Recognise martyrs of mass uprising as ‘National Heroes’: Shafiqur Rahman

Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Dr Shafiqur Rahman, has called for the martyrs of the 2024 mass uprising to be officially recognised as "national heroes." 

"We express our gratitude and congratulations to everyone who supported us in this struggle. We pray for the forgiveness of the departed souls and the highest honour for their martyrdom," he said during a meet the press event with UK-based Bangla media journalists in East London yesterday (19 November). 

The ameer also emphasised the vital role of expatriates in supporting Bangladesh through remittances. He urged them to complement their monetary contributions with "intelligence remittance," explaining that such intellectual input would significantly contribute to the nation's development. 

"In this way, expatriates can make an immense contribution to building the Bangladesh of our dreams," he said.  

Touching on corruption under previous governments, the Jamaat leader criticised the rampant misuse of public funds. 

"The level of development we could have achieved hasn't been realised. In other countries in our region, similar development projects are completed at one-third of the cost we incur. Here, deadlines are repeatedly extended, and project costs are inflated. This is how the country has been looted and left destitute," he alleged.  

When asked about Jamaat's controversial role in 1971, Dr Rahman stated, "If we made any mistakes during 1971 and they are proven beyond doubt, I will apologise to the nation." 

Referring to the conviction of Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin by the UK court, he said, "British judges observed that the verdict by our War Crimes Tribunal amounted to a 'genocide of justice.' For 15 years, we were not allowed to sit in our office, speak publicly, or even hold a rally. We couldn't reach out to the nation through journalists."  

He further lamented how corruption and disunity have hindered the nation's progress. 

"Corruption is a national disgrace for us. The UK has managed to maintain a reputation of integrity, earning global respect. But we have failed. If those in charge of running society are not honest, society cannot prosper," he observed.  

The meet the press event was also attended by Barrister Abu Bakr Molla, Jamaat-e-Islami's European spokesperson. It was conducted by Abu Saleh Yahya, with Quran recitation by Imam Uddin and patriotic songs performed by artist Kamal Hossain. 

Over 50 journalists from various UK-based Bangla media outlets participated in the event.