Jamaat-e–Islami forms committee combining old and new faces

Following the changed political context, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has reorganised its organisational structure.

The party has increased the number of members in its three-tier policymaking bodies—the Central Majlish-e-Shura, the Working Committee and the Executive Council.

Party insiders state that the new structure brings together leaders from the party’s traditional conservative stream and representatives of the younger generation. Jamaat has sought to bring comparatively younger leaders to the forefront.

A notable aspect of the restructuring is the placement of ATM Azharul Islam as the first-ranked nayeb-e-ameer.

After spending nearly 13 years in prison in a case concerning crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War, and having received a death sentence, he was acquitted and released following the political changeover on 5 August 2024.

The party appointed him as nayeb-e-ameer during the first session of the Central Majlis-e-Shura on 23 November last year.

Previously, the party had three nayeb-e-ameers—Mujibur Rahman, Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher and ANM Shamsul Islam. The party has now increased the number of nayeb-e-ameers to four.

After securing acquittal from the death sentence and returning to politics, ATM Azharul Islam won a parliamentary seat from Rangpur-2 in the recent election.

In 2010, when the then secretary general, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, was arrested in a crimes against humanity case, the party appointed ATM Azharul Islam as acting secretary general.

Authorities later arrested him in the same category of case. While he remained in prison, the party retained him as assistant secretary general for the 2017–19 term.

Shafiqur Rahman has assumed the role of ameer of Jamaat for a third term. The party has once again nominated Mia Golam Porwar as secretary general.

According to the party constitution, the ameer nominates the secretary general. The party has retained all seven assistant secretaries general from the previous committee.

The newly formed 21-member central executive council includes two young leaders: Shafiqul Islam Masud, secretary of Dhaka city south unit, and Mohammad Rezaul Karim, secretary of Dhaka city north unit.

Masud won a parliamentary seat from Patuakhali in the recent election, while Rezaul lost in a constituency in Lakshmipur. The party has increased the size of the executive council from 19 to 21 members.

The party has not retained nayeb-e-ameer ANM Shamsul Islam in the executive council; it has instead included nayeb-e-ameer ATM Azharul Islam in his place.

As in the past, the executive council does not include any women members. Jamaat considers the executive council the highest body responsible for implementing day-to-day activities and policy decisions.

Eight members of the newly formed executive council have been elected to parliament. They are ATM Azharul Islam, Mujibur Rahman, Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, Rafiqul Islam Khan, Saiful Alam Khan (Milon), Md Izzat Ullah, Nurul Islam Bulbul, and Shafiqul Islam Masud.

Under Jamaat’s constitution, the party forms the central executive council with up to 21 members to ensure the implementation of decisions taken by the Central Majlish-e-Shura and the Central Working Committee.

Regarding the matter, nayeb-e-ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher told Prothom Alo, “Two new faces have joined the executive council this time. Both are former presidents of Islami Chhatra Shibir.”

Elaborating on the inclusion, he further said, “They are qualified, and they have reached the age and capability required to serve in the executive council. Jamaat is trying to promote mid-level leaders. That is why we have brought them into the executive council.”

The central executive body of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is known as the Central Working Committee.

According to the party constitution, Jamaat forms the Central Working Committee to assist the ameer, comprising the required number of nayeb-e-ameers, one secretary general, the necessary number of assistant secretaries general, divisional secretaries and other members.

The previous Working Committee had 71 members, including 15 women. The party has now expanded the committee to 88 members, of whom 21 are women.

On 22 February, Jamaat published the list of the Central Working Committee. The list includes two former MPs and 15 newly elected MPs.

The party has included younger figures such as former Islami Chhatra Shibir president Zahidur Rahman and lawyer Mohammad Shishir Manir in the Central Working Committee.

Central assistant secretary general Hamidur Rahman Azad told Prothom Alo, “We must move forward by combining the young and the experienced. For that reason, we have brought many new faces into the central committee.”

For the first time, Jamaat has published the names of the women serving on the Working Committee.

They are Nurunnisa Siddika, Saeeda Rumman, Marzia Begum, Khondkar Ayesha Khatun, Sabikun Nahar Munni, Umme Nawrin, Habiba Akhter Chowdhury, Khondkar Ayesha Siddika, Rozina Akhtar, Irani Akhtar, Salma Sultana, Ayesha Siddika Parveen, Sufia Jamal, Mahbuba Jahan, Nazmun Nahar, Amina Begum, Shamima Begum, Ameena Begum, Umme Khaleda Jahan, Jannatul Karim and Mahbuba Khatun.

Relevant sources state that most of the female members belong to Jamaat’s women’s wing and held senior leadership positions in Islami Chhatri Sangstha during their student years.

