Hefazat Amir Declares Jamaat Vote Unlawful

Hefazat-e-Islam’s Amir, Allama Muhibbullah Babunagari, has ignited fresh political controversy by declaring that Muslims should not vote for Jamaat-e-Islami, asserting that such a vote would be religiously impermissible. His remarks, delivered during a religious gathering in Chattogram, have since circulated widely on social media, intensifying debate ahead of the next parliamentary election.

The comments were made on Thursday evening, 5 February, at the Kazi’r Hat Boro Madrasa in Fatikchhari upazila, following the completion of a Bukhari Sharif khatam. Speaking before a large audience, Allama Babunagari stated unequivocally that voting for Jamaat-e-Islami would not be “jaez” (permissible) for Muslims and went further to label such an act as “haram”.

A video recording of the speech surfaced online the following day, Friday, 6 February, drawing swift attention across digital platforms. Notably, the event was attended by Sarwar Alamgir, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) nominated candidate for the Chattogram-2 (Fatikchhari) constituency. Addressing the gathering in Alamgir’s presence, the Hefazat Amir urged Muslims to rally against Jamaat-e-Islami, framing the political contest in stark ideological and religious terms.

In a striking passage of his speech, Allama Babunagari described the political struggle against Jamaat-e-Islami as a form of “jihad”, emphasising that, in his view, the issue transcended conventional electoral politics. He warned that if Jamaat-e-Islami were to come to power, it would undermine the very foundations of Islam and faith, using dramatic language to underscore what he portrayed as an existential threat to religious values.

He also referred to Jamaat-e-Islami as a “rog katar gোষ্ঠী” (literally, a “throat-slitting group”), a phrase that further heightened the severity of his criticism and stirred strong reactions among political observers and supporters of different parties.

Such remarks are not unprecedented. Allama Babunagari has, on several occasions in the past, expressed sharply critical views of Jamaat-e-Islami, often accusing the party of ideological deviation and political opportunism. However, the explicit declaration that voting for Jamaat is religiously forbidden marks one of his strongest interventions in electoral discourse to date.

The episode highlights the continued entanglement of religion and politics in Bangladesh, particularly as influential religious leaders weigh in on electoral choices. With campaigning intensifying, the statement is likely to provoke responses from Jamaat-e-Islami and fuel further debate over the role of clerics in shaping political behaviour.

Key Details of the Event

As the political climate grows increasingly charged, such declarations underscore how religious authority continues to influence public opinion and electoral narratives in the country.