Dhaka: Showcasing the rampant rise in Islamic fundamentalism across Bangladesh, a coalition of the country’s Islamic parties has demanded the abolition of the Women’s Affairs Reform Commission, sparking fresh concerns over women’s rights in the country.
The coalition — united under the banner ‘Jatiya Olama Mashayekh Aemma’, has also rejected the recommendations of the Commission and called for a new commission comprising “pious, educated, and socially conscious women who truly represent the country’s female population”, Business Standard BD reported.
The call was made by religious radicals at a national seminar titled ‘Islamophobia of the Women Reform Commission and our Responsibilities’, held on Wednesday at the Institution of Diploma Engineers in Dhaka. The event was organised by the ‘Ulama Mashayekh Aimma Parishad.’
The speakers said that many of the commission’s recommendations are inspired by Western ideologies and contradict Bangladesh’s social realities, culture, values, and the true needs and struggles of the country’s women.
Shafiqur Rahman, leader of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, said: “We reject this commission outright as it stands against the values and laws of Allah, and the thoughts and beliefs of the nation. Rejecting the commission means rejecting its report as well.”
“We don’t want a movement, but if forced, we won’t hesitate to take to the streets,” he warned.
Criticising what he called contradictions in the commission’s approach, he said, “On one hand, they talk about equal rights, and on the other, they push for women’s quotas everywhere. If rights are equal, why the need for quotas? Let women earn positions based on merit, not reservation.”
Mamnunul Haque, secretary general of Khelafat Majlish, said: “Islam grants women fair rights – not equal rights, but just rights. Equal rights would push women into competition with men in a way that disadvantages them,” Dhaka Tribune reported.
He added: “We make a clear appeal: grant women their just rights. Do not push them into prostitution or turn mothers into a symbol of disgrace. This is a destructive agenda aimed at ruining society and destroying Bangladesh. This must stop.”
At the event, speakers claimed that instead of addressing the issues of women who fall into prostitution due to trafficking, sexual abuse, and poverty, the commission has attempted to legally recognise prostitution as a profession, thereby legitimising a “cursed life for women”.
UNI
