Latest news with #Hefazat-e-IslamBangladesh
Kuwait Times
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Bangladesh Islamists rally in show of force
DHAKA: Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, an Islamist coalition group rally in Dhaka on May 3, 2025, to oppose recommendations by a government women's commission to end discriminatory provisions, including equal inheritance rights for men and women. - AFP DHAKA: Thousands of Bangladeshi Islamists rallied in Dhaka on Saturday, one of their biggest public shows of strength in years as religious activism surges. Islamist groups have gained strength after the toppling of the iron-fisted regime of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, opposing attempts at reforms they say are un-Islamic. Hefazat-e-Islam - an influential pressure group made up of multiple political parties, Muslim organizations and religious schools - issued a string of demands at Saturday's rally, including the abolishment of a government women's commission seeking equality. 'Men and women can never be equal: the Koran outlines specific codes of life for both genders,' said Mohammad Shihab Uddin, 53, leader of a women's madrassa, a religious school. 'There is no way we can go beyond that.' The rally on Saturday came after two days of demonstrations by political parties, drumming up support ahead of much-anticipated elections, including by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), widely tipped to win the poll. No date has been set for elections but caretaker leader Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel Peace Prize winner who heads the interim government, has promised polls will be held by June 2026 at the latest. Muhammad Umar Faruq, 30, another teacher at a seminary, said they helped the interim government run the country. 'If a government attempts anything anti-Islamic in a country where 92 percent of the population is Muslim, we will reject it immediately,' Umar Faruq said. Hasina, who was blamed for extensive human rights abuses, took a tough stand against Islamist movements during her autocratic 15-year rule. — AFP Since she fled to India - where she has defied extradition orders to face charges of crimes against humanity - Islamist groups have become emboldened. That has sparked worries from smaller groups, including Muslim Sufi worshippers and the Hindu minority, who together account for less than a 10th of the population. Women, in particular, have expressed concern. Islamists 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.- AFP
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
30-04-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Bangladesh: Radical Islamist outfit warns Yunus will meet the same end as Sheikh Hasina if…
Radical Islamist group Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh has threatened Yunus over gender reform proposals, warning of consequences similar to Hasina's ouster, according to a report read more Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh. Reuters File Radical Islamist group Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh has warned Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus that he could face the same fate as deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina if the interim government proceeds with implementing what it calls 'anti-Islamic' recommendations proposed by the Women's Affairs Reform Commission. According to a Times of India report, at a recent gathering, Hefazat leaders strongly criticised the Commission's proposals, claiming they contradict the Quran and Sunnah and urged the government to scrap the reforms immediately STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Separately, the Islamist political party Khelafat Majlis also demanded the abolition of the Women's Affairs Reform Commission, echoing Hefazat's opposition and calling the body unnecessary and harmful to Islamic values, added the report. 'This is against the Quran and Sunnah and threatens the religious identity of Muslims,' ToI quoted secretary general Ahmad Abdul Quader as saying. Hefazat's warning came during nationwide protests triggered by the Commission's recent report, which Hefazat claims goes against Islamic law. Addressing protesters in Narayanganj on Friday, Hefazat joint secretary general Mamunul Haque said, 'We welcomed five of the six reform commissions, but the proposals from the Women's Affairs Reform Commission are shocking. They blame religious and social norms for gender discrimination, which is a clear rejection of Islamic law.' 'We have shown him respect, but if he insists on pushing this agenda, we will be compelled to treat him no differently than Sheikh Hasina,' said Haque referring to Yunus. Hasina, Bangladesh's longest-serving prime minister, resigned and fled to India last year, marking a dramatic end to her 15-year tenure following an unprecedented wave of nationwide protests. Her departure came after weeks of escalating demonstrations and violent clashes with security forces, which left nearly 300 people dead since mid-July. Initially sparked by student anger over a controversial quota system for government jobs, the protests quickly evolved into a widespread movement against Hasina and the ruling Awami League. The 76-year-old leader, who secured a fourth consecutive term in January through a disputed election boycotted by the main opposition, faced growing domestic and international criticism over democratic backsliding. The latest unrest proved to be the final and most significant challenge of her political career. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies
The Print
21-04-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Islamist group in Bangladesh demands abolition of women's reform commission
He said the commission, in its report, noted that the Islamic inheritance provision, the family law and some other religious rules created discrimination against women, which was 'objectionable'. Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh has sought the abolition of the commission, its spokesman Maulana Mamunul Haque told reporters on Sunday. Dhaka, Apr 21 (PTI) An Islamist group in Bangladesh has demanded the abolition of the Women's Affairs Reform Commission formed by the interim government to introduce reforms aimed at empowering women, saying it will launch a nationwide campaign to press for its demands. Therefore, Hefazat demanded the recommendations be scrapped alongside the complete abolition of the commission, it added. 'Ensuring equality is a Western ideology,' said Azizul Haque Islamabadi, another senior leader of Hefazat, considered one of Bangladesh's largest and most influential Islamist groups that largely dominate the country's thousands of non-government madrasas. The commission recommended a uniform family code instead of Muslim family law, which governs inheritance, marriage, divorce, and other issues. The group also expressed strong objections to some provisions proposed by the Constitutional Reform Commission while it rejected the proposal to incorporate pluralism as one of the state principles and instead reinstate reaffirming 'faith and trust in Allah' in the constitution. Hefazat-e-Islam Secretary General Maulana Sajidur Rahman said their meeting on Sunday unanimously decided to stage a grand rally at Dhaka's Suhrawardy Udyan on May 3 to press for their demands. The group urged imams and religious leaders across the country to highlight the 'flaws and irrelevance' of the commission's proposals during prayers on April 25 and May 2. The group also asked the interim government to take appropriate steps to pressure the Indian government to repeal the recently passed Waqf Amendment Act. Bangladesh's largest Islamic political party, Jamaat-E-Islami, earlier demanded the immediate cancellation of the commission recommendations, saying 'recommending initiatives to ensure equality between men and women is a malicious effort to distort Islamic ideology'. The commission on Saturday submitted its report to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, who appreciated the recommendation. Bangladesh in recent months witnessed the cancellation of several women's football matches, the vandalising of Sufi shrines and the blocking of several cultural events deemed 'anti-Islamic'. PTI AR ZH ZH This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