Among them are the wives and daughters of the party’s ameer and other senior leaders.

Party sources confirm that Working Committee member Ameena Begum is the wife of Jamaat ameer Shafiqur Rahman. Habiba Akhter Chowdhury is the wife of central nayeb-e-ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher and previously served as president of Islami Chhatri Sangstha.

Khondkar Ayesha Begum is the wife of Mir Quasem Ali, who received a death sentence for crimes against humanity committed in 1971, and the mother of newly elected MP, Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem Arman. She was the founding president of Islami Chhatri Sangstha.

Sabikun Nahar Munni is the wife of Matiur Rahman Akanda, a member of the central executive council. Ayesha Siddika Parveen is the wife of Jamaat MP Syed Zainul Abedin, elected from Dhaka-4.

Jannatul Karim is the wife of central leader Fakhruddin Manik. In addition, Nurunnisa Siddika, Saeeda Rumman and Nazmun Nahar previously served as presidents of Islami Chhatri Sangstha.

When asked why the party had not previously published the names of female members, Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair, head of the publicity and media department, told Prothom Alo, “Earlier, we feared cases and harassment if we disclosed the names, so we did not publish them. This is the first time we have published the names of the women.”

Jamaat’s women’s wing operates separately on an organisational basis and functions directly under the supervision of the ameer or a leader nominated by him.

On this matter, central assistant secretary general Maulana Abdul Halim told Prothom Alo, “There is a question of Shariah as to why the women’s wing operates separately. Religiously, men and women have distinct identities. However, they complement one another. Men also support women in their work. For this reason, we maintain a distinction between men and women.”

Responsible party sources state that the Central Majlish-e-Shura previously had 384 members; the number has now increased to 402, including 119 women.

In the previous term, 114 women served in the Majlish-e-Shura. However, the party has not published the full list of names of the Majlish-e-Shura members.

Relevant sources note that the Central Majlis-e-Shura serves as Jamaat’s highest policymaking body. The Central Executive Council and the Working Committee must obtain approval for their activities from the Central Majlish-e-Shura.

For the first time, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has divided the entire country into 14 organisational regions, appointed regional directors, and published their names.

The party has also formed a five-member election commission and appointed senior assistant secretary general ATM Ma’sum as its head.

The party has appointed Abdul Halim for the Rangpur–Dinajpur region; ATM Azharul Islam for the Bogura region; Rafiqul Islam Khan for the Rajshahi region; Mobarak Hossain for the Kushtia and Jashore region; Izzat Ullah for the Khulna region; Muazzam Hossain for the Barishal region; Md Shahab Uddin for the Mymensingh region; secretary general Mia Golam Porwar for the Dhaka city region; Saiful Alam Khan for the Dhaka north region; Abdur Rob for the Dhaka south region; Hamidur Rahman Azad for the Faridpur region; Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair for the Sylhet region; ATM Ma’sum for the Cumilla and Noakhali region; and Mohammad Shahjahan for the Chattogram region.

In November last year, Shafiqur Rahman was elected ameer for a third consecutive three-year term.

Sworn members, known as rukun, elect the ameer through direct vote. At present, the party has 133,000 rukuns nationwide.

The party follows a separate process to determine candidates for the post of ameer. Members of the Majlish-e-Shura prepare a shortlist of three candidates through a secret ballot.

The party then circulates the names of those three candidates to rukun across the country. The rukuns subsequently elect the ameer by secret ballot.

The election commission declares the candidate who receives the highest number of votes as ameer.

Under the party constitution, the election of Majlish-e-Shura members takes place in three stages. In the first stage, rukuns across the country elect Shura members through a vote.

In the second stage, the elected Shura members include an additional 30 central leaders by secret ballot. In the third stage, the ameer exercises constitutional authority to add a number of members equivalent to one-fifth of those elected in the first stage.

At this stage, the party generally includes representatives from various professions—such as lawyers, physicians and engineers—as well as qualified leaders who did not secure election through the vote.

At the first session of the Central Majlish-e-Shura on 23 November, the party appointed ATM Azharul Islam as nayeb-e-ameer.

Owing to the overall situation, including the national election, the party did not announce the full committee at that time.

After nearly three months, it formed the posts of nayeb-e-ameer, assistant secretary general, executive council, working committee and Majlish-e-Shura.

Through the inclusion of both senior and younger leaders at all levels of its committees, Jamaat is signalling a message of organisational expansion and structural consolidation.

However, the absence of female representation in the executive council and the maintenance of a separate organisational structure for the women’s wing continue to leave room for debate in the current political context.