United News of Bangladesh

BNP on Sunday questioned the credibility of Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer’s claim that his social media account was hacked, saying the claim came nearly nine hours after a controversial anti-women post triggered widespread criticism. “After facing strong criticism over a misogynistic post, the hacking claim was made around 1:00am. How reasonable is it to make such a claim nine hours later?” said BNP Election Steering Committee Spokesperson Mahdi Amin. Speaking at a press conference at the party’s Gulshan election office, he said if any important or verified social media account is hacked, the first responsibility is to inform the public immediately to prevent confusion. “But in this case, the hacking claim came only after public anger spread. Naturally, questions arise about how credible this claim is.” Mahdi also said that during the period in question, several posts were made from the Jamaat Ameer’s Facebook account, but there was no mention that his X (formerly Twitter) account was hacked. Chhatra Dal protests Jamaat Ameer’s anti-women remarks on X He said a General Diary (GD) was filed with Hatirjheel Police Station around 3:30am, where it was stated that the hacking was detected at 4:55pm. “If that is true, why was the GD filed nearly 12 hours later? Is there any reasonable explanation for this delay?” the BNP spokesperson asked. Mahdi, also an adviser to BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman, questioned how the account could be recovered so quickly after the hacking claim. He said BNP clearly stands for women’s personal freedom, dignity and equal rights, but the language used by the Jamaat Ameer and the mindset reflected in the controversial post are unacceptable in any civilised society. “This is a clear expression of misogyny.” The BNP leader said the verified X account of Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman allegedly used filthy, offensive and degrading language against women, which, if true, reflects an attempt to push society back into medieval darkness. Mahdi said a portion of the post made at 4:37pm on January 31, when translated, stated that bringing women out of their homes in the name of modernity exposes them to exploitation, moral decline and insecurity, comparing it to prostitution. He said the Jamaat Ameer had previously made negative remarks about women’s empowerment in an interview with Al Jazeera. Calling it a pattern of behaviour, Mahdi said such views are not new for the party, referring to earlier incidents where a Jamaat leader made offensive remarks against female students of Dhaka University. He said the Jamaat chief had earlier made backward remarks publicly, including proposing shorter working hours for women. The BNP leader noted that the party which repeatedly speaks of establishing “justice” has not nominated a single woman as a parliamentary candidate in any constituency, which, he said, clearly reflects its degrading attitude towards women. He also cited an incident where a member of the same party compared women’s entry into parliament to a ‘trophy’ during a television talk show, describing it as an act of contempt. Mahdi said the nation has also seen the party repeatedly declare in public that no woman will ever be allowed to hold its top leadership position. “Yet, the women of that party are going door to door collecting people’s NID cards and bKash numbers. Is this their so-called justice?” he asked. The BNP spokesperson said they have observed that due to election alliances with Jamaat, many women leaders of an allied political party were forced to resign, while many openly expressed anger and frustration. He said even parties contesting elections as part of alliances have admitted that they are facing various obstacles because of this party. “There have also been allegations that questions were raised about the clothing of female candidates, which is an extreme display of indecency and misogyny,” Mahdi said. He said female members of BNP, its associate bodies and especially its student wing have been facing severe harassment both online and offline, allegedly by Jamaat supporters. Mahdi highlighted the contributions of women in every sector of Bangladesh, including industry, education, healthcare, law enforcement, administration, media, sports and social movements. He recalled the role of women in past movements, including the July 2024 mass uprising and the 1971 Liberation War, saying the nation can never deny their sacrifices. “But whenever a crisis arises, one party chooses the dirty path of attacking women,” the BNP leader said. Mahdi said the nation knows that during the 1971 Liberation War, the enemy followed the same path of oppression and violence against women, and that independence was achieved after passing through a dark chapter in which millions of mothers and sisters lost their honour. “We will not accept any injustice, oppression or abuse against them. BNP will not accept it, and Bangladesh will not accept it,” he said. Mahdi said Jamaat claims that people have already seen BNP and that now it is their turn. “But the people of the country have already begun to see how, in the form of medieval barbarity, half of the population—our mothers and sisters—is being insulted,” he said. Mahdi said BNP clearly declares that there will be no compromise, no fear and no retreat when it comes to protecting the dignity of women across the country and in online spaces. BNP Media Cell Convener Prof Dr Moudud Hossain Alamgir Pavel, Jubo Dal President Abdul Moneim Munna and Swechchhasebak Dal Senior Vice-President Yasin Ali were also present at the press conference.