Jamaat-e-Islami
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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...
, a key component in the alliance, however, would carry on its ongoing movement demanding release of its top leaders facing war crimes charges.
The decision was made at an hour-long meeting of the alliance with BNP chief
Khaleda ZiaThree-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ...
in the chair at her Gulshan office last night.
Meeting sources told The Daily Star that it was the BNP chief who actually proposed waging a one-point movement under the banner of 18-party alliance to topple the government, a top leader of a component of the alliance said.
"Leaders of the 18-party alliance welcomed the BNP chief's proposal saying that the alliance should have gone for such movement a long time ago," the leader told The Daily Star requesting anonymity.
"In reply, she [Khaleda Zia] said, 'let's forget the past and work for the future'," the leader said.
The meeting also decided to take up tougher programmes in the coming days.
Emerging from yesterday's meeting, National Democratic Party chief Shawkat Hossain Nilu told The Daily Star that today's countrywide daylong hartal
... a peculiarly Bangla combination of a general strike and a riot, used by both major political groups in lieu of actual governance ...
would be enforced by the 18-party alliance, instead of just the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami.
The BNP had called the hartal after its rally in front of its Naya Paltan head office was foiled yesterday afternoon. Jamaat called for the hartal today minutes later.
The last meeting of the opposition alliance was held on January 28.