On Thursday, Bangladesh banned the Jamaat-e-Islami party, along with its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir and other affiliated organisations, labelling them as “militant and terrorist” groups. This move comes in the wake of weeks of violent protests that have resulted in over 200 deaths and thousands of injuries across the country.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her political allies have accused Jamaat-e-Islami and its associated bodies of inciting the recent violence that erupted during student protests over the quota system for government jobs. In response, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued an official circular on Thursday, stating that the ban was imposed under the country’s anti-terrorism law.
Since the beginning of the unrest on 15th July, at least 211 people have lost their lives, and more than 10,000 individuals have been arrested nationwide.
The head of Jamaat-e-Islami, Shafiqur Rahman, strongly condemned the government’s decision, calling it unconstitutional and denying any involvement in the recent violence. In a statement, he accused the government of orchestrating massacres to suppress the student-led movement and criticised the ban as a means to divert attention from its own actions.
Rahman stated, “The government carried out massacres by party cadres and state law and order forces in the country to suppress the non-political movement of students. The country’s teachers, cultural personalities, journalists and people of different professions are protesting against this genocide of the government.”
Before the official announcement, Prime Minister Hasina warned that Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir might go underground and engage in destructive activities following the ban. She made it clear that any such actions would be dealt with as acts of militancy.
The decision to ban Jamaat-e-Islami has sparked controversy, with critics accusing Hasina of using the ban to consolidate power and suppress opposition. Her administration has faced criticism from global human rights organisations, which have accused her of using security forces and the legal system to stifle dissent. The government, however, maintains that those arrested were apprehended based on specific charges.
Jamaat-e-Islami has been barred from participating in national elections since 2013, following the Election Commission’s cancellation of its registration, a decision upheld by the High Court. The party’s constitution was found to be in violation of the national constitution due to its opposition to secularism. However, Jamaat-e-Islami was not prohibited from engaging in political activities such as holding meetings and making public statements.
In 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the High Court’s decision, concluding a lengthy legal battle and permanently barring the party from participating in elections or using its party symbols. However, the Supreme Court did not impose an outright ban on the party.
Jamaat-e-Islami has a long and contentious history in Bangladesh. Founded in 1941 during British colonial rule, the party opposed the creation of Bangladesh during the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. Many of its senior leaders have since been convicted of war crimes, with some sentenced to death or imprisoned.
The party has faced multiple bans in the past, including after Bangladesh’s independence in 1971 due to its involvement in atrocities during the war. The ban was lifted in 1976, a year after Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country’s founding leader and father of Prime Minister Hasina, was assassinated in a military coup.
Jamaat-e-Islami also held two Cabinet positions under a power-sharing agreement with former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia between 2001 and 2006. Zia’s party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, has condemned the recent ban, with its secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir calling it a tactic by Hasina’s administration to divert attention from the current political situation following the recent violence.
