Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Women’s Wing Secretary Nurunnisa Siddika on Sunday said women cannot assume the highest leadership position in the party as Jamaat follows Islamic principles, which, she claimed, do not permit women to serve as ameer.
Speaking to journalists at the Election Commission (EC) premises, Siddika said Jamaat-e-Islami is an organisation guided by Islamic ideals and therefore abides by what it interprets as Quranic directives.
“According to the Quran, men are directors of women, which is considered a command and obligation in Islam,” she said, adding that as a result, women cannot hold the top leadership position in any Islamic organisation.
She said Jamaat conducts its organisational activities in line with this principle.
When asked why the party had not fielded any female candidates in parliamentary elections, Siddika described it as an “internal organisational decision.”
She argued that the debate should not centre on whether women occupy top posts, but on whether women’s rights, dignity and security are being ensured.
“In the past 54 years, Bangladesh has had two female prime ministers for long periods. But have women’s problems been solved? Has violence against women decreased? Have women’s rights been established?” she asked.
Siddika maintained that merely appointing women to top positions does not automatically improve women’s overall condition.
“Real change comes when leadership—whether male or female—is humane and ensures dignity for all,” she said, adding that Jamaat prioritises establishing just and humane leadership rather than appointing women to the highest posts.
Meanwhile, Jamaat Women’s Wing chief Habiba Chowdhury said women make up nearly half of the country’s voters, yet many have long been unable to exercise their voting rights.
She claimed that at least 15 incidents of attacks on female Jamaat activists in different districts had been reported to the EC, alleging a political vendetta behind the incidents.
Earlier in the day, a six-member Jamaat delegation led by Assistant Secretary General Advocate Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair met Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin to discuss contemporary electoral issues.
