In 2021, most of the central committee leaders of Hefazat-e-Islam were arrested in the aftermath of violent protests against the arrival of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bangladesh to attend the Independence Day celebrations. Except for a few including Maulana Mamunul Haque and Monir Hossain Qasemi, many of those leaders are out on bail. Hefazat's current leadership wants to induct them into the current committee, according to several leaders.
At least 17 people lost their lives during violent incidents between the Qawmi leaders and students and the police across the country on March 25-27, 2021. On April 11, the law enforcers started arresting Hefazat leaders in various cases filed over the clashes. Some of the arrested leaders also represent Qawmi madrasa-based Islamist parties.
In that situation, the then-Ameer, Junaid Babunagari, abolished the convening committee on the night of April 25 and formed a five-member convening committee. On June 7, a full committee of 33 members was announced, but none of the arrested leaders did not get posts in that committee. After the death of Junaid Babunagari on August 19, Maulana Muhibbullah Babunagari became the Ameer by the decision of the meeting of the central and special committees of the organization on August 29.
The former Hefazat leaders who have been released since the beginning of this year include those from the central and metropolitan committees. Notable among them are Maulana Junaid Al Habib, Maulana Mufti Bashir Ullah, Maulana Khaled Saifullah Ayyubi, Maulana Azizul Haque Islamabadi, Maulana Sakhawat Hussain Raji, Mufti Harun Izhar, Maulana Ataullah Amin, Maulana Naseeruddin Munir, Maulana Zakaria Noman Faizi, Mufti Sharif Ullah, Maulana Ehsanul Haque, Maulana Hafez Ehteshamul Haque Shakhi, Maulana Sharif Hussain, Maulana Hafez Sanaullah, Maulana Asadullah, Maulana In'Amul Hasan Faruqi, and Maulana Manjurul Hasan Nadeem.
Seeking anonymity, an influential leader Hefazat said: "The top leaders are sincere about adding those who were in charge of the previous committee of Hefazat to the organization. However, it has not yet been discussed who will join which duties. Secretary General of Hefazat Maulana Sajidur Rahman is in Saudi Arabia. The decision will be known when he returns.”
According to several central leaders, a meeting will be held in Dhaka in the presence of the Ameer when the secretary general returns from Saudi Arabia. The decision on the distribution of responsibility can be finalized in that meeting.
While some leaders mentioned organizational restructuring, several influential leaders said they support an expansion, not restructuring, of the central committee.
According to another leader who was released recently, the proposal to reorganize the committee has already been made. In that case, there may be restructuring rather than expansion.
Contacted on Friday, Joint Secretary General Maulana Muhiuddin Rabbani said: "The matter was discussed during the courtesy meeting of the released scholars with the Ameer.”
On June 7, a group of released leaders, led by Secretary General Maulana Sajidur Rahman, met with the Ameer, Shah Muhibbullah Babunagari. Maulana Junaid Al Habib, Maulana Khaled Saifullah Ayyubi, Maulana Muhiuddin Rabbani, Mufti Harun Izhar, Maulana Azizul Haque Islamabadi, Maulana Abdul Qayyum Subhani, Maulana Muhammad Mir Idris, Mufti Kifayatullah Azhari and Maulana Ayyub Babunagari were present among others. The Hefazat chief expressed a positive position about giving responsibilities to the freed leaders.
But he did not give any definite opinion during the pre-Eid reception program before Eid-ul-Azha. For this reason, some of the released leaders have suggested further discussions.
Contacted, former central organizing secretary Maulana Azizul Haque Islamabadi said: " Hefazat-e-Islam is the heartbeat of the religious people across the country. I hope that the disciplined and organized atmosphere will return. Now the committee has to decide what to do about those who have been released from prison.”
Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Joint Secretary General Maulana Ataullah Amin was the assistant organizing secretary of the Hefazat central committee. "We are still with Hefazat-e-Islam. If any new initiative or decision comes, surely we will stay,” he said from Saudi Arabia.
Qawmi madrasa-based platform Hefazat was established in Hathazari of Chittagong in 2011 through a movement against women's development policies. Its founder was Allama Ahmad Shafi and its general secretary was Junayed Babunagari. They came to the limelight after launching the 13-point movement in 2013.
After Ahmad Shafi's death on September 18, 2020, the central committee was reorganized for the second time on November 15 of that year with Junaid Babunagari as Ameer and Noor Hossain Qasemi as secretary general.
