Where did you find voting for Jamaat is the gateway to heaven: Fakhrul

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, “Tell me, where you found that voting for Jamaat is the gateway to heaven? Let them show me where does this exist?”

He made the remarks today, Saturday afternoon, as the chief guest at a discussion held in the multipurpose hall of the Institution of Diploma Engineers in Kakrail, Dhaka.

Fakhrul added that Islam should never be exploited for political gain. “I am raising these points because they have become a serious issue,” he said.

The BNP leader said, “These are concerns everyone is talking about, and they should be openly discussed with the public, even more than they are now.”

The BNP leader made the remarks at a discussion titled “The Pioneering Role of Mosque-Based Child and Adult Education Caretakers in Promoting Morality and Religious Values, Run by the Islamic Foundation, in Nation-Building.’

The discussion was organised by the Caretakers’ Welfare Council of Mosque-Based Non-Formal Teacher Programmes (Moushik).

Pointing to Jamaat, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, "This group could not establish itself in the political arena. Ziaur Rahman gave them the opportunity to enter politics. After independence, they first came as the IDL (Islamic Democratic League). Later, they worked with the BNP, and the BNP also collaborated with them. But unfortunately, over the past ten years, no visible effort has been seen from them to defeat the fascist Hasina."

Mirza Fakhrul added, "I have heard that they even infiltrated the Chhatra League. I have heard it, but I do not know for sure. In other words, they were there pretending to be Chhatra League activists. This is something we cannot do. We have always fought openly, face to face."

"We have been hit with false cases against 6 million of our people. Twenty thousand of our people have been killed. Nearly 1,700 of our leaders, including our MPs, have been disappeared. We are carrying 200, 300, and even 400 cases each," he added.

Mirza Fakhrul also noted that Khaleda Zia has been held in prison for six years and that the party’s acting chairman, Tarique Rahman, has yet to return to the country. He said, "Our sons have given their lives, and because of everyone’s sacrifices, an opportunity has arisen. Now we must all unite and strive to hold a fair, credible election so that a democratic government can be formed."

Mirza Fakhrul remarked that a political party is loudly demanding proportional representation (PR). He said, "They are saying the election won’t happen without PR. They have made many threats. Now their tone has softened, and we see a rush on all sides for the election. This is not right. People should be guided correctly in whatever is communicated to them."

He added, "During the Awami League’s rule, it was dictated in writing what would be said in during khutbas. It is even more disheartening that some of the country’s scholars met with Sheikh Hasina and bestowed upon her the title ‘Qaumi Janani’."

Mirza Fakhrul said that a fascist force has placed party loyalists in key positions, destroying the country’s institutions. He added, "The Islamic Foundation is a prestigious, traditional institution. If party-affiliated people are installed there—those who speak of Islam outwardly but do not truly believe in it—it cannot function properly. In which country does the khatib of the national mosque flee immediately after a change in government? This proves that the appointment was politically motivated."

Mirza Fakhrul said that the Consensus Commission’s recommendation on the PR system is not properly understood by the general public.

He said, “The people of Bangladesh understand one man, one vote. One person stands, there is a symbol. That’s the one I vote for, right? That’s how it has always been. Now you want to change it and hold a referendum for that. In the referendum, there will be ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Now, apparently, there are four questions on the ballot. People still do not understand these four questions in a single referendum, and even by the last day, they won’t.”

The discussion was chaired by Islamic Foundation governor Maulana Shah Md Nesarul Haque. It was moderated by Md Zobaidur Rahman, president, and Mahfuzur Rahman, general secretary of the Mosque-Based Non-Formal Teacher (Moushik) Caretaker Welfare Council.