Islamic principles bar women from top party post, says Bangladesh Jamaat

Dhaka: Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has said that women cannot hold the highest leadership position in the party, stating that the party follows Islamic principles, which “do not allow women to serve as ameer”.

This comes as Bangladesh goes to the polls on February 12.

Speaking to reporters at the Election Commission (EC) premises on Sunday, the party’s Women’s Wing Secretary Nurunnisa Siddika said Jamaat-e-Islami operates as an organisation guided by Islamic ideals and bases its policies on its interpretation of Quranic instructions.

“According to the Quran, men are directors of women, which is considered a command and obligation in Islam,” she was quoted as saying by a leading Bangladeshi daily, The Dhaka Tribune.

She further stated that based on this understanding, women are not permitted to occupy the top leadership position in any Islamic organisation.

She said the party carries out its organisational and political activities in accordance with this principle and remains committed to its ideological framework.

Responding to questions about why Jamaat has not nominated any female candidates in parliamentary elections, Siddika said the matter was an “internal organisational decision” taken by the party.

She stated that the broader discussion should not be limited to the question of women holding top positions, but should instead focus on whether women’s rights, dignity, and security are being adequately ensured in society.

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“In the past 54 years, Bangladesh has had two female prime ministers for long periods. But have women’s problems been solved? Has violence against women decreased? Have women’s rights been established?” she asked.

Siddika argued that placing women in senior leadership roles does not automatically translate into meaningful improvements in the lives of women across the country.

“Real change comes when leadership — whether male or female — is humane and ensures dignity for all,” she said, adding that Jamaat places greater emphasis on establishing just and humane leadership rather than appointing women to the highest positions.

Meanwhile, Jamaat Women’s Wing chief Habiba Chowdhury said women constitute nearly half of Bangladesh’s electorate, yet many have historically been deprived of the opportunity to exercise their voting rights.

She claimed that at least 15 incidents involving attacks on female Jamaat activists in various districts had been reported to the Election Commission, alleging that the incidents were driven by political vendetta.

Earlier on Sunday, a six-member Jamaat delegation led by Assistant Secretary General Advocate Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair met Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin to discuss contemporary issues related to the electoral process.