[Bangla Daily Star] Jamaat-e-Islami...
The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka
The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an
independentbranch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
is to enforce a six-hour hartal
... a peculiarly Bangla combination of a general strike and a riot, used by both major political groups in lieu of actual governance ...
in the port city today protesting sending of a party politician to jail in an arson case.
A Chittagong court yesterday cancelled bail of Jamaat politician ANM Shamsul Islam and sent him to prison in a case filed under the speedy trial act in connection with torching vehicles at Wasa intersection of the port city on May 13.
On Monday, Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate's Court granted Shamsul Islam bail until yesterday, when the next hearing was also scheduled.
After the court's yesterday's move, the Chittagong unit Jamaat-e-Islami organised sporadic protest processions at different areas of the city in the afternoon. Khairul Bashar, party's assistant secretary general of the city unit, declared the hartal from a short rally in Jamal Khan area.
Contacted, Mahmud Ullah, publication secretary of Chittagong unit Jamaat, confirmed today's hartal from 6:00am to 12:oo midday.