Controversy engulfed Jamaat-e-Islami’s Shafiqur Rahman after his derogatory social media swipe at working women, labeling their careers ‘moral downfall.’ Now, amid mounting pressure, the party chief has adopted a conciliatory tone, promising ironclad safeguards for women’s honor if Jamaat seizes power.
Reports from local media captured the Saturday post that ignited fury across Bangladesh. Political adversaries and advocacy groups united in denouncing it as a threat to hard-won gender advances.
Rahman addressed the furor head-on at a Kurigram election event. The Daily Star reported his words: ‘We guarantee complete safety and dignity in your homes, on streets, at work—everywhere.’ He roused the crowd: ‘My country protects mothers above all. Sisters and daughters, fear not; claim your space boldly in people’s Bangladesh.’
He countered narratives by implicating BNP in a supposed account hack for character assassination. BNP’s Tarique Rahman struck hard, as per Bonik Barta: ‘Those disparaging women, deriding their work, aiming to lock mothers indoors—they’re no friends of the people or patriots.’
Jamaat’s women’s wing secretary Noorunnisa Siddika fueled prior debates, asserting no top roles for women under Islamic rules, with males as protectors. ‘Rights matter more than leadership posts,’ she clarified.
As campaigns intensify, Rahman’s repositioning eyes women voters strategically. Is it heartfelt evolution or election-year tactics? The incident underscores fractures in Bangladesh’s political fabric over women’s roles, with implications for the nation’s democratic future.