DHAKA, Aug 1, 2024 (BSS) - Welcoming the government's decision banning Jamaat-e-Islami, its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir and all its front organizations, eminent citizens said it has met the longstanding demand of the people.
 
 "I think the people's longstanding desire has been met with the banning of Jamaat-Shibir," eminent educationist and Dhaka University (DU) former Vice-Chancellor Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique told BSS.

He said after the independence, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's government had banned Jamaat-e-Islami for opposing Bangladesh's independence, their collaboration with Pakistani occupation forces to kill 30 lakh people and misusing religion for political purposes.
 
But it is irony that after the assassination of Bangabandhu, Jamaat-Shibir was rehabilitated in the country's politics, said Prof Arefin.

The academician said religion-based politics will not be okay with the spirit of Liberation War having four fundamental policies: nationalism, socialism, democracy, and secularism.

There can be religious organizations but doing politics using religion should not be allowed, he said, adding that Bangabandhu had said secularism does not mean the absence of religion, rather it means a peaceful coexistence of people from all beliefs in the society and performing their religions freely.

Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee President Shahriar Kabir said banning Jamaat-Shibir is a big victory of their movement as they were waging movement with the demand of bringing war criminals to justice and banning Jamaat and Shibir for long 33 years.

He extended thanks and congratulations to the government for banning Jamaat-Shibir.

Banning terrorist politics of Jamaat-Shibir required for ensuring security of the state and its people and making the current development activities sustainable, he observed.

Shahriar Kabir said politics of Jamaat-Shibir is not only a threat for security of Bangladesh but also for the entire South Asian region as the clique has link with regional and international terrorist groups.
But only banning politics of Jamaat and Shibir will not stop its terrorist activities, he said, adding that Jamaat has many social organizations, NGOs, educational, financial institutions and industries and it makes recruitment from educational institutions and invests in terrorism from their financial institutions which should be stopped.

He suggested keeping in mind that those Jamaat leaders who have involvement with terrorist activities cannot join any other political parties.

Shahriar Kabir urged the government for arresting those Jamaat-Shibir men who have involvement with terrorist acts and confiscating their assets under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2009.

Educationist Professor Muntassir Mamoon also welcomed the government's move as he said different social-cultural and political organizations were demanding the ban on politics of Jamaat and Shibir for more than three decades.

He underscored the need for properly implementing the ban saying imposing ban and implementing it is different thing.

"Jamaat has an economic base and with which it managed terrorists and arms and ammunitions for carrying out terrorist acts. If the economic base remains intact, imposing ban will be meaningless," Muntassir added.

He also urged the government to engage all progressive forces, including social, cultural and political organizations, to face Jamaat ideologically. 
 
Muntassir Mamoon stressed on providing more budgetary allocation in the cultural sector to combat distorted interpretation of religion by Jamaat.

Noting that Sheikh Hasina's government brought war criminals to justice and banned the politics of Jamaat and Shibir, he said there is no alternative to Sheikh Hasina to properly implement the ban by doing all these things.

Bangladesh Mahila Parishad President Dr Fauzia Moslem said, the government, the state, administration, citizens, students' community, womenfolk and human rights organizations will have to work together to bring changes in society to properly implement the ban on politics of Jamaat and Shibir.

"With the spirit of the Liberation War, it is our national duty to retrieve the country from the clutch of religion-based and communal politics," she added.