Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh facts for kids
The logo of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh
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| Predecessor | Shah Ahmad Shafi |
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| Formation | January 2010 |
| Type | Islamist advocacy group |
| Headquarters | Al-Jamiatul Islamiah Azizul Uloom Babunagar |
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Region served
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Bangladesh |
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Official language
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Bengali |
| Muhibbullah Babunagari | |
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Secretary General
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Sajidur Rahman |
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Key people
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Shah Ahmad Shafi Junaid Babunagari,Muhibbullah Babunagari Mamunul Haque |
Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh (Bengali: হেফাজতে ইসলাম বাংলাদেশ) is a far-right conservative-islamic advocacy group consisted mostly of hard-line religious teachers and students. The group is mainly based on qawmi madrasas in Bangladesh. In 2013, they submitted a 13-point charter to the Government of Bangladesh, which included the demand for the enactment of a blasphemy law.
History
Hefazat-e-Islam was formed in 2010, as a pressure group comprising the teachers of several madrasas at Chittagong, Bangladesh. The formation was allegedly triggered by the 2009 "Women Development Policy" draft. On 24 February 2010, Hefazat wanted to hold a rally at Laldighi Maidan, Chittagong to protest the government's move to slap a ban on religion-based politics, cancellation of the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution, and a proposed education policy that would have ended madrasah education. The police refused their request to hold a rally and injured 19 protesters. A few of these madrasa students were arrested by police and later released. In 2011, Hefajat-e-Islam protested some aspects of the proposed Women Development Policy.
According to The Economist, Hefazat is financed by doctrinaire Islamists in Saudi Arabia.
13-point demand agitation
In 2013, Hefajat-e-Islam was reformed after the allegation that some of the protesters in the Shahbag protests, were involved in publishing of content offensive to Muslims on blogs. They arranged a rally towards capital city Dhaka, demanding enaction of capital punishment of the "atheist bloggers" involved in the Shahbag movement and a blasphemy law.
The 13 points of the Islamist group includes:
- Restore the phrase "Complete faith and trust in the Almighty Allah" in the constitution.
- Pass a law in parliament keeping a provision of the capital punishment of death sentence to prevent defaming Islam.
- Taking measures for stringent punishment of self-declared atheists and bloggers, who led the Shahbagh movement, and anti-Islamists who made derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad. Also taking steps to stop the spread of "propaganda".
- Stopping infiltration of all "alien-culture", including "shamelessness" in the name of individual's freedom of expression and anti-social activities. Women must be encouraged to wear hijab and their overall security must be ensured.
- Make Islamic education mandatory from primary to higher secondary levels cancelling the women policy and anti-religion education policy.
- Officially declare Ahmadiyyas as non-Muslim.
- Stopping erection of sculptures at intersections, schools, colleges and universities across the country.
- Lifting restrictions on prayers for ulema in all mosques across the country, including Baitul Mukarram National Mosque.
- Stopping Anti-Islamic content in media.
- Halt to anti-Islam activities by NGOs across the country.
- Stop attacks of ulema.
- Stopping harassment of teachers and students of Qawmi madrassas and ulema.
- Freedom for all arrested ulema and madrassa students and withdrawal of all cases filed against them, compensation for the victims, and bringing the assailants to justice.
Leadership
Ahmad Shafi, the former director of Hathazari Madrasa, Allama Junaid Babunagari the present Amir-e-Hefajat and Mufti Izharul Islam, the chairman of the Islamist party Islami Oikya Jote, Abdul Malek Halim, founder and principle of the first women Qawmi madrasah (Haildhar Madrasah) in Bangladesh are regarded as the founders of Hefazat-e-Islam. Nurul Islam Jihadi is the secretary general of the organization.
See also
- List of Deobandi organisations
- Shah Ahmad Shafi
- Islam in Bangladesh
