What can be done to tackle the new dawn of moral policing?

On Tuesday, "protesters," including locals and madrasa students, marched to a football pitch in Joypurhat's Akkelpur upazila and proceeded to tear down the fence, according to media reports.  

The incident was cast live on Facebook and a women's football match at the Tilakpur High School ground scheduled for Wednesday was called off. 

The protesters were successful in barring what they viewed as "anti-Islamic" activities: women playing sports.  

Earlier, on 19 January, some locals attacked and vandalised the Regent Park Resort in the Silam area of Dakshin Surma upazila in Sylhet resulting in 12 unmarried males and females, who were staying in different rooms of the resort, being harassed. 

Eight of them were married off by the locals, while the remaining four youths were released to their guardians as they were not of marriageable age.

The disturbing incident includes extremely questionable details but, perhaps, more importantly, begs the question: What can tackle this new surge of moral policing across the country, targeting women? 

'Not isolated occurrences, but part of a more sinister pattern'

Professor Zubaida Nasreen from the Department of Anthropology at Dhaka University stated, "Mob violence [and moral policing] has always been present, but since 5 August, it has escalated significantly, particularly targeting women. We have witnessed numerous such incidents following that date, and the recent event in Joypurhat is yet another addition to this troubling series. 

"These are not isolated or random occurrences; they are part of a broader, more sinister pattern."

She continued, "The interim government has failed to restore law and order, and as a result, we are seeing these fanatics organising mob violence with impunity. This, in my view, is a complete failure on the part of the interim government to uphold its basic responsibilities."

"Mob violence [and moral policing] has always been present, but since 5 August, it has escalated significantly, particularly targeting women. We have witnessed numerous such incidents following that date, and the recent event in Joypurhat is yet another addition to this troubling series. These are not isolated or random occurrences; they are part of a broader, more sinister pattern." Professor Zubaida Nasreen, Department of Anthropology, Dhaka University

Earlier, referring to the Sylhet incident, human rights activist and Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua expressed his concerns to TBS about how these incidents mean a weak state that cannot control its mob. 

Professor Nasreen, said, addressing the Sylhet resort incident, that more than moral policing, it is more about patriarchal power practice. 

"In our country, undefined relationships between males and females are not taken normally in many places. A couple living in a resort out of wedlock is considered a social crime. More than moral policing it is about power practice over the weak; patriarchal power practised over a woman, communal power practised over a young couple who wants to spend time before committing to marriage," she told TBS earlier. 

She continued, "It's very obvious that your ideology may not be similar to others, but that does not permit you to impose yours over them. However, when a mob focuses on moral policing, it will find a reason that best fits its ideas," she added. 

We asked Abdus Salam Khan, the director general of the Islamic Foundation whether a marriage like this is acceptable or permissible in Islam. "We don't know what happened there, whether they actually gave their consent for the marriage or not. So we cannot just comment," he replied. He also explained, if the couple gave their consent under duress or out of fear, then it is not acceptable.  

But is being in a relationship outside of a marriage a punishable crime? 

Not really. The Penal Code of 1860 has article 497 regarding adultery, which addresses the case of 'extra-marital relationship' in which the man "shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years, or with fine, or with both. In such a case, the wife shall not be punished as an abettor."

This was not the case in Sylhet.

Last year, the September Cox's Bazar Beach incident also showed signs of this surge of "moral policing" where a mob of people target and harass women. In that case, two women, according to the perpetrators, were dressed inappropriately. 

Not just women, this moral policing can reach far and beyond gender lines. In December, a group that calls itself the Muslim Consumers' Rights Council organised a rally demanding a boycott of restaurants that do not serve beef. This escalated into a mob chanting slogans in front of a restaurant in Old Dhaka's Bangshal area. 

They chanted, "No-beef restaurants are agents of India and Hindutva. Boycott such establishments" and "Cow dung or beef? Beef! Beef!"

They demanded that all restaurants be mandated to include beef dishes on their menus, threatening closure for those that fail to comply.

In response to this, Imran Hasan, Secretary of Bangladesh Restaurant Owners Association, said, "What I will serve in my hotel or restaurant, is absolutely my decision. You have no right to say anything. If you don't like my menu, don't come. What these people did was try to create instability in the society, nothing else."

"Although we are terming this incident as 'moral policing', what they did in Sylhet is clearly a criminal offence," said Barrister Barua, citing property trespassing, vandalism and harassment and interrogation of the victims.  

In layman's language, according to the barrister, these incidents simply are hooliganism, and not just on the state or its citizens, but rather on the entire law enforcement system of Bangladesh. 

"As if these bullies are saying, 'We don't need you to restore order, we can do it ourselves. We will do whatever we want, you cannot do anything about it'. This should not be allowed. It is a big challenge for the administration of law. If the state indulges in these, there will be a time when there will be no control," he added.

Regarding the interim government's decision to re-organise the match, Professor Nasreen remarked, "This is not the appropriate way to address mob violence. By focusing on superficial measures, you are failing to tackle the root causes of the violence. I have serious doubts that such solutions will yield any meaningful or lasting results."

Imran Hossain contributed to this report.