Jamaat ameer's X post sparks protests, outrage

Political parties, student groups, women's rights activists, and civil society voices erupted in protest after a misogynistic post appeared on the X (formerly Twitter) handle of Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman, triggering widespread outrage across social and political circles.

On Sunday, students of Dhaka University (DU), led by Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), staged a protest rally against the controversial post.

Leaders and activists gathered in front of Madhur Canteen around 11:00am, marched through the campus, and concluded near the Aparajeya Bangla sculpture, demanding strict action against anyone making derogatory remarks about women.

JCD President Rakibul Islam Rakib said, "Jamaat's attitude toward women has been clear since August 5. Shafiqur Rahman's comment on X is the ultimate reflection of their rhetoric on women on campuses."

A group of female DU students also staged a symbolic "broom procession" at the foot of the Anti-Terrorism Raju Memorial Sculpture around 2:00pm, protesting the misogynistic post and calling for accountability.

Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami claimed at a press briefing that hackers had compromised the ameer's X account and were responsible for the offensive comment.

The party described the incident as a targeted attempt to tarnish Jamaat's image and create confusion over its stance on women's issues.

The BNP, however, questioned the credibility of the hacking claim, which came nearly nine hours after the offensive post went public.

At a press conference, BNP Election Management Committee spokesperson Mahdi Amin expressed doubts about the timeline.

He said, "Whenever an important or verified account is hacked, the first responsibility is to inform the public immediately to prevent confusion. Here, the hacking claim came only after public anger had grown."

Mahdi Amin also noted that several posts were made on the Jamaat ameer's Facebook account during the same period, yet no notice was issued regarding the X account being hacked.

He added that a general diary (GD) was filed at Hatirjheel police station around 3:30am, although the party claimed to have learned about the hacking at 4:55pm-nearly 12 hours later. He questioned how quickly the account was supposedly recovered following the hacking claim.

Reiterating BNP's stance, Mahdi Amin said the party strongly supports women's personal freedom, dignity, and equal rights.

He called the language used in the post "unacceptable in any civilised society" and described it as reflecting deep-rooted misogyny.

He explained that the January 31 post, published at 4:37pm, claimed-when translated-that bringing women out of their homes in the name of modernity exposes them to exploitation, moral decay, and insecurity, comparing it to another form of prostitution.

He also cited the ameer's previous remarks on women's empowerment in an Al Jazeera interview and similar offensive language directed at female students at Dhaka University.

He further alleged that female BNP candidates face harassment online and offline during election campaigns, particularly female members of Chhatra Dal, who are subjected to coordinated cyberbullying campaigns.

Highlighting women's contributions to society-including roles as teachers, doctors, nurses, police officers, lawyers, administrators, journalists, cultural activists, athletes, and their participation in the Liberation War and the July mass uprising-Mahdi Amin condemned Jamaat's insulting views toward working women.

"BNP will not accept any injustice, oppression, or abuse against women, just as a mother is like the nation itself," he said.

The press conference was attended by BNP Media Cell convener Maudud Hossain Alamgir Pavel, Jubo Dal president Abdul Monem Munna, Swechchhasebak Dal senior vice-president Yasin Ali, among others.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (BJI) alleged a "deep conspiracy" behind the hacking of the official X accounts of its Ameer and other senior leaders, claiming the incident aimed to tarnish the party's image and create public confusion.

"The cyberattack was deliberately carried out to publish objectionable and contradictory content, particularly on issues related to women's rights and the party's ideology," Jamaat assistant secretary general Maulana Abdul Halim said at a press briefing at the party's central office in Moghbazar.

According to Jamaat, the breach occurred on January 31 in the afternoon. An offensive post appeared on the Ameer's X account at around 4:37pm, followed by a similar post in Bengali from the account of the Dhaka City South secretary.

The party's social media team detected the unauthorised activity at 4:55pm and regained control of the accounts by 5:09pm.

Preliminary technical findings indicated the accounts were hacked through phishing emails containing malware, some allegedly disguised as official communications from government-related addresses, although spoofing could not be ruled out.

Jamaat has called for a thorough investigation to identify those responsible.

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