Islamists Warn Bangladesh Government, Abolish “Anti-Islamic” Women’s Affairs Reform Commission
New Delhi: Islamist parties in Bangladesh have issued a stern warning to the army-backed interim government of Muhammad Yunus to immediately abolish the “anti-Islamic” Women’s Affairs Reform Commission. Some leaders of the banner of the Islamist parties, Jatiya Olama Mashayekh Aemma Parishad, warned that the Yunus-led government would face severe consequences, with one saying it would “not get even five minutes to escape” if it proceeds with the reforms, reported Dhaka-based Bengali daily Prothom Alo.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina got on August 5, 2024, to leave her country as a mob of hundreds of thousands marched towards her residence, baying for blood. It has been reported that Islamists had infiltrated the student-led agitation, resulting in the widespread violence in the last few days of the agitation.
The warning to Yunus’s interim government came on Wednesday during a seminar in Dhaka titled ‘Islamophobia in the Women’s Affairs Reform Commission: What We Can Do’. The seminar was held days after the women’s commission submitted its report to Muhammad Yunus. The report was shared with Yunus on April 19.
“You have to keep in mind that the enemies who are confronting you cannot take advantage of this. Even then, if you want to move forward, you will not get even five minutes (to escape),” Prothom Alo quoted Mufti Syed Rezaul Karim, the Amir of the Islamic Movement Bangladesh, as saying. After violent student protests, hijacked by Islamists, ousted PM Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 204, Bangladesh under Muhammad Yunus’s interim leadership has increasingly yielded to Islamist demands.
Days after Hasina’s ouster, the ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami was lifted. Convicted terrorists, like Jashimuddin Rahmani, were released, which revealed a softer stance toward fundamentalist groups. This coincided with the Yunus government downplaying attacks on minorities, including Hindus. The seminar of the Jatiya Olama Mashayekh Aemma Parishad on Wednesday included top leaders of various Islamist parties.
The Amir of the Khelafat Majlis, Mamunul Haque, doubled down on the rhetoric, warning that implementing “even a hair” of the proposals would require the government to “do so over our dead bodies”, alleging a “pre-planned conspiracy” involving the Chief Adviser’s office and foreign agendas. Some Islamist speakers at the seminar said that the government accepting the proposals would lead to the “recognition of prostitution as a profession”, claiming it would legitimise a “cursed life” for women instead of addressing issues like trafficking and poverty.
Following the submission of the commission’s report to Muhammad Yunus on April 19, Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh gave the government a May 3 ultimatum to dissolve the commission, BDnews24 reported last week. Key recommendations of the commission include doubling parliamentary seats to 600 with 300 reserved for women through direct elections. Before the recent warning, Chief Adviser Yunus had expressed support for swift implementation of the proposals.