Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s women wing on Sunday said there is no scope for a woman to hold the party’s topmost leadership position, citing Islamic principles.
“Jamaat-e-Islami is an Islamic party and it is normal that an Islamic party must follow Islam. The Holy Quran states that men are the guardians of women. It is a Quranic directive and an obligation. Based on this, women cannot assume the top leadership position in any Islamic party,” said Jamaat’s Women Wing Secretary Nurunnisa Siddiqa replying to a question from reporters in the city’s Nirbachan Bhaban.
Earlier, a delegation from the Jamaat-e-Islami Women Wing met Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin in the afternoon.
Nurunnisa said holding a top position is not the core issue, rather ensuring women’s rights is what truly matters.
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“Over the last 54 years, Bangladesh had two women prime ministers who remained in office for a long time. But have women’s problems been solved? Has violence against women declined? Have women’s rights been ensured? So, only having women in the top position does not automatically bring meaningful change,” she said.
“That is why we do not consider attaining top leadership positions to be essential,” she added.
Nurunnisa also claimed that women have significant representation within Jamaat’s organisational structure, noting that some 43 percent of members in the party’s Majlis-e-Shura advisory committee are women.
During the meeting, the Women Wing submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission, alleging attacks on Jamaat’s women activists during election campaigns and accusing certain quarters of being involved in what they described as a ‘deep conspiracy’ to obstruct women’s political participation.
The delegation included Women Wing Assistant Secretary Saida Rahman and Habiba Chowdhury, who is in charge of political affairs.
Dr Habiba Akhter Chowdhury said women constitute nearly 50 percent of the country’s total voters. “So, we (women) want a free, fair and peaceful voting environment as our mothers and sisters could not get scope to exercise their voting rights for the last 15 to 16 years.
“Now, a vested group is conspiring deeply to deprive women of this opportunity again,” she alleged.
Habiba claimed that they submitted documents with photographs of attacks on Jamaat women to the Election Commission.
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“Intimidation will not work. Women are not weak—we are courageous. Wherever obstacles arise, resistance will be built, Insha’Allah,” she said.
Habiba added that the Election Commissioners listened attentively to their complaints and assured them of taking necessary measures.