Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Acting Ameer and former member of the Parliament Professor Mujibur Rahman has issued the following statement on 11 February 2023 protesting and condemning the unjustified arrest of more than 50 leaders and activists of Jamaat-e-Islami from various places of the country.
“As a part of the centrally declared program of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. Peaceful demonstrations were held nationwide today demanding the removal of anti-Islamic items from textbooks, decreasing the power price, and also for restoring the caretaker government system. But some over-enthusiastic members of law enforcement agencies have tried to foil these processions in some places and subsequently arrested Jamaat leaders and activists. This time, the arrest drive has begun even a night before the declared program.
During today’s processions, police arrested 50 leaders and activists today including Dinajpur North organizational district Ameer Principal Anisur Rahman, Thakurgaon district Secretary Alamgir Hossain, Dinajpur south district Jamaat’s working committee member Monjurul Kader Babu, and 7 others, another 7 from Baklia of Chittagong city, 9 from Rajshahi city and 8 from Noakhali district. I am vehemently condemning these arrest drives.
Although 90 percent people of this country are Muslims, unfortunately, anti-Islamic items have been included in the textbooks to misguide the people. By introducing the secular educational system in a very subtle way, the government is ingraining hatred among the students against Islam. The authority is arresting people when they take to the street protesting such ill-moves. The countrymen will not accept such repression at all.
The incumbent Awami League government has increased the power price 12 times in the last 14 years which caused unbearable suffering to the common people. But this unelected government is paying no heed to those suffering. Besides, the government is mulling holding another farcical election this time as they had done in 2014 and 2018. But the patriotic people will not allow making it to happen anymore. They will restore the caretaker government system by any means and make the government compelled to hold a free, fair, and credible election.
The government is not allowing Jamaat-e-Islami to continue its regular political activities. The authority is arresting thousands of party leaders and activists and conducting inhuman repression and torture against them. We want to assert that, Jamaat-e-Islami is a systematic and democratic political party. The constitution has guaranteed all parties to operate their political activities. No one has the authority to deprive a party of exercising such rights. We will continue our justified movement despite such crackdown.
I am urging the countrymen to take part in this peaceful movement in order to attain citizen rights. Besides, I am calling upon the concerned authorities to stop repression and to release all detained leaders and activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and Chhatrashibir immediately.
