Report in The Daily Star, Dec 16, 2022
After a long hiatus, Hefajat-e Islam, the Qawmi madrasa-based organisation is becoming active to strengthen the organisation once again and press home its 13-point demand, including scrapping “anti-Islam” women and education policies.
The outfit is going to organise a conference tomorrow in Dhaka.
As the tenure of current government is nearing an end, Hefajat has apparently taken a move to strengthen the organisation and put pressure on the government to realise its demands, including the release of its arrested leaders, said Hefajat insiders.
The organisation has already started to form committees at union, thana and district levels across the country before the national elections.
Soon after the formation of the new committee in late 2020 — following the demise of Hefajat amir Ahmad Shafi — the organisation hogged the headlines as it strongly opposed the construction of Bangabandhu’s sculpture in the capital and issued anti-government statements.
Later, the tension between the government and Hefajat eased, following a meeting of both sides.
Hefajat drew the fresh attention of the government when it opposed the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh on March 26, 2021.
At least 17 people died in different parts of the country following a clash between Hefajat men and law enforcement agencies from March 26 to March 28.
At least 154 cases were filed against Hefajat men in the following days. At least 1,230 people, including more than 30 top Hefajat leaders like Mamunul Haque, were arrested, according to the police headquarters data.
Amid pressure, Hefajat was forced to scrap its committee and announce a new committee in June last year. Hefajat first appeared on the scene in 2009 by protesting a draft of a national women’s development policy that provided equal inheritance rights to women.
After a year, Hefajat-e-Islam was formed in 2010 as a regional organisation based in Chittagong under the leadership of the late Ahmad Shafi.
Things changed after the 2013 mayhem at Shapla Chattar, after which the then Hefajat ameer Shah Ahmad Shafi and the AL government got closer.
The central leaders said they are now looking at overcoming their organisational weaknesses.
“We’ve taken steps to restructure the organisation,” said Hefajat leader Abul Kashem Kasemi.
Hefajat Joint Secretary General Mohiuddin Rabbani said, “We could not become more active in the last two years due to various reasons, including Covid-19 and the demise of our several top leaders. Now we want to press our longstanding demands along with some fresh ones, including the release of our arrested leaders.”
Apart from its 13-point demand, Hefajat recently criticised the government for shrinking religious education in the national education policy. They also demanded a 100-mark test on religion in public examinations.
The 13-point demand includes reinstating the phrase, “Absolute trust and faith in the Almighty Allah,” in the Constitution as one of the fundamental principles of the state policy and passing a law to ensure capital punishment for maligning Allah, Islam and the Prophet and smear campaigns against Muslims.
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/politics/news/hefajat-rearing-its-head-again-3197536
