The fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami is seeking to reposition itself politically. It is desperate to re-enter actively in Bangladesh’s political space with a name change, even seeking forgiveness for its role during the 1971 Independence War.
There is no reason to feel happy about it as my hunch says it is only a ploy to return to power on its own or piggybacking itself on the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Many of its members have joined the ruling Awami League over the past 10 years and are lying low.
The moment it gets a new name, it is most likely to go into action undermining the secular society that the Awami League is trying to restore. It will surely create internal security issues to overthrow the current government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Besides, even if they apologise, will their victims or their families will accept it or not, remains a big issue. Thus the process of reinventing itself for the Jamaat is not as simple as media reports suggest.
One may question how the members of Jamaat and its student wing, the Islami Chhatra Shibir, would be able to give up their stone-age stand on society, religion, women and many other issues. It has been labelled as a “terrorist” organisation by the West. This means the Jamaat and Shibir have the blood of merciless terrorists on their hands. And that does not change in a day.
They have their loyalty to Pakistan till date. Islamabad openly says that the Jamaat was their foot in Bangladesh and has condemned the killings of war criminals, mostly belonging to this fundamentalist party.
It is more likely an eyewash and a ploy to somehow return to active politics for the Jamaat, eventually to target their enemy --- the Awami League and Sheikh Hasina. This party insulted Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and had attacked progressive forces when two of its executed leaders were made ministers in BNP chief Khaleda Zia’s cabinet between 2001-2006.
The very first thing that Jamaat must do is to expel all those who had links with killings in 1971, those who collaborated with the Pakistani army, those who still hold Pakistan closer to their hearts than Bangladesh and those involved in supporting radicalisation or Islamic terrorists.
The most important point is that it has to give up its Moududi-based beliefs which differ grossly from the Islam that is practised across the world and is incorrect.
“To most Pakistanis and to those who have been associated with various Islamic political outfits in countries like Egypt, Indonesia, Syria and Malaysia, Abul Ala Maududi is to 'Political Islam' what Karl Marx was to Communism.” (The Dawn, Pakistan)
Jamaat’s assistant secretary general Barrister Abdur Razzak has quit over the renaming and apology issues with the older leadership. He is a different face compared to other Jamaat leaders executed for war crimes or still holding onto party power.
It would take several generations for the Jamaat to think of doing a new kind of politics in Bangladesh, but like ex-Nazis in Germany, none in Bangladesh want them anywhere near our political system.
The party has lost its right to contest elections. Demands to ban it have been growing with the government moving slowly towards that end.
Thus it is indeed a last-minute effort to save the party for the sake of its own existence and keeping the Pakistan factor alive in Bangladesh.
Therefore, it would be wise on our part not to allow the Jamaat either with its old or new name, to operate in Bangladesh. We have ignored the West on many issues and except for the United States, none of the other countries has accepted the Jamaat as we saw in 2001.
Washington’s ambassadors in Dhaka have often praised Jamaat for being a very “democratic” party!!! They must clarify if they believe that cutting off the tendons of opponents is a democratic practice.
Nadeem Qadir is the Consulting Editor, Daily Sun and a UN Dag Hammarskjöld fellow.