Recent poll ranks it as the nation’s most “liked” party, signalling a shift in the political landscape
DHAKA: Once vilified for opposing Bangladesh’s independence and barred from elections for over a decade, Jamaat-e-Islami is reinventing itself and gaining support ahead of next month’s parliamentary polls, raising concern among moderates and minority communities.
The party’s revival began after a youth-led uprising in August 2024 toppled Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. With Hasina’s Awami League banned, Jamaat is banking on an image of anti-corruption, welfare outreach, and a publicly more inclusive stance to achieve what analysts describe as its strongest electoral performance to date.
A December poll by the US-based International Republican Institute (IRI) ranked Jamaat as the nation’s most “liked” party, projecting a close contest with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for the February 12 election.
“We started welfare politics, not reactionary politics,” Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman told Reuters, citing medical camps, flood relief, and support for families of those killed in the uprising, which the UN says claimed around 1,400 lives. “The constructive politics we are pursuing now will earn the trust of the people.”
Jamaat’s roots lie in the pan-Islamist movement founded in India in the 1940s. The party opposed Bangladesh’s independence, and during Hasina’s rule, many leaders were executed or imprisoned in a war crimes tribunal criticized by international human rights groups. In 2013, a court barred Jamaat from elections, ruling its charter conflicted with Bangladesh’s secular constitution.
The ban was lifted last year. Jamaat’s student wing swept Dhaka University polls, defeating the Gen-Z National Citizen Party (NCP), formed by leaders of the anti-Hasina movement. The party later formed an electoral alliance with the NCP, a move analysts say may help soften its image.
“We want something new, and the new option is Jamaat,” said Mohammad Jalal, a Dhaka street vendor. “They have a clean image and work for the country.”
Political analyst Shafi Md. Mostafa noted that public anger over authoritarian abuses during Hasina’s tenure has aided Jamaat’s revival. “The Awami League’s authoritarian tendencies have created frustration, allowing Jamaat to present itself as a moral alternative under the banner of ‘Islam as a solution,’” he said.
For the first time, Jamaat has nominated a Hindu candidate and publicly condemned recent attacks on minorities. The party also promises equal rights for women, though no female candidates have been named for the 300 parliamentary seats. Rahman said women could gain representation through the 50 proportional representation seats allocated after the election.
