Frenzied dance of Hefajat-e-Islam in Bangladesh
Hefajat-e-Islam was established in 2010 ostensibly to defend Islam from ruling Awami League’s allegedly anti-Islamic policies, especially a proposed policy to confer equal inheritance rights to women.
By Anwar A. Khan
Tens of thousands of people of Hefajat-e-Islam, a killing offshoot belonging to Jamaat-e-Islami mass-murderers of 1971 when Bangladesh was going to emerge as an independent and sovereign homeland with full-fledged support from India for the Bengalis graving the two-nation theory of 1947 and for people of all religions or sects of religions to live together in peace, gathered in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka with protests against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Bangladesh. Modi had come here to pay his glowing tributes to Bangladesh’s Founding Father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and to celebrate the golden jubilee of Bangladesh’s Independence along with us.
The protesters gathered outside the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque chanting slogans against Modi and India.
The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, born in Dhaka Cantonment on 1 September 1978 under the leadership of military dictator Gen Zia expressed solidarity with the ongoing protest.
Moreover, thousands of hard-lined Hefajat-e-Islam supporters had some time earlier attacked a Hindu village in Sunamgan in Bangladesh after a Hindu man had criticised the group’s joint-secretary general Mawlana Mufti Mamunul’s speech in a social media post.
33 people have been arrested over the incident so far, Bangladesh police report says. The prime suspect, Shahidul Islam Swadhin, was apprehended at Gurabhui village and he has been produced before a court in Sunamganj with a remand petition for his interrogation.
Two cases were filed with Shalla police station over the incident. One of the cases was lodged by police against 1,500 unidentified people while the other case, which named Swadhin as an instigator, was filed by Habibpur Union Parishad Chairman Vivekananda Majumder, the newspapers reports say.
A young Hindu man from Noagaon, Shalla upazila had allegedly made a Facebook post criticizing Mamunul of Hefazat, who opposed the sculpture of Bangabandhu, the dear founder of Bangladesh. After this, a mob with makeshift weapons attacked the village.
According to the police, 70-80 houses were vandalized in the incident. The Hindu man was detained the same night to calm the Hefazat supporters, said Police Officer-in-Charge Nazmul Haque. Habibpur union chairman Vivekananda Majumder Bakul said several houses in the village had been attacked. Many local Hindus fled their homes to save themselves. The followers of Hefazat-e-Islam entered the village, ransacked and looted many houses.
Hefajat-e-Islam was established in 2010 in Chattogram, Bangladesh ostensibly to defend their so-called Islam from ruling Awami League’s allegedly anti-Islamic policies, especially a proposed policy to confer equal inheritance rights to women.
Our dearest land of origin Bangladesh is now in crisis. The ongoing political impasse, street confrontation is creating serious bleeding of national economy. The anti-Bangladesh liberation forces after 50 years of independence have locked horns on the street creating serious uncertainties to life and living.
Continuous programmes that are destroying the economy by a vested group of criminals have already impacted upon the business, commerce and stagnated the economic growth. Some of developments like destroying national properties, holy places of different religions, burning of national flags, attacks on national monuments, brutal attacks on police, murdering political opponents are definitely the acts of the enemies of Bangladesh.
The countrywide chaos and confrontations have already led to loss of lives of many innocent citizens. The anti-social elements using deadly weapons have actually declared war against the common people.
Unfortunately, some so-called democratic parties and alliances instead of condemning such acts and taking sides of the people are trying to fish in muddy waters. They are desperately trying to exploit this situation to upstage the government. Some identified media and blogs are spreading venom against pro-liberation forces and the government.
Some brave youths initiated mass awareness at Shahabagh Cahttaor, Dhaka rekindling the spirits of the liberation war in Mid-February last. They apparently were not satisfied with the verdict of some particular alleged war criminals. They started agitating demanding speedy trail and punishment of all remaining alleged War Criminals and ban the politics of Jamat-e –Islami, the party which opposed the liberation war in 1971 and never accepted their unpardonable mistakes of 1971.
There had been spontaneously overwhelming peoples support to the actions of the youth force at home and abroad. The anti-liberation forces became aggressive against the initiators of this movement. The bloggers were targeted as anti-Islamic forces and as usual some media and some opportunist individuals launched vicious evil propaganda against the bloggers. One blogger was brutally murdered and few others came under lethal attacks.
