Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman on Saturday said the political group that had long demanded elections “relentlessly” is now speaking in a different tone.
Indirectly referring to the BNP, he said their behaviour “does not signal anything good” and that they may have realised the public is prepared to show them the red card.
He made the remarks at a divisional rally of eight Islamic and like-minded parties at the Alia Madrasa grounds in Sylhet.
Shafiqur Rahman said the people had hoped that after years of bloodshed and sacrifice, politicians would turn away from past misdeeds and start anew. Instead, he said, one group remains stuck in its old practices, rejecting reforms and initially refusing to accept a referendum, only to later force the government to hold it in a single day.
Calling on Islamic parties that have yet to join hands, he urged them to return to the “fold of Islam,” saying those who label Muslims as militants cannot be their allies.
He said although “fascists” have fled the country, the shadow of fascism remains. One group committed misdeeds and fled, he said, while another has now taken on the burden of those actions. One exploited people through extortion, he said, and now another is doing the same with even greater force.
Saturday’s gathering concluded the divisional rallies of eight Islamic parties pressing for a referendum and a five-point set of demands before the national election.
Speakers included Islami Andolon Bangladesh Ameer Charmonair Pir Mufti Syed Faizul Karim, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Ameer Allama Mamunul Haque, Mawlana Abdul Basit Azad, Moulana Sarwar kamal Azizi, Mawlana Habibullah Miyaji, JAGPA central vice-president Rashed Prodhan and Bangladesh Development Party chair advocate AKM Anwarul Islam Chan.
