Illustration by Antony Premkumar J
The Interim Government of Bangladesh led by Prof. Mohammad Yunus on Wednesday (August 28, 2024) ended the ban on Jamaat-E-Islami Bangladesh, its students wing Islami Chhattra Shibir and “all other associated organisations” of JeI Bangladesh.
On August 1, the then Prime Minister Sheik Hasina banned the JEI and all its affiliated outfits for spearheading violence in the country. The Jamaat was actively associated with the protests that eventually led to the ouster of Ms. Hasina, who has sought refuge in India.
The JeI Bangladesh is an offshoot of the Jamaat-e-Islami, which was established on August 26, 1941 in Lahore. In East Pakistan, as Bangladesh was known then, Ghulam Azam spearheaded the Islamic movement. The Jamaat favoured an undivided Pakistan and even campaigned for it after the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.
After the Babri Masjid demolition, JEI projected itself as the voice of the majority and gained prominence in the mainstream.
