Dominance of political leaders ‘led Hefazat to violence’
Many of recently defunct Hefazat committee members were leaders of BNP-led 20-party alliance
The alleged involvement in recent violent demonstrations, including arson and vandalism in Brahmanbaria and Chattogram, of different Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh leaders, affiliated with different political parties, has put it in a difficult situation.
For the violence, law enforcement agencies and apolitical Heazat leaders are blaming those leaders of the organisation who came from various political parties.
Police have already arrested 19 Hefazat leaders associated with various political parties for their alleged involvement in the violence. However, at the beginning, the organisation, founded by Allama Shafi in Chattogram's Hathazari in 2010, was not dominated by political leaders.
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After the death of Ahmad Shafi, a 151-member full committee of Hefazat-e-Islam was formed on 15 November 2020 with Junaid Babunagari as amir and Nur Hossain Qasemi as secretary general.
Many of the committee members were political leaders of parties that are allies of the BNP-led 20-party alliance. There was a suppressed anger in Hefazat centring the issue, and the law enforcement forces were closely monitoring.
Hefazat leaders said most of the political leaders of Hefazat were mainly affiliated with five Islamic political parties. They are: Khelafat Majlish, Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam (JUIB), Khelafat Andolan, Nezam-e-Islami and Islami Oikyjote. Some of these parties are allies of the BNP-led 20-party alliance.
Most of the Hefazat leaders arrested so far — for alleged involvement in the 26 March arson and vandalism in Brahmanbaria and Hathazari protesting
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bangladesh — are leaders of JUIB, an ally of the BNP-led coalition.
Confirming the matter, Hefazat's immediate past central Publicity Secretary Zakaria Noman said, "Recently, 22 leaders of various committees, including
Hefazat-e-Islam's central committee, have been arrested. Among them, 11 leaders are from JUIB including its Vice-President of Maulana Abdur Rab Yousufi.
Besides, Maulana Noor Hossain Kasemi, the recently deceased secretary general of the recently dissolved central committee of Hefazat, was the secretary general of JUIB. Hefazat's two joint secretaries general, Maulana Junaid Al Habib and Maulana Nasir Uddin Munir, are said to be central leaders of the JUIB.
Among those, arrested in connection with the violent movement against Narendra Modi's visit to Dhaka, are Maulana Mamunul Haque, immediate past joint secretary general of Hefazat and secretary general of the Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis; immediate past Naib-e-Amir of Hefazat and secretary general of Khelafat Majlis Ahmed Abdul Quader.
It is learned that 22 leaders of Khelafat Majlish and Bangladesh Khelafat Maslish were in the recently dissolved committee of Hefazat.
Besides, Azizul Haque Islamabadi, central organising secretary of the defunct Hefazat committee, is the joint secretary general of Bangladesh Nezame Islam Party and Acting Amir of Dhaka City unit; while assistant secretary general of the defunct Hefazat central committee Jubayer Ahmed is serving as the joint secretary general of Islami Oikyjote (Amini faction).
Five months ago, when Junaid Babungari was declared the emir of the committee, there was a demand to remove the leaders with political identity from custody. But there are allegations that the situation went beyond the control of the Hefazat leaders at that time under the pressure of the allies of the BNP-led 20-party alliance.
Five months ago, when Babunagari was declared Amir of the central Hefazat committee, there was a demand to remove political leaders from the organisation. But the situation went beyond the control of Hefazat leaders at that time under pressure from their allies, the BNP-led 20-party alliance.
Mufti Harun Izhar, education and cultural secretary of Hefazat-e-Islam, told The Business Standard, "From the beginning, the government has been concerned about the affiliation of political parties with Hefazat. Not only the government, but a section of Hefazat leaders were also against the inclusion of political leaders in the organisation. This initiative has been taken to get out of the situation created under political pressure and to reorganise Hefazat with non-political Islamic scholars."
