Anu Muhammad, former professor of economics at Jahangirnagar University (JU), strongly condemned attempts to label demands for justice for war crimes as anti-Islamic.
"Those who try to portray it as anti-Islamic are terrible criminals and terrible distorters," he said at a rally in front of the Raju Memorial Sculpture at Dhaka University on Saturday afternoon.
The rally was organized by the Democratic Student Alliance in protest of the Supreme Court’s acquittal of Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam from war crimes charges, as well as recent attacks—allegedly by Jamaat-Shibir members—on the Alliance's processions at Rajshahi University and Chittagong.
Anu Muhammad pointed out that those who follow Islamic principles should also demand justice, as most of the millions who were killed in 1971 were religious Muslims.
He noted a repeated trend: "Whenever war crimes justice is demanded, attempts are made to brand it as anti-Islamic. We must stand against such political malpractice, and we must present these issues correctly while resisting oppression and attacks."
Anu also posed a question to today's members of Islami Chhatra Shibir and young activists of Jamaat-e-Islami: "Why are you carrying the political legacy of war criminals? You did not commit war crimes yourselves, but by continuing their politics, you bear equal responsibility."
Citing that many of today’s activists were not even born in 1971, he added: "If you continue the politics of war criminals, the responsibility of 1971 and its crimes will inevitably fall on your shoulders."
He expressed deep concern over the Supreme Court’s acquittal of ATM Azharul Islam on Tuesday.
Azharul was accused of leading the Al-Badr militia and orchestrating several massacres, including the Jharuar Beel incident, among other charges.
Anu questioned the long persistence of controversy around war criminals: "Why do war criminals continue to re-emerge after 54 years? Why is Jamaat-e-Islami still a subject of controversy?"
He attributed this to decades of political manipulation, arguing that successive governments have "played games with these issues" since independence.
He explained how Jamaat-e-Islami regained political legitimacy in the 1980s when both the Awami League-led alliance and the BNP-led alliance recognized the party as a democratic force during the anti-Ershad movement.
"Through this recognition, Jamaat-e-Islami was rehabilitated," he said.
He also cited the systematic violence perpetrated by Islami Chhatra Shibir during that era, including the murder of Jamil Akhtar Ratan and other brutal acts such as throat-slitting during hall and campus occupations.
He recalled the 1989 murder of Kabir, a Chhatra Dal activist at Jahangirnagar University, as another example of violence carried out by Shibir.
Anu held both major parties accountable, noting that in 1995, the Awami League and Jamaat-e-Islami carried out movements together.
When the BNP came to power in 2001, they formed a four-party alliance in which Jamaat leaders—some accused of war crimes—were made ministers.
He criticized the interim government’s perceived silence on recent issues. "They think they are in power, that power is in their hands, but their inaction is creating dangerous perceptions," he warned.
He also condemned the lack of response to gender-based violence. "Girls are being targeted and attacked, hate campaigns are being launched, and female college teachers are being harassed, yet we see no action from the government," he said.
On Azharul Islam’s acquittal, Anu questioned: "How can someone identified as a war criminal be declared innocent? This question must be answered."
While acknowledging possible procedural flaws, he argued that Azharul’s identity as a war criminal was already legally established. "It is an established truth that cannot be dismissed."
"It appears the goal was to declare him innocent," he added. "If such a person is cleared of charges, it distorts history and betrays the millions who sacrificed their lives in 1971."
He concluded that resisting such distortions and building resistance is the collective responsibility of all citizens of Bangladesh.
Connecting past and present, Anu noted: "The same people who killed Ratan back then are now attacking protesters today, especially women."