does its constitution itself remain compatible with political participation under the country’s constitutional framework?

With the election approaching, Jamaat must urgently clarify its stance on Shariah and enable voters to make an “informed decision” when exercising their franchise. Jamaat’s top leadership should recognise that its strategic ambiguity on this issue directly contradicts its much-publicised slogan, “We want the rule of honest people”, and amounts, quite plainly, to duplicity (munafiqi, in religious terms).

* Zahed Ur Rahman is a teacher and political analyst.​

 

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Jamaat to establish dignity of women, claims Shafiq

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami amir Shafiqur Rahman on Wednesday said that his party wanted to establish dignity of women in the society if voted to power...

www.newagebd.net

Jamaat to establish dignity of women, claims Shafiq
Staff Correspondent 29 January, 2026, 01:19

Shafiqur Rahman.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami amir Shafiqur Rahman on Wednesday said that his party wanted to establish dignity of women in the society if voted to power.Bangladesh travel guides

While speaking at a women’s rally at the Monipur Girls High School playground in the afternoon, Shafiqur Rahman, also a party-nominated candidate for Dhaka-15, said that they wanted to establish a dignified and humanitarian society by establishing rights and dignity of women and mothers in the society.

An advanced society cannot be formed without women’s participation, Shafiqur Rahman said.

He called on the women voters to cast their votes in favour of ‘Yes’ in the referendum on February 12 for establishing an anti-fascist country and also cast votes in favour of party symbol ‘balance’.

Referring to the harassment of Jamaat’s women activists during campaigns, Shafiqur Rahman called on the attackers to refrain from the attacks on women. ‘Otherwise we would resist the attackers in future,’ he warned.

Shafiqur Rahman said, ‘If our party is voted to power, we would establish daycare centres and breast feeding corners in the offices.’

Before the rally, while taking part in his election campaigns in Dhaka-15 constituency, Shafiqur told reporters that the party wanted to establish a forward looking Bangladesh with all.

‘We did not want to look backward and also want to avoid all sorts of confrontations which lead to divide the nation,’ Shafiqur Rahman said.

Shafiqur Rahman also took part in election campaigns in Mirpur -13 and Mirpur-10 areas.

Jamaat central executive council member Mobarak Hossain, Dhaka city north Nayeb-e-Amir, election coordinator Abdur Rahman Musa and former Chhatra Shibir president Zahidul Islam, among others, were present during the campaign.

Shafiqur Rahman will also hold daylong election campaigns today in favour of some other candidates of Jamaat led alliance in Dhaka city.​

 

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Jamaat chief rules out women leading party as ‘cultural reality’ in Al Jazeera interview

Jamaat‑e‑Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman has said no woman can ever lead his party because, in his words, Allah did not create women “in that way” and it is “unchangeable”. He claimed that no party has nominated a “substantial number” of female candidates in the pa

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Jamaat chief rules out women leading party as ‘cultural reality’ in Al Jazeera interview

bdnews24.com
Published :
Jan 29, 2026 23:07
Updated :
Jan 29, 2026 23:09

Jamaat‑e‑Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman has said no woman can ever lead his party because, in his words, Allah did not create women “in that way” and it is “unchangeable”.

He claimed that no party has nominated a “substantial number” of female candidates in the parliamentary election, describing it as “a cultural reality of Bangladesh”, and argued that most countries do not consider women’s leadership “feasible”.

His remarks came in an interview with Qatar‑based broadcaster Al Jazeera, aired on Thursday.

Journalist Sreenivasan Jain conducted the half-an-hour interview at Shafiqur’s residence in Dhaka, pressing him on Jamaat’s policies towards women.

When asked about reports that Jamaat had proposed reducing working hours for women based on Quranic principles, Shafiqur denied making such a statement.

“Who said [so]? I never said this,” he was quoted as saying.

He explained instead that mothers should have the option of shorter hours during lactation, calling it a matter of “justice” and “respect”.

“A mother, at the same time she is caring for her baby, and at the same time she will perform the same duty, same hour with the gentleman, it’s not justice,” he told Al Jazeera.

He described shorter hours as an “optional offer” for mothers, not a mandatory restriction.

Shafiqur dismissed protests against the proposal, saying critics had “misunderstood”.

“No question of darkness. It is a matter of showing respect to them,” he said, adding that only a “negligible section” of society opposed the idea.

Pressed on representation, Shafiqur admitted Jamaat has fielded no female candidates in the parliamentary election.

“Not a single one. But we are preparing,” he said, noting that women had contested in local government polls.

On whether a woman could lead Jamaat in future, Shafiqur was categorical in the interview: “It’s not possible. Because Allah made everyone in its own entity. We will never be able to feed our breast to a child. This is God‑given. And there are some differences between men and women. What Allah made, we cannot change it.”

When reminded that Bangladesh has had female prime ministers for three decades, Shafiqur replied: “We did not protest them. Already I said we are not disrespectful. But if you look at the world, how many ladies came forward? Few countries.”

He acknowledged Jamaat’s past alliance with the BNP under Khaleda Zia, saying: “It’s not our decision. It’s their party decision. We should respect this party's opinion.”

The Jamaat chief rejected criticism that his party seeks to impose Islamic law, saying any decision would rest with parliament.

He also defended his party’s record on minorities and its controversial role in Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War during the interview.​