Zakir Hossain / Dhaka
Islamist group Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh has demanded the immediate dissolution of the Women’s Affairs Reform Commission, labelling it “anti-Quran,” and called for a nationwide protest after Jumma prayers on May 23 to press home four key demands.
At a rally at Dhaka’s Suhrawardy Udyan, Hefazat’s Nayeb-e-Ameer Mahfuzul Haque read out a 12-point declaration, saying women’s social progress should align with “religious and cultural traditions,” not “Western values.” The group proposed a new commission formed with Islamic scholars and “devout segments of the female population.”
They called for replacing pluralism in the constitution with “complete faith and trust in Almighty Allah,” and opposed terms such as “gender identity,” “third gender,” and “gender equality,” saying these promote “LGBT and transgender inclusion” under the guise of “inclusion” and would lead to a “destructive, anti-religious pro-homosexual society.”
Hefazat demanded fast-tracking tribunals for the 2013 Shapla Chattar and July 2024 incidents, and the trial of former PM Sheikh Hasina and her “identified associates” before national elections. The group also demanded a ban on Awami League, calling it a “terrorist organisation.”
The declaration urged for the highest punishment for blasphemy and opposed any Media Reform Commission proposal to repeal blasphemy-related laws. It also demanded cancellation of bail for Chinmoy Das in the Saiful Islam Alif murder case, and the withdrawal of “false and fabricated” cases against Islamic scholars and madrasa students from the Hasina era.
Hefazat called for justice for enforced disappearances of Islamic figures and pressed the government to diplomatically oppose the Gaza conflict and Muslim persecution in India. The group urged a boycott of Israeli and Indian products and demanded mandatory Islamic education at all levels. It also condemned the government’s “consent” to establish a “humanitarian corridor” in Myanmar’s Rakhine, calling it a “suicidal decision” for national security.
On internal security, Hefazat demanded increased military presence in the Chattogram Hill Tracts and state recognition of the Ahmadiyya community as “non-Muslim.” The group announced divisional conferences over the next three months.