By Dr Md Momtazur Rahman,
Bangladesh’s political arena is undergoing a significant realignment, and few developments illustrate this more clearly than the re-emergence of Jamaat-e-Islami. After more than a decade of exclusion from electoral politics, the country’s largest Islamist party has returned to the center of political debate; it has rebranded, recalibrated, and evidently reinvigorated. This transformation increasingly appears to be a product of genuine reform rather than mere tactical repositioning, and it is set to become one of the defining features of the forthcoming parliamentary election.
Jamaat’s resurgence has been shaped by two powerful forces: the political vacuum created after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina and widespread public fatigue with entrenched political actors. In this context, Jamaat has sought to recast itself as a welfare-oriented, anti-corruption, and inclusive political force. Its leadership’s emphasis on medical camps, flood relief, and support for families affected by the July movement signals an attempt to shift away from confrontation toward service-based politics. This narrative has found resonance, particularly among voters searching for alternatives to what they see as a cycle of authoritarianism, corruption, and unfulfilled promises.
The December survey by the International Republican Institute (IRI), which ranked Jamaat as the most “favored” party, is a striking indicator of this changing mood. It suggests not merely a revival of Jamaat’s organizational strength, but a deeper erosion of public trust in traditional powerholders. The voices from the street—such as that of a Dhaka market vendor calling Jamaat a “new alternative”—echo a broader sentiment: many voters are less driven by ideology than by a desire for credibility, accountability, and change.
At the same time, Jamaat’s rehabilitation cannot be understood without reference to the repression it faced under the previous regime. The execution and imprisonment of its senior leaders, the cancellation of its registration, and its prolonged electoral ban have recast the party, in the eyes of many, from a controversial actor into a symbol of political victimhood. This shift has allowed Jamaat to re-enter the arena not merely as a contestant, but as a beneficiary of accumulated public anger against authoritarian governance.
Yet reinvention brings scrutiny. Jamaat’s recent gestures, nominating a Hindu candidate, speaking out against attacks on minorities, and pledging equal rights for women, mark a notable departure from its past image. These moves suggest an awareness that political viability in today’s Bangladesh requires visible commitment to pluralism. Still, questions remain. The absence of women candidates in directly elected seats and the reliance on reserved seats for female representation highlight the gap between stated principles and political practice. Credibility, in the long run, will depend less on declarations than on consistent action.
The party’s expanding alliance network further underscores its strategic seriousness. By aligning with the NCP and other Islamist groups, and by employing data-driven voter analysis through an international firm, Jamaat is signaling that it intends to compete as a modern electoral force, not merely a protest movement. Candidates like Mir Ahmad bin Qasem, whose personal history of enforced disappearance embodies the darker chapters of recent governance, add emotional and moral weight to Jamaat’s campaign narrative of justice and change.
Ultimately, Jamaat’s return poses a broader challenge for Bangladesh’s democracy. A pluralistic system must allow space for all lawful political actors, while holding them to the same standards of transparency, inclusivity, and constitutional commitment. Jamaat’s claim to have renounced intolerance and violence must be evaluated not by rhetoric, but by conduct—during campaigns, in parliament if elected, and in its engagement with dissent.
The electorate, meanwhile, faces a familiar but urgent task: to distinguish between reform that is substantive and reform that is cosmetic. Jamaat’s resurgence reflects a genuine demand for alternatives. Whether it can meet that demand responsibly will shape not only its own future, but the direction of Bangladesh’s democratic experiment in the years ahead.
The writer is a professor of English and Registrar at IUBAT-(International University of Business Agriculture and Technology); he can be reached at momtazur@iubat.edu.
