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| Bangladesh | |
| Hefazat takes the Tea Party route | |
| 2017-08-04 | |
...a madrassa-based false nose and mustache of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, formed in 2010 to protest against secular education. In 2011 demonstrated violentyly against women's rights and in 2013 held large rallies demanding capital punishment of Shahbag Square protesters and banning women working outside the home... Bangladesh are planning to take part in the next national election under the banner of various registered Islamist political parties. Although the Qawmi madrasa-based fundamentalist Islamist group claims to be a non-political movement, many of its members have already taken part in several local government elections in recent times, winning a few. Following these victories, Islamist politicians who are affiliated with the group are now seeing the organization as a potential vote bank. Despite its reiterations about not participating in elections, Hefazat central leadership has been silently consenting to these political aspirations. Sources within the organization say the leadership sees this as an opportunity to materialise their 13-point agenda. Hefazat was formed in 2010 and came to prominence by mobilising opposition to the Shahbagh Movement in early 2013. It was then that they issued their now infamous 13-point charter, which included demands for a ban on the free mixing of men and women, and the death penalty for atheists. Hefazat Ameer Shah Ahmed Shafi has said many times that his group is not a political party and they will not take part in any election. But over the last few years, several Hefazat leaders have won public offices through local government elections, with tacit support from the group’s central command. Nasir Uddin Munir, general secretary of Hefazat’s Hathazari municipality unit, was elected vice-chairman of Hathazari Upazila Gay Pareehad in 2014. The Hathazari madrasa is the headquarters of the group. A Hefazat leader, seeking anonymity, said the organization sees this as a sign that they are popular among the public. Some of the political parties where Hefazat leaders are vying for candidacies are: Nezam-e-Islami Party, Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...Assembly of Islamic Clergy, or JUI, is a Pak Deobandi (Hanafi) political party. There are two main branches, one led by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, and one led by Maulana Samiul Haq. Fazl is active in Pak politix and Sami spends more time running his madrassah. Both branches sponsor branches of the Taliban, though with plausible deniability... , Khelafat Andolan, Khelafat Mojlish (Ishak), Khelafat Mojlish (Habibur Rahman), Khelafat Islami and two factions of Islami Oikya Jote ... a political party in Bangladesh. In the 2001 elections the party won 2 out of 300 elected members in an alliance with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. It has a focus on building an islamic state, and has used the madrassas to gain support... (IOJ). Sources said Hefazat now plans to field candidates in over 50 constituencies, although some of the names under consideration by the group are accused of crimes and are facing several cases. | |
| Posted by:Fred |