Jamaat ameer tells party leaders-activists to be ‘very careful’

Opposition leader and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman urged party leaders and activists to be cautious, saying, “If you are wearing white clothes, you have to be careful... It is often said that stains show up on white clothes. That is not entirely true. White clothes may get fewer stains, but whatever stain appears becomes highly visible. (Be) very careful.”

Stressing that Jamaat-e-Islami does not compromise on morality grounds, the party chief said members found guilty of wrongdoing would be given a chance to reform if the offence was minor, but strict action would be taken in cases of serious misconduct.

He made the remarks on Friday afternoon while addressing the members’ (Rukon) conference organised by the party’s Dhaka district unit at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB) Multipurpose Hall in the capital.

Addressing party leaders and activists, Shafiqur Rahman said, “Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is not a party of angels; we are human beings too. We also make mistakes. We have made it clear that wrongdoing and Jamaat-e-Islami cannot go together. But by that we do not mean that we never commit any wrongdoing.… If you find any wrongdoing or crime committed by us, point it out. We promise that we will correct it.”

Calls on Home Minister to focus on his own responsibilities

Referring to the deterioration of the country’s law and order situation, the Jamaat chief urged the Home Minister to concentrate on his own ministry instead of trying to perform the duties of others.

The opposition leader said, “He (the Home Minister) is an expert on everything, but why is he not an expert in his own ministry? ... Let every minister perform the responsibilities of his own ministry. There is no need for you to perform the duties of the Honourable Prime Minister. Let her do her job. You focus on your ministry. Let the nation live in peace.”

The Jamaat chief alleged that domestic and foreign investment was being hampered by bribery, corruption and extortion in the country.

He said, “The other day you saw a whip saying that no matter which country one comes from, it is impossible to stop extortion in Bangladesh. From his remarks, only Allah knows whether extortion has now been nationalised.”

Shafiqur Rahman alleged that those making such statements were themselves involved in extortion. He added that extortion could be stopped if there was political will, but without such will it would never be possible.

He said the spirit of Bangladesh’s mass uprising was spreading to many countries around the world, but added that they did not wish to interfere in the internal affairs of any country. According to him, the people of every country should determine their own future. Likewise, no other country should interfere in Bangladesh’s internal affairs.

Referring to the border situation, he said, “If our peace is disrupted, you will not be able to remain in peace either.”

Claiming that the Awami League (now banned from political activities) had killed 57 patriotic army officers after coming to power, the Jamaat chief said the trial of the killings had been a farce.

He alleged that the reports of the two investigation committees into the incident had neither been made public nor shared with the affected families, but had instead been suppressed. Had the reports been published, many hidden facts would have come to light. However, he claimed that the investigation commission formed under the interim government had already exposed many influential individuals and the dark forces behind them.

Referring to the ongoing debate over the Constitution, Shafiqur Rahman said, “Do not tamper with the Constitution too much. If you keep tampering with it, you will not even be able to find your own existence. There are many things in the Constitution that you have not yet touched. I do not even know whether you will be able to.”

In an apparent reference to remarks made by BNP leaders, the Jamaat ameer said that if anyone argued that a referendum was illegal because it was not provided for in the Constitution, then by the same logic the interim government, the mass uprising and even the election scheduled for 12 February2026, would also be considered illegitimate.

He claimed that the people had given a mandate not merely for constitutional amendments but for constitutional reform. If the government chose amendment instead of reform, it would amount to a “self-serving amendment,” which Jamaat would not accept.

Shafiqur Rahman said it was difficult to determine the exact number of martyrs of the July mass uprising. He said the highest number of killings took place between 3 August and 5 August. While the United Nations had estimated that as many as 1,452 people were killed, others put the number at around 2,000 or even higher or lower. Because the internet was shut down during the period when many people were killed or disappeared, the full number might never be known.

He said Jamaat was compiling its own list and profiles of those it described as martyrs. So far, 12 volumes had been completed and work on the 13th volume was underway.

The Jamaat chief also criticised the government's efforts to provide treatment and rehabilitation for those injured during the mass uprising. He said he had met injured people receiving treatment in Thailand and learned that no representative of the new government had visited them. He also criticised the government for not increasing the honorarium for the families of those killed and for failing to allocate a separate budget for the treatment and rehabilitation of the injured.

The conference, chaired by Dhaka district Jamaat Ameer Mohammad Delwar Hossain, was also addressed by Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general Rafiqul Islam Khan and central executive council member Saiful Alam Khan (Milon) as special guests.