Leaders of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami have held a meeting with the top Qawmi scholars of the country, where participants voiced optimism about establishing a country based on Islamic rules under the leadership of Jamaat chief Dr Shafiqur Rahman.
The meeting was held at an auditorium in Dhaka, where some leaders of the Qawmi madrasa-based platform Hefazat-e-Islam were present, on Sunday.
In a press release, Jamaat said Maulana Mufti Mohiuddin Qasemi, Mufti Khurshid Alam Qasemi, Maulana Azizul Haque Islamabadi, Mufti Rezaul Karim Abrar, Maulana Abdul Majeed Athabi, Mufti Azharul Islam, Mufti Fakhrul Islam, Mufti Radesh Bin Noor and Maulana Munir, among others, participated in the discussion.
The Jamaat was previously a part of the BNP-led government in 2001-06, but the alliance remained inactive in the last couple of years. During the anti-government movement last year, the BNP and Jamaat observed demonstrations simultaneously.
On August 1, the Awami League government banned the Jamaat, its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir and associated bodies for involvement in the recent terrorist attacks amid the student movement. However, after the fall of the government on August 5, the army chief and the president invited the Jamaat to the meetings held to devise ways to form an interim government.
At the meeting, Jamaat Ameer Dr Shafiqur said: “From now on, we are all for each other. We will all be united like a wall made of lead. I apologize to you if I have hurt you in the past. I hope you will forgive us.”
Maulana Azizul Haque Islamabadi, joint secretary general of Hefazat, said: "The Jamaat Ameer has blessed everyone by bringing together the scholars of all Markaz. This unity, or a greater unity, will be of no use if we cannot unite in the battle of the ballots. Our country is a democratic country. So we have to move towards a democratic system.”
Senior Nayeb-e-Ameer of Bangladesh Nezam-e-Islam Maulana Abdul Majed Athari said: “Our party was initiated by Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (RA). The evil force is always united. But there are thousands of disagreements between us. Now we all have to forget all differences and unite.”
Shariat Mufti Abu Zafar Qasemi, Ameer of the Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan, said: "We must be united regardless of party opinion. We should forget all our past differences and should not give any political party a chance.”
Maulana Moniruzzaman Qasemi of Jamia Madania said: "We are talking about unity. But we were already united. We drifted apart for some time. We were all oppressed. Now we all have to work together again. The largest Islamic party in Bangladesh is Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. I have met the Jamaat Ameer many times. He is very humble. Therefore, I believe he is the one who can make us all stand on one platform.”
Mufti Azharul Islam, another top leader of Hefazat, said: "We all have been able to unite at the call of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami; for that, we are thanking God. According to my knowledge, the Jamaat-e-Islami amir fasts every Monday and Thursday. Although it is not right to praise anyone directly, I still want to share this. In my opinion, it will be possible to form an Islamic state through him.”
A scholar who participated in the meeting said that the Jamaat Ameer is a sincere person. He was in jail for many months. Other leaders were also in prison at the time. All those who were in prison were invited to the meeting. It was not an official meeting, he added.