Jamaat-e-Islami has reemerged as one of Bangladesh’s most consequential political forces, gaining visibility on campuses, in civic institutions and in national polling as the country moves toward an uncertain election. Analysts say the Islamist party’s expanding footprint is the result of long organizational discipline combined with failures by mainstream parties to sustain public trust or articulate a convincing democratic narrative.
In a recent interview, columnist and political commentator Nurul Kabir said Jamaat’s influence and support have grown in tandem across society. He pointed to the party’s performance in recent student union elections at Dhaka University and Jahangirnagar University, results that placed Jamaat-backed candidates ahead of competitors from historically dominant parties. National surveys, he added, suggest the party is now “breathing down BNP’s neck.”
Kabir argued that Jamaat’s ascent is not a sudden surge but the product of decades of steady organizational work. The party has historically been implicated in atrocities during the 1971 Liberation War, a fact he described as “one of the world’s most heinous genocides.” Yet he said successive governments had failed to confront its political ideology or counter its long institutional expansion. Instead, he said both the Awami League and the BNP cooperated with Jamaat at various points, treating it as a useful electoral partner and thereby helping normalize its presence.
According to Kabir, Jamaat built a nationwide infrastructure through schools, hospitals, universities, banks and business enterprises. Those institutions grew within legal and policy frameworks provided by governments of every major party. He described Jamaat as a cadre-based organization with strict internal rules, a structure that many citizens now contrast with the perceived disorder of the Awami League and BNP.
He cautioned, however, that organizational discipline should not be confused with democratic intent. Kabir compared Jamaat’s internal order to that of authoritarian movements in Europe’s past, arguing that the core issue is a party’s political ideology and the kind of society it seeks to build. He said Bangladesh has not held a sustained public discussion about Jamaat’s ideological goals or how they differ from constitutional democratic values.
Kabir also blamed secular, centrist and left-leaning groups for failing to mount a strong political and cultural response. He said intellectuals aligned with major parties engaged in partisan disputes rather than offering credible historical narratives, leading younger generations to distrust official accounts of the Liberation War. Economic inequality, which widened under the Awami League and BNP, further undercut those parties’ claims to uphold the war’s egalitarian ideals. In that vacuum, he argued, Jamaat advanced its anti-discrimination messaging and benefited from public frustration.
Kabir warned that many voters have not experienced how Jamaat might wield state power. He referred to past violence by party activists and argued that society remains unaware of the full extent of the group’s potential abuses.
As for Jamaat’s role in the coming election, Kabir said the political environment remains unsettled. He believes the February election is unlikely to be held on schedule or, if held, may fail to meet the standards of a competitive vote. He said the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus must concentrate on building consensus among parties, strengthening the Election Commission and organizing a credible process. Kabir questioned whether the government has the political capacity to mobilize parties effectively.
Still, he said Jamaat must be considered alongside the Awami League and BNP when assessing the future balance of power. He reiterated his long-held view that Jamaat should face party-level accountability for crimes committed in 1971, while also insisting that mass violence under the Awami League in recent years must face similar scrutiny.
Kabir concluded that democratic parties must launch a broad political and cultural struggle to counter Jamaat’s ideology. Without such an effort, he said, the party is positioned to remain a significant force in national politics and an influential actor in any upcoming election.