The Jamaat-e-Islami has stood against people's interests.
The party formed in 1941 by Abul Ala Maududi, who mixed religion and politics, it went against the fundamentals of democratic ideals, which advocates for the separation of state and religion in politics.
Due to Maududi's controversial political views, his party has been banned four times – once before the partition of India, twice by regimes in Pakistan, and after the birth of Bangladesh in 1972.
In 1947, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind opposed the Muslim League's demand for a separate state and the creation of Pakistan. In Maududi and Jamaat accused the league of holding un-Islamic views.
Maududi argued Pakistan, which was to be an independent nation with a Muslim-majority, would still not be an Islamic state.
After the partition of the sub-continent and the creation of two independent nations – India and Pakistan – Jamaat split as well, establishing two separate entities: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (in India) and Jamaat-e-Islami (in Pakistan).
In 1953, Maududi started a campaign against the minority Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan, which lead to riots and military intervention.
Maududi was sentenced to death by Pakistan's military ruler Lt Gen Azam Khan. However, the government gave in to international pressure, and first commuted the Jamaat leader's death sentence to life imprisonment, and subsequently set him free.
Maududi's vociferous opposition to the Muslim Family Ordinance-1961, which the government of Field Marshal Ayub Khan considered a progressive law, lead to a ban on all activities of Jamaat-e-Islami in Pakistan on January 4, 1964.
But once again Jamaat managed to become politically active, and contested in general elections in 1970, even though votes in favour were poor. The party had established itself as a political force in East and West Pakistan.
By the following year, when the war of independence started on March 26, 1971 the Jamaat was opposed to the creation of Bangladesh, choosing to support Pakistan.
The party took an active part in the genocide perpetuated against Bengalis by Pakistani forces, in the name of saving the nation, the same one they opposed when the Muslim League was demanding its creation back in 1947.
In the erstwhile East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, Jamaat leaders urged supporters to help the Pakistan army. They formed paramilitary groups, such as the infamous Peace Committee or Razakar, al-Badr and al-Shams, who are alleged to have killed countless innocent civilians, targeted Bengali intellectuals and embarked on a campaign of rape and violence.
At the time of the independence of Bangladesh on December 16, 1972, Abu Ala Maududi was still at the helm of Jamaat-e-Islami.
After independence, majority of the party's leaders and supporters were accused of war crimes, and imprisoned.
The Awami League government of Sheikh Mujubur Rahman adopted a secular constitution, which banned all religion based politics and political parties in the country.
The International Crimes Tribunal Act 1973 was enacted to try war criminals for various crimes including genocide, murder, rape and arson.
After the assassination of Bangabandhu and his family on August 15, 1975, a favourable atmosphere was created for the party's political rehabilitation.
After Major Gen Ziaur Rahman usurped power in November 1975, he lifted the ban on religion-based political parties and eventually allowed many of those accused of war crimes, who had left the country to return, and freed those who were in jail.
The war crimes trials were suspended by Zia, who ruled Bangladesh, with his party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) until his assassination in May 30, 1981.
In 1976, former Jamaat leader Abdur Rahim was to start a new political party, the Islamic Democratic League, which was essentially Jamaat in a new guise.
The ban on religion-based political parties was lifted in 1979 prior to parliamentary elections. The same year, Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh was revived with Abbas Ali Khan as ameer.
The party enjoyed political support and power during the rule of the military dictator HM Ershad, from March 1982 to December 1990.
Jamaat took part in the general elections of 1986, even winning 10 seats in parliament.
In 1990, the party took an active role in the anti-Ershad movement. In the fifth general elections of 1991, Jamaat won 18 seats.
The party won only two seats in the seventh parliamentary polls of 1996. In 2001, Jamaat formed an alliance with the BNP, and won 17 seats.
In the last general elections held on December 29, 2008, allied with BNP, Jamaat won two seats.
When the current AL government initiated trials of Jamaat leaders for war crimes, the party turned to violence, killing law enforcers, attacking people and damaging public property indiscriminately. The Jamaat has embarked on a movement demanding the abrogation of the war crimes trials, especially against the party's top leaders.
