Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman paid homage at the Central Shaheed Minar on International Mother Language Day, marking the first time a Jamaat leader has done so.
The visit followed the changed political landscape after the 2024 uprising and the 13th Parliamentary Election.
Shafiqur, serving as the parliamentary opposition leader, arrived shortly after midnight with members of the 11-party alliance. Traditionally, Chhatra Shibir has led commemorations at the Shaheed Minar, but no Jamaat Ameer had previously participated in the ceremony.
The night’s proceedings followed a set order: the President, Prime Minister, and Cabinet paid respects first, followed by the three service chiefs. The opposition parliamentary bloc arrived next, with the Jamaat ameer accompanied by Chief Whip Nahid Islam and MPs ATM Azharul Islam, Hasnat Abdullah, and Akhter Hossain.
Witnesses reported counter-chants and some commotion as the group approached the memorial. After laying flowers, Shafiqur offered prayer at the altar before addressing journalists.
Asked why he had participated after years of absence, the Jamaat ameer said: “This is my responsibility as a matter of state protocol. As the opposition leader, I’m expected to come with my colleagues, so I came.”
When questioned on whether Jamaat still considered laying flowers here religiously impermissible, he declined to comment: “Why are you asking that question today? On a day as sacred as this, such a question is better left unasked.”
Shafiqur reflected on the broader significance of the day, honoring martyrs across Bangladesh’s history, including those before Partition in 1947, the 1952 language movement, the 1971 Liberation War, the 1990 uprising, the fifteen and a half years of fascist rule, and the July fighters. He also paid tribute to Osman Hadi.
On whether the language martyrs’ aspirations had been fulfilled, he said: “No, they haven’t. And it is for the fulfillment of those aspirations that we will keep fighting. Until this nation is truly free — free from fascism, terrorism, extortion, and corruption — until a genuinely humane country is built, our struggle will go on. And we will not compromise with any wrongdoing.”
The visit concluded at Azimpur graveyard, where Shafiqur led the opposition delegation in prayers at the graves of three language martyrs.
