Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is a major right-wing to far-right political party in Bangladesh. It emerged from the East Pakistani wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (JIP) in 1979. A part of the Islamist movement Jamaat-e-Islami, it is the largest Islamist political party in the country, as well as one of the two contemporary mainstream parties, alongside the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
The party's origin lies in the original Jamaat-e-Islami organization founded by Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi in 1941 in British India. Jamaat's predecessor, the JIP, though actively participating in the pro-democracy movements of East Pakistan, opposed the independence of Bangladesh and supported Pakistani Forces in the Liberation War in 1971. It reportedly organized several pro-Pakistan groups, and participated in the genocide and other mass atrocities. After a period of post-independence ban on religion-based parties between 1972 and 1976, local members of the JIP merged with several other parties to form the Islamic Democratic League (IDL) in ahead of the general election. In 1979, the IDL was dissolved and the members of the erstwhile East Pakistan JIP reconvened to form the modern-day Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.
The Jamaat played crucial roles in the 1990 mass uprising, 1995 pro-caretaker government movement and 2024 July Uprising. Two of its leaders served in the BNP's coalition government between 2001 and 2006. However, between 2009 and 2024, leaders of the party were prosecuted for war crimes of 1971, its registration was cancelled and was eventually banned. Following the July Uprising, the ban was lifted and its registration was reinstated. Since 2026, it has been the main opposition to the BNP-led government in the Jatiya Sangsad.
Today, Jamaat's politics differ to the Maududi's vision for a totalitarian Islamic state, as it has since sought to portray itself moderate and centrist. The party supports a welfarist economy, and runs charity programmes. The party is controversial for its role in the Liberation War, ideological links to Islamic extremism, human rights abuses, and contradictory positions on women and sharia. As of 2026, Jamaat's strongest demographics include younger and educated people and socially conservative women.
Shafiqur Rahman has been serving as the emir (leader) and Miya Ghulam Parwar has been serving as the secretary-general of the party since 2019. The party maintains a network of affiliated organizations, including the Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir.
History Origins
The origin of modern Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party lies in the historical Jamaat-e-Islami movement, founded by Maulana Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi during the British Raj. The movement was established under the name of "Jamaat-e-Islami Hind" at Islamia Park, Lahore on 26 August 1941, as an "organizational platform" for promoting Maududi's vision of an Islamic state. Maududi was deeply concerned about the perceived decline of religious values due to the impact of Western secular ideologies on Muslim communities in India. Thus, he envisioned the Jamaat to be more than a political party – a "comprehensive Islamic movement" influencing all aspects of life through activities in social welfare, education, and political activism. Though the movement's stated goal was to promote social and political Islam, many analysts think that it was mainly formed from as an anti-communist force, which received favour from the British rulers.
Initially, Jamaat-e-Islami opposed the creation of a separate state of Pakistan for the Muslims of India, arguing that concept violated the Islamic doctrine of the ummah. He saw the partition as creating a temporal border that would divide Muslims from one another, The Jama'at -i-Islami was founded in 1941. Maulana Maududi being its founder strongly opposed the idea of creating Pakistan, a separate Muslim country, by dividing India, but surprisingly after the creation of Pakistan, he migrated to Lahore. Again in the beginning, he was opposed to and denounced the struggle for Kashmir as un-Islamic, for which he was imprisoned in 1950, but later on in 1965, he changed his views and endorsed the Kashmir war as Jihad. Maulana Maududi took an active part in demanding discriminative legislation and executive action against the Ahmadi sect leading to widespread rioting and violence in Pakistan. He was persecuted arrested and imprisoned for advocating his political ideas through his writings and speeches. During the- military regime from 1958 the Jama'at-iIslami was banned and was revived only in 1962, Maududi was briefly imprisoned. He refused to apologize for his actions or to request clemency from the government. He demanded his freedom to speak and accepted the punishment of death as the will of God. His fierce commitment to his ideals caused his supporters worldwide to rally for his release and the government acceded commuting his death sentence to a term of life imprisonment. Eventually, the military government pardoned Maulana Maududi completely while advocating for the whole of India to be reclaimed for Islam. However, Maududi eventually concluded supporting the creation of a Muslim-majority Pakistan as an opportunity to establish his envisioned Islamic state.
After the creation of Pakistan, Jamaat-e-Islami divided into separate Indian and Pakistani national organisations. When East Pakistan became independent as Bangladesh, the East Pakistan wing split out of the Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan and became Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh.
In East Pakistan (1955–1971) Following the establishment of Pakistan, significant imbalance emerged between the eastern and the western wings of the country. The East Bengal (later East Pakistan) remained structurally disadvantaged comparing to its western counterpart, in terms of both political and economic conditions. This also contributed to regional fractionalization of the party. For example, East Bengal chapter of Jamaat supported the Bengali Language Movement in 1952, which was opposed by the central party in West Pakistan as they classified it as "calls for a greater role for Bengali identity in the State".