The bemused government, instead of protecting the bloggers, also bowed to the demand of some religion traders and launched a drive against the bloggers. Some pro-liberation blogs were disciplined while the blogs of some anti-liberation forces and some media engaged in spreading hatred and malice among people were not even cautioned.
The agents of anti-liberation forces were hatching conspiracy to foil the historic initiatives of the present government for a long time. Intelligence agencies were anticipating their avalanche. But unfortunately Government failed to take required initiatives in time to prevent and control these back lashes.
The evil elements have money and muscles which they have accumulated over the years taking advantage of corrupt politics of Bangladesh post-August 1975. They mushroomed and infiltrated everywhere from the Prime Minister’s Office to the grassroots administration. Many believe that the evil syndicates have been able to plant their agents everywhere. As such, no plans to control the subversive acts and sabotages by the Government are working well.
The trouble makers are now at war against government and progressive forces. They have huge money to bribe corrupt government mechanism, they have lethal weapons to create massacre and they have sponsors in opposition politics. Their propaganda medium at home and abroad appears to be much stronger than the government.
In the very recent past a rootles organization Hefazat- e- Islam allegedly using money and resources of some identified war criminals launched a long march on some misguided demands. According to them the youth forces at Shahbag indulged into anti-Islamic activities. They however remained silent when Jamaat Shibir activists indulged in destroying state properties, destroyed holy places, attacked minority communities, killed police, derailed trains, burnt buses and transports. The pro-liberation activists had to start some counter agitation programmes judging the confused state of the government to resist these evil forces.
These anti-Bangladesh liberation force even do not fly our National Flag, not sing National Anthem on the occasions of our special days – on 26 March, 16 December and so on. These radicals should severely be punished for violating the country’s constitution.
Those who vandalised Bangabandhu’s sculpture and want to implement the agendas of Pakistan must be brought to justice. The country’s people must remain alert against any intrigue of the anti-liberation forces aiming to block in implement the ideology of Bangabandhu and the spirit of the 1971 liberation war.
Derogative comments on Bangabandhu’s sculpture by some griffins like Junaid Babunagari, Mamunul Haque, Syed Fazlul Karim or any other persons must be dealt with an iron-hand.
In 971, when Bangladesh was established, it was conclusively decided how the country shall be run. So, it is a settled fact. Who are those ‘kath mollahs’ – anti-Bangladesh liberation forces – religion traders, to whom we have to listen to their prescription to administrate the country? Their temerity is irremissible under any circumstances.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), the mass-murderers of 1971, is the wealthiest business organisation in Bangladesh. It has many killing squads under so many fictitious names which are working under the cloak-and-dagger of NGOs. Hefajat-e-Islam is one of the murdering progenies of JeI which uses the name of our holy religion – Islam to allure people to come to their flexure to make Bangladesh, once again, with so many public places of execution of our people, as they did to us in 1971.
Pakistan’s horrendous killing outfit ISI has got a very strong ties with JeI to carry-out dreadful activities using Islam to destabilize Bangladesh according to their volition to impose their own and deceitful brand of Islam on us which has got no connection with our holy religion – Islam.
The Pakistan High Commission (PHC) in Dhaka is also involved in all badly activities in collusion with JeI in Bangladesh. PHC is the den of ISI and JeI. Bangladesh government should immediately put PHC + ISI under their strong scanner to catch those malefactors to face virile punishment.
It is high time to dismantle Jamaat-e-Islami high command and its various killing off-shoots into pieces for betterment of Bangladesh and its people. The government should also break-down their money channels, confiscate all their properties and take full control of their business entities to block up these perpetrators eternally.
Many political analysts also allege that from behind the screen, Jamaat-e-BNP is provoking or stirring-up Jamaat-e-Islami–Hefajat-e-Islam clodhoppers to make all those disparaging statements on our Nation’s Founding Father’s sculptures using our holy religion – Islam. These crude uncouth ill-bred persons lacking culture or refinement are making discommodes in the country with a deceptive or fraudulent intention to do harm to the political party now in power, in particular and Bangladesh in general.
The author is an independent political analyst based in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Views are personal and International Affairs Review neither endorses nor is responsible for them
