Thousands of supporters of an Islamist group turned out on the streets of Dhaka to oppose a plan to enshrine equal rights for women. The protestors claimed the proposal would violate religious laws.

Dhaka

Thousands of supporters of an Islamist group have gathered in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to protest against a proposal aimed at enshrining equal rights for women. The protestors claim that the proposal conflicts with religious laws. This demonstration is part of a broader political and social upheaval in Bangladesh, which has led to the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after weeks of violent protests.

Following Hasina's resignation, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is heading the interim government. The protests initially sparked by a controversial job quota scheme have paved the way for the emergence of new, young leadership. However, the role of Islamist groups in this turmoil has raised concerns. Historically, right-wing Islamist groups like Jamaat-e-Islami have been allied with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and opposed Bangladesh's separation from Pakistan in 1971.

In the aftermath of Hasina's exit, concerns about a power vacuum in Bangladesh have arisen. Participants in the protests have been accused of using firearms, and allegations suggest foreign intelligence involvement, specifically pointing towards Pakistan's ISI. During her tenure, Hasina had opposed Islamist groups like Jamaat-e-Islami and faced criticism for allegedly derogatory comments about student protest leaders. Her son, Joy, suggests these statements were misrepresented, adding that there was misinformation on social media regarding his mother's comments.

The potential return of Islamist groups to the political landscape is seen against a backdrop of anti-India sentiment by some Bangladeshis, who viewed India as aligning with Hasina. Since stepping down, Hasina has relocated to India, while analysts speculate on the future of Bangladesh’s political scene. Commentators call for a constitutional revision and broader changes to the nation's institutional frameworks as the country navigates its path forward without its long-time leader.



Bangladeshi Islamists protest women's rights proposal

After weeks of violent protests which forced PM Sheikh Hasina to resign, Bangladesh appears to be at a crossroads. While many citizens are hopeful that the new interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus would stabilise the Muslim-majority country, some are cautious. Although the student-led protests against a controversial job quota scheme have ushered in a new young leadership, the alleged role of some Islamist groups in the upheaval has raised some eyebrows. There are reports of violence against religious minorities by angry After the exit of Hasina, who ruled the country for 15 years, there appears to be a power vacuum. Who is likely to claim this space? Is there a chance now for right-wing Islamist groups like the Jamaat-e-Islami, one of the main allies of the key opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, to resurrect itself in Bangladeshi politics? State institutions have been decimated by the regime. It was peeled off piece by piece, and when the autocrats left, rather collapsed quite spectacularly in a matter of hours. This became evident that there is no institution to step on. This is not only a matter of power vacuum. It is clearly a testimony what are the long-term impacts of an autocratic regime. This is a very complex situation, but in any society there are protesting, kind of ideologically driven, and also in some cases, plain and simple, pragmatically driven forces. So that is what we are witnessing at this point, that everyone is trying to push itself into the center of power because they would like to dictate the situation. Haseena's son sees Pakistan's hand behind his mother's downfall. At this point, I strongly suspect Pakistan's ISI because of the marching in the middle of the night, the rumors, and twisting the words on social media. And then finally, when there were attacks on police, the people attacking the police were armed with firearms. Now, where did they get these firearms? Students don't have firearms. So, clearly the firearms were supplied by somebody, and the only way to supply firearms is for an intelligence actor. Historically, the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh has maintained close relations with the Pakistani faction of the movement. The Jamaat campaigned against the independence of East Pakistan, today's Bangladesh, from then West Pakistan in 1971. It was also against Bangladesh's founder, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was Haseena's father. During Haseena's 15-year-long rule, the Jamaat faced a severe crackdown. It is important to note that during the recent mass protests, Haseena allegedly dubbed the student leaders the Razakar, meaning those who supported Pakistan during the 1971 independence war. But Joy believes his mother's statement was taken out of context. You see, my mother made a statement that we don't want families of Razakars getting government jobs. So, she was trying to explain the justification for the quota. You see, this whole thing was clearly incited because then some groups started spreading that she had called the students Razakars. That is not what she said at all. But with Haseena's ouster, Islamist groups will try to gain ground. Another reason is anti-India sentiment among sections of Bangladeshi society, which see India as an ally of the former prime minister. Sheikh Haseena fled to India after resigning and remains in an undisclosed location in the country. Let us not undermine or underestimate the power and patriotism of the Bangladeshis. They will protect their country. So, this kind of understanding is going to have an impact with respect to what will be the relation between India and Bangladesh. For 15 years, unqualified support to an autocratic regime without any peep on human rights situation, knowingly the Bangladesh is going down the drain in terms of its democracy. India needs to understand they made a mistake. Analyst Lutfa believes it is time for Bangladesh to break away from its past and start anew. Now with the biggest rival of these Islamist political parties gone or maybe not completely gone, like they are kind of in a sort of dormant state at the moment or hiding. So, I think the young generations, they are, they did not do this huge movement to bring one party replacing the others. They want a fundamental change of the way politics is done. And they are proposing for, you know, revision of the constitution even. They are proposing for many revolutionary changes in the way the judiciary and other institutions, state machineries work.

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Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

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Jerusalem

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Manhattan

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Iran Strikes

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