Nearly two decades after it was effectively abandoned in the aftermath of a nationwide crackdown on Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), a madrasa once associated with the group’s founder and executed chief Shaykh Abdur Rahman has resumed operations in Jamalpur, raising questions about the re-emergence of institutions linked to Bangladesh’s militant past.
The Charshi Habirunnesa Hafizia Madrasa, where Shaykh Abdur Rahman taught and which was later alleged to have been used for militant training, was reopened in early 2025 by his younger brother, Obaidur Rahman.
A convicted JMB associate, Obaidur spent more than 13 years in prison before returning to oversee the institution’s revival.
The reopening came within months of the political changes that followed the 2024 mass uprising. Local administrators say no formal approval was sought to restart the madrasa, while its current operators insist it is now a regular educational institution serving local children.
Situated in Charshi Khalifa Para under Titpalla Union, about 15 kilometres from Jamalpur town, the madrasa occupies nearly 1 acre of land and remains closely tied to one of Bangladesh’s most infamous militant families.
Founded in 1975 by Abdullah Ibn Fazal, also known as Fazal Munshi, the father of Shaykh Abdur Rahman, the institution gained notoriety after law enforcement agencies dismantled JMB following the group’s coordinated bomb attacks across 63 districts on 17 August 2005.
Although JMB publicly emerged through those attacks, the organisation had been operating for years and was linked to a series of killings in Rajshahi’s Bagmara area under the banner of combating left-wing extremists.
Shaykh Abdur Rahman, his deputy Siddiqur Rahman alias Bangla Bhai, his brother Ataur Rahman Sani and several other top JMB leaders were sentenced to death and executed in March 2007. The madrasa subsequently fell into disuse and remained inactive for years.
Today, however, signs of activity have returned.
A visit to the campus on Saturday found classes underway and several students on the premises. A mosque stands at the entrance, followed by three semi-permanent buildings, one used as an administrative office and the others as classrooms. Men and women were seen drying paddy in the madrasa field.
According to assistant teacher Mohammad Rakib, the institution currently provides education from pre-primary to Grade five and has more than 100 students enrolled in Bangla-medium and Noorani programmes. Monthly fees range between Tk200 and Tk500.
Assistant Director Mohammad Shahjamal said the madrasa employs 11 staff members, including teachers and support personnel, all recruited from the local area. The institution’s current head teacher, Mohammad Zakaria Hossain, drew a stark contrast between the madrasa’s past and present.
“Around 2000, the madrasa was very active, but none of the teachers or students were from this area. They were all outsiders,” he told TIMES of Bangladesh. “No one was allowed to enter. People could not see what was happening inside. Everything was controlled by Shaykh Abdur Rahman.”
He said the situation has changed dramatically. “Now the gates remain open all the time. Anyone can enter, inspect the madrasa and see its activities.”
Zakaria also noted that attempts to reopen the institution in previous years often drew immediate attention from law enforcement. “Even two years ago, if someone tried to restart the madrasa without informing the authorities, police would arrive. The situation is different now. The madrasa is operating and, Alhamdulillah, we are doing well.”
Contacted by phone, Obaidur Rahman’s wife, Sabina Khatun, dismissed concerns over the madrasa’s past and claimed recent scrutiny stemmed from a local land dispute. “My husband spent 13 years in prison. A person involved in a land conflict with us is trying to revive old allegations and spread rumours,” she said.
She added that local and district-level political leaders had been informed about the issue and had expressed support. “Local children are studying here. That is all we want. We have no other agenda,” she said.
Obaidur Rahman later confirmed that he had reopened the madrasa following the political transition in 2024 and carried out renovation work on the premises. “We restarted the madrasa after the uprising and renovated the facilities. Later, we organised a large religious gathering attended by influential political figures from the district,” he said.
Asked whether any government agency had approved the reopening, Obaidur argued that no permission was required. “No authority formally shut down the madrasa, so there was no need to seek permission to reopen it,” he said.
He added that the institution now operates on donations from local residents and receives some government support.
While madrasa authorities insist the institution has severed all ties with its controversial past, its revival under the stewardship of a former JMB convict and sibling of the executed militant chief has renewed attention on a site that once stood at the centre of one of Bangladesh’s deadliest extremist networks.
