New Delhi: Bangladeshi Islamist group Hefazat-e-Islam (HeI) has reportedly laid out a 12-point demand, including immediate abolition of the Women’s Affairs Reform Commission, in its rally held at Dhaka’s Suhrawardy Udyan over the weekend which was attended by thousands of radicals.
The other demands made by HeI include implementing women’s development according to Islamic culture, history and tradition; the trial of Awami League (AL) before the next general elections; abolishing media reforms; a proposal to repeal punishment for blasphemy; and trial of the killers of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif from Chattogram.
Some other demands made by HeI are the withdrawal of false cases, release of religious scholars and general people indicted in these cases, the unveiling and trial of those who had played the ‘terrorist’ card and creating diplomatic pressure on India and Israel.
The HeI demands also include making Islamic teachings obligatory from primary level to higher studies, keeping national security and interests intact by cancelling the decision regarding the humanitarian corridor to Rakhine and declaring the Qadiani sect as non-Muslims like Pakistan and some other Muslim countries have done.
“Pluralism cannot be accepted in a country where 95 per cent of people are Muslims. This country has to be run based on oneness or Tawhid,” said Mufti Jashim Uddin of HeI.
HeI also announced plans to hold nationwide demonstrations on May 23 to press for their demands. Other speakers were: Mahfuzul Haque, Abdul Awal, Hazrat Anas, Junaid Al Habib, Ahmad Abdul Quader and Mamunul Haque.
Separately, HeI and other Islamic parties have demanded an end to a swath of activities, including cultural events deemed “anti-Islamic,” from music to theatre festivals, women’s football matches and kite-flying celebrations.
It may be recalled that in May 2013, there was a major showdown in Shapla Chattar in Motijheel, Dhaka involving HeI wherein at least 58 people were killed, including seven members of security forces. In a case filed over the attack, Sheikh Hasina and 33 others were accused of “mass killing”.
At that time, the Shahbagh movement was at its peak and Awami League was rather uncomfortable with the Shahbagh people stealing their Liberation War heritage. The Shapla Chattar showdown was engineered by the then government to kill two birds with one stone, contain the Shahbaghis and also establish control over HeI which was patronised with the objective of winning support of a section of Islamic hardliners. HeI proved to be a useful political tool to counter Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI).
The HeI was formed in 2010 by parties and maulanas associated with several madrassas at Chattogram. The birth of HeI was triggered by the 2009 Women’s Development Policy draft, which gave women equal rights by inheritance. In the face of fierce protests by HeI, the parliament later passed a watered-down draft just giving greater rights to women on acquired property.
Former HeI Chief Shah Ahmad Shafi had a good working relationship with the Awami League government. After Shafi’s death in September 2020, a more hardline faction under Junaid Babunagari came into power in November 2020. Muhibullah Babunagari was appointed Amir of HeI on August 19, 2021 following the death of Junaid Babunagari in August 2021.
Incidentally, HeI has been generally opposed to the Jamaatis but after Hasina government was toppled, it has been somewhat accommodative of them.
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bangladesh in March 2021, HeI orchestrated wide-ranging protests with properties of Hindus and government offices being damaged extensively in Chattogram and Brahmanbaria. A train, buses and Hindu temples were attacked with 12 people getting killed. Later in October 2021, anti-Hindu riots left nine people dead amidst destruction of homes, shops, businesses and temples. Sadly, often anti-government protests in Bangladesh have metastasized into anti-Hindu violence.
After the departure of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, Islamic parties in Bangladesh, crushed for years by the Awami League government, have made inroads into the political arena. Significantly, Muslim-majority Bangladesh has a constitution based on the four pillars of nationalism, socialism, democracy and secularism.
According to local media, some Islamic radical leaders under the banner Jatiya Olama Mashayekh Aemma Parishad have warned that the Yunus-led government would “not get even five minutes to escape” if it proceeds with the reforms.
Under Yunus, Islamic groups have become emboldened and are getting a taste of accomodating and promoting jihadists. The Islamists have sensed an opportunity amidst the political instability and disarray. They have adopted a belligerent and combative approach with repeated violent street protests and campaigning on a radical Islamic agenda to transform Bangladeshi polity and society. The Yunus set up has been largely accommodative of these activities.
Meanwhile, the BNP leadership is upset with its erstwhile ally JeI for charting an independent and rather contrarian stand post August 2024. The JeI is perceived to be backing the Interim set up led by Yunus and has been seen as favouring a delayed election. BNP assesses that this could be part of a tactical move by JeI to rebuild and expand it’s organisational network to emerge as a potent force in Bangladesh politics. The Jamaatis are no longer willing to play second fiddle to the BNP and are loath to continue as a junior partner.
The BNP leadership is actively wooing minor Islamic parties to build a broad-based political alliance. The idea is to ensure that the party occupies and dominates the centre-stage in Bangladesh politics. Most of these Islamic parties have their pockets of strength and a dedicated band of cadres and supporters. They do not have a countrywide support base, but their ability to create mayhem in the streets and agitate on issues of their interest remains considerable. BNP leadership is seeking to harness these street-fighting forces in preparation for an anticipated political showdown with the Yunus set up on the issue of elections.
(The writer is an expert on South Asia and Eurasia. He was formerly with Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. Views expressed are personal)
–IANS
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