Bangladesh's Descent: How Islamic Fundamentalism Threatens Women's Rights

It added that Bangladeshi women who have played a crucial role in the country’s progress face opposition from the radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, whose chief insists that they devote more time to their families, while other leaders openly call for restricting women from working, a report said on Friday.

"Attacks and harassment of female sportspersons have become common. Chhayanaut, a renowned cultural institution in Dhaka, has almost stopped public programmes. Police are hesitant to permit Tagore song and dance events. Fundamentalists openly harass women over dress. In one case, a Dhaka University employee harassed a woman for attire he deemed ‘un-Islamic’. When police arrested him on her sexual harassment complaint, a mob freed him and gave him a hero’s welcome. He later shared a stage with religious leaders," a report in ‘Northeast News’ detailed.

Earlier this month, the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government scrapped a proposal to hire music teachers in primary schools. Since Bangladesh’s Liberation from Pakistan 54 years ago, music has been part of the school curriculum, but Islamists oppose it as an "un-Islamic" practice and are demanding the appointment of teachers for Islamic studies instead.

"There are some 15–20 thousand such madrasas teaching Arabic and promoting the most fundamentalist Wahhabi interpretation of the Quran. This is just one example of a changing Bangladesh, fast emerging as the latest hotspot of Islamic fundamentalism," the report mentioned.

The report highlighted the turn of events immediately following the July uprising, when Islamists went on a rampage across the country, destroying sculptures—including those of the leaders of the freedom movement against Pakistan.

“This was followed by widespread attacks on Sufi Islamic mazars or shrines. Nearly 80 per cent of these shrines now stand destroyed. There were multiple attacks on Sufi singers, including incidents where they were forcibly shaved to conform to austere Islamic traditions,” it stated

According to the report, last year’s July demonstrations that toppled the Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina are no longer viewed as a spontaneous student protest. Jamaat has claimed full credit for orchestrating the protests with its Deputy Chief, asserting, “our movement from start to finish.”

The report stressed that the success of the demonstrations has emboldened Islamists who already function as the de facto power brokers within the Yunus administration and now seek to seize power outright.

“How this unfolds remains to be seen, but Bangladesh could soon pose a greater problem for the world than Pakistan. In Pakistan, power rests with the army and the judiciary retains some independence. Dhaka, by contrast, has a weak army reliant on UN peacekeeping missions. The trend suggests Bangladesh may soon reach new heights of Islamic extremism—and its army may be too feeble to control it,” it noted.

- IANS