Dhaka, January 28 (IANS). Bangladesh’s radical Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami, on one hand, indicates that it will not implement Shariat law if it comes to power, while on the other hand, its top leaders, including candidates for the general elections to be held on February 12, are seen openly advocating the implementation of Shariat law in TV talk shows. At the grassroots level, the party’s middle and lower level leaders and workers are promoting the Jamaat’s election symbol ‘Daripalla’ (scales) as a religious duty to cast their vote, and some are even calling it a “ticket to heaven”. This was revealed in a report on Wednesday.
According to a report by Bangladesh’s leading daily Pratham Aalo, this situation highlights a glaring contradiction – on the one hand, the Jamaat indicates that it will not implement Shariat, but on the other hand, the narrative of Shariat is being actively propagated at the grassroots level.
The report said, “Politically, Jamaat-e-Islami is stuck in a deep dilemma. The party has ‘Islam’ in its name and for a long time it has been doing politics with the slogan ‘We want the law of Allah’. For this reason, a large section of its core supporters hope that Jamaat will come to power and implement Islamic Shariat. On the other hand, in an attempt to gain power, Shariat politics can backfire for Jamaat. “The party also seems to understand this.”
The report termed this as Jamaat’s ‘strategic ambiguity’, which the party is adopting as elections approach. It said that instead of clarifying its position, the Jamaat wants to maintain both contradictory narratives together, which should not be acceptable.
The report also said, “Voting for Jamaat instead of BNP is not the same as making an electoral choice between the Awami League and the BNP. There is a fundamental ideological difference at stake here. The Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer must state publicly and in clear words whether the party will implement Islamic Shariat if voted to power. If so, he must also clarify in what framework that Shariat will be implemented.”
The report stressed that if Jamaat or any other ‘Islamic’ party announces the implementation of Shariat in Bangladesh, the question naturally arises whether such a party has the right to do politics under the existing Constitution of the country.
It further said, “Elections are round the corner and Jamaat should immediately clarify its stand on Shariat, so that voters can take an informed decision while exercising their franchise. Jamaat’s top leadership should understand that its strategic ambiguity on this issue goes directly against its famous slogan ‘We want rule of honest people’ and in religious terms, is blatant hypocrisy.”
According to the report, this dual strategy raises serious questions on the credibility of Jamaat and its role in democratic politics.
–IANS
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