Maliha was on the way to her office in Baridhara on her scooter yesterday, as on any other day. In front of the IDB Bhaban in Agargaon, a rally of about 30 Hefazat-e-Islam supporters waylaid her, and asked her why she was riding a scooter, Maliha told the Dhaka Tribune.
“Women should not do what Islam does not allow,” they said, before attacking her and her vehicle. Some local youths came to her rescue, but the Hefazat men damaged her scooter.
At noon yesterday, scores of Hefazat-e-Islam supporters, shouting slogans in support of their 13-point demand, were seen going to Motijheel to attend the rally. At the same time, three college girls were on their way to a coaching centre. But when they saw the Islamists, they got scared and hid themselves in an underpass near Monipur.
During Hefazat’s Dhaka-siege programme yesterday, many women chose to stay at home out of fear, while those who had to go out for work faced harassment, witnesses said.
At a previous rally on April 6, Hefazat supporters not only prevented women from entering the meeting area, they also assaulted several women journalists who went to cover the event.
Women’s rights groups, meanwhile, have called for a grand rally on Thursday to protest against Hefazat-e-Islam’s position on women. Hefazat’s demands include prohibiting the free mixing of men and women in society.
Some senior women activists told the Dhaka Tribune that Hefazat-e-Islamintends to push women back to the Middle Ages.
“Women always work hard and they have made equal efforts to move Bangladesh forward. What Hefazat-e-Islam does is offensive and unacceptable. We are in the field. If they think we are afraid of their threat, they are wrong,” Ayesha Khanom, president of Bangladesh Mohila Porishad said.
Activist Shipra Bosh did not believe that women were scared at all.
“Everybody is watching what is going on. Millions of women are working in the garment industry. Girls are doing better than boys in schools. If the demands of Hefazat-e-Islam are to be met, it will stall the development of half the nation,” Shipra said.
Rahela, a garment worker, could not go to work yesterday because of a Hefazat rally at Shewrapara. It cost her a day’s wage.
“If we stay at home, who will feed our families? Five members of my family are dependent on my job. They (Hefazat) have to know, the people of Bangladesh are sincere about Islam, like politics,” Rahela said.