Though initially favouring martial law, the East Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami participated in the democratic movement against president Ayub Khan following his government's family laws, which they deemed as un-Islamic. Emir of Jamaat-e-Islami East Pakistan branch Ghulam Azam was a member of the all-party democratic alliance was formed in 1965 against Khan's rule, which also included Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
During the late 1960s, Jamaat‑e‑Islami strongly resisted the rising socialist programs promoted by leaders such as Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in West Pakistan and Bhashani in East Pakistan. The party actively campaigned against these agendas, organized a large coalition of Islamic scholars and clerics, over a hundred ulema, who issued statements denouncing the Pakistan Peoples Party's socialism as "atheistic" and "anti‑Islam".
As the Six-Point Movement gained momentum in East Pakistan from 1966 onwards, Jamaat-e-Islami adopted a firm stance against it. The Six-Point Movement, put forth by the Awami League, demanded for extensive autonomy for East Pakistan and was viewed by Bengali nationalists as a charter for self-rule. The party viewed the movement as a divisive, secessionist agenda that threatened the solidarity of the Muslim nation and the integrity of Pakistan, as Jamaat-e-Islami's pan-Islamist ideology emphasized the unity of the country based on Islamic principles.
In the 1970 general election, Jamaat failed to gain any National Assembly seat from East Pakistan.
Bangladesh Liberation War (1971)
In 1971, Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan opposed the independence of Bangladesh and the dismemberment of Pakistan. Ghulam Azam, then head of Jamaat-e-Islami East Pakistan, delivered several speeches after 25 March 1971, excerpts of which were regularly published in the party's mouthpiece, The Daily Sangram. On 30 June in Lahore, while speaking to journalists, Azam stated that his party was making every effort to suppress what he described as the activities of "miscreants" in East Pakistan, and that many Jamaat workers had been killed by these elements as a result of their efforts.
The party actively supported the military intervention in East Pakistan and participated in a variety of human rights abuses against the civilian population of the region. It played a key role in organizing pro‑Pakistan collaborationist bodies. On 4 April 1971, twelve pro‑Pakistan leaders, including Nurul Amin, Azam, and Syed Khwaja Khairuddin, met General Tikka Khan of the Pakistan Army and assured him of their cooperation in suppressing the independence movement. Following a series of meetings, they announced the formation of the East Pakistan Central Peace Committee, which initially included 140 members, among them 96 Jamaat‑e‑Islami members who began training at an Ansar camp on Khanjahan Ali Road in Khulna. The committee was also alleged to have been involved in recruiting Razakar paramilitaries to assist the Pakistan Army.
On 12 October 1971, President Yahya Khan declared that elections would take place between 25 November and 9 December. Jamaat‑e‑Islami East Pakistan decided that the party would participate in the local elections. According to a government declaration issued on 2 November, 53 candidates were to be elected without contest, and Jamaat‑e‑Islami secured 14 of these uncontested seats.Muldhara '71 (মূলধারা '৭১ Mainstream '71) by Moidul Hasan, page. 128, footnote. 177. published by University Press Limited.
On 2 December 1971, according to a report in The Daily Ittefaq, Azam held a one‑hour and ten‑minute meeting with President Khan in Rawalpindi. After the meeting, Azam addressed a press conference where he urged the public to give their full support to the armed forces in dealing with the ongoing crisis. He again described the Mukti Bahini as an enemy force and stated that the Razakars were sufficient to confront them, further calling for an increase in the number of Razakars.
In Bangladesh (1971–present) Ban (1972–1976) Following the independence of Bangladesh, religion-based politics was banned by the government of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, then-prime minister of Bangladesh. Jamaat's top leaders fled to Pakistan, and Ghulam Azam's citizenship was scrapped by the Bangladeshi government. Azam first fled to Pakistan and organized "East Pakistan Recovery Week". As information about his participation in the killing of civilians came to light "a strong groundswell of resentment against" East Pakistan JI leadership developed and Azam and Maulana Abdur Rahim were sent to Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, Azam and some of his followers successfully appealed for donations to "defend Islam" in Bangladesh, asserting that the ruling government was undermining Islam by imposing secularism and socialism, and the Hindu minority there were "killing Muslims and burning their homes." Many of the Jamaat-aligned leaders in Bangladesh, hiding their identity, mixed with then-active opposition groups in Bangladesh, such as the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal.
Rehabilitation (1976–1991)
In 1975, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated by a group of officers of Bangladesh Army, which resulted a drastic change in Bangladeshi politics. Post-Mujibur governments were immediately recognized by both Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, and Jamaat-e-Islami resumed political activities in Bangladesh. Following the Sipahi–Janata Revolution of November 1975, Bangladesh's de facto military leader and later president Major General Ziaur Rahman actively pushed for the Islamization in the country.