Name: Could Bangladesh's Islamist party come to power? | DW News
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Bangladesh is gearing up for elections next week, the first vote since the overthrow of Sheikh Hasina.

And the country is now reckoning with the growth of an Islamist movement.

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Previously on the fringes of electoral politics.

The Jamaat e Islami party is often criticized for its hardline views, particularly on women.

But it's attempting to rebrand itself as a moderate political force and senses its biggest chance at gaining power in decades.

It's a dramatic turnaround for the Jamaat e Islami party.

Hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshis have been showing up in Jama' at's political rallies.

The fiery leader Shafikur Rehman is promising an Islamic welfare state, a model that's a mix of religion and politics.

And his views are resonating with many, including women.

Jamaat e Islami is not merely a religious.

Rather it is an institution and a center of education.

From our personal lives to family, social and state life, Jama' at e Islami promotes a practical Islamic way of life in every sphere.

Through this approach, peace can be established in society, corruption can be eliminated, and

a justice based social system can be built.

Jamaat opposed Bangladesh 1971 Liberation War.

Many of its leaders were hanged after they were prosecuted by the government of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The party was also banned in 2013 under Hasina's rule.

And now, years later, the tables have turned.

Jama' at has allied with the Student Party whose leaders led the uprising that ousted Hasina.

A political shift in favor of Jamaat, a party that has not fielded a single woman candidate, is making many progressive Bangladeshis deeply uncomfortable.

Watch this clip from an Al Jazeera interview.

What about the position of the head of the Jamaat?

It's not possible because Allah made everyone in its own entity.

For students here at Dhaka University, Jamaat's conservative views on women's role in society are worrying.

The recent rise and assertiveness of Jamaat e Islami deeply concerns me.

They repeatedly use religion as a political tool which does not align with the true teachings of Islam.

Their political behavior often conflicts with Islamic values, and this is alarming.

As a woman, I strongly oppose Jamaat e Islami's stance.

There are numerous allegations of disrespectful and degrading remarks against women, particularly against working women.

Women make up 52% of Bangladesh's population, yet Jamaate Islami seeks to push them backward and deny them proper recognition.

Historically, Bengali women have stood shoulder to shoulder with men during the language movement, mass uprisings and national struggles.

However, when women demand their rights or seek equal participation and employment, Jama' at e Islami always tries to sideline these concerns.

Jama' at leaders argue that they do not plan to implement a strict Sharia law and will allow women to work and be an active part of society.

Bangladesh Jamaati Islami is free, firmly committed to ensuring women's freedom of movement, dignity and security.

Women are an extremely important part of Bangladeshi society and we are committed to providing the safest possible environment for them.

Women are well integrated into Bangladesh's politics, society and economy.

37% are in the formal labor force, one of the highest rates in South Asia.

And any effort to restrict their rules will likely face a huge backlash.

Bangladesh is stepping into untested political territory where ideas about women's roles, culture and democracy are colliding.

So Helen Azneen is with Britain's Institute of Development Studies, where she focuses on gender politics and women's empowerment in South Asia, including Bangladesh.

How has Jamaat e Islami managed such a dramatic political comeback now?

I think after the ouster there was a political vacuum.

Jamaat activists have been active in the student uprisings that we saw, which was led by the Students.

But you had participation from political parties and within the vacuum that's been created, and

particularly with the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, whose track record on governance is tainted.

Although it remains deeply popular, there is a for Jamaat to push its rhetoric and discourse.

But it would be unwise to think that it was never an influential political player because it was, it was always a veto player when it came to cultural issues and women's rights.

What we are seeing or witnessing in Bangladesh is sort of the.

In the popular space, the rhetoric gaining ground and particularly help helped and fueled by the online space where Deb and Bangladesh Society is seeing a shift.

So it's not necessarily completely surprising that you see contradictory trends and views colliding and debates happening.

Do you think the party's new moderate image, the image they're trying to portray, is credible, especially when it comes to women's rights.

So Jamaat is trying as an electoral strategy.

If you look at the alliance it has allied with the Student Party, the leaders who ousted Sheikh Hasina's government.

But it also has LDP, whose leader is one of the freedom fighters of 1971.

And then it also tried reaching out to the other conservative Islamist groups.

So it has formed this electoral alliance and trying to project a moderate position which is stressing good governance, rule of law, a welfare based society and trying to tone down the conservative views that is within its faction.

But you have to look at the contradict of statements that exist and what is said in the manifesto.

So I will speak about women's rights because that is something that I look at.

So if you look at its manifesto, the dialogue and the way it's framed is around women's protection, dignity, safety.

It talks about trainings for women, education for women, health services for women, social welfare for women, maternity leave.

But if you dig deeper into it is framed around complementarity of gender roles.

It's about basically it's talking about biology, determining what you can do.

That's not necessarily a discourse around equality.

And your report talked about Jamaat not nominating a single women candidate for the direct elections.

What they say is of course women will participate but they won't hold key decision making positions.

So if you hear Dal Zazeera interview, let me interrupt you there for a second because in their manifesto they have promised to include a significant number of women in their cabinet.

Women already are there in their councils and surprisingly Jamaat is the only party that meets the 33% representation of women in different levels of the party.

These are separate councils but women are there.

If you look at the other center right parties, you don't see see that necessarily.

But this is a ploy that right wing parties do use.

You use women in campaigns, you have large number of women members, you project an image that you are inclusive.

But the question is what are these women doing in terms of decision making that happens within the party, not just in affairs that relates to women.

Because when you're there and as a political party, you should be representing everybody.

And I'm afraid we'll have to leave it there.

That was Sohain Nneen from the Institute of Development Studies.

Let's get more insight on this story with Dr.

Naveen Murshid, political scientist and professor at the North South University in Dhaka.

Now can you help us just explain to us Jamaat's recent surge in popularity.

I think in part the banning of the Alamedi League in the elections has meant that just by default, the Jamaat E Islami has now ended up being a strong contender because we do need multi parties in a democracy.

And so in order to avoid shoo in of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in a similar fashion that we have had the Awami League, I think just, just in the name of competition, you have the Jamaat Islami, fairly old political party in South Asian politics, emerge as a strong contender.

But how much support it has is still difficult to gauge, partly because we haven't had credible elections in a very long time.

So as you pointed out, there are a lot of people worried about right wing shift in Bangladeshi politics.

And part of it is on the basis of the numbers that you see, the positions they take on women, and

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Could Bangladesh's Islamist party come to power? | DW News

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