Jamaat pivoting to a softer Islamic discourse: Dr Sabbir Ahmed
“The document reflects an attempt by the party to modernise its image and adapt to contemporary political realities,” he says.
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami seems to be stepping back from explicit hardline Islamic ruling and instead emphasises a softer, substance-based Islamic discourse, said Dr Sabbir Ahmed, professor of Political Science at Dhaka University.
Dr Ahmed describes this shift as a notable strategic recalibration aimed at adapting to contemporary political realities.
"The document reflects an attempt by the party to modernise its image and adapt to contemporary political realities," he told The Business Standard after the manifesto was unveiled yesterday (4 February) ahead of the 13th national election.
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According to him, the manifesto avoids direct, heavy-handed references to "Shariah Laws" and instead emphasizes the substance of Islamic teachings; such as social justice, equality, and human dignity – an approach closer to political Islam practices in countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Turkey.
"In countries like Malaysia and Indonesia, Islamic parties focus less on the formal legalistic aspects of Shariah and more on the moral and humanitarian substance of the religion. Jamaat has tactfully adopted this approach."
He explained that this shift mirrors the "Malaysian experiment," where Islamic parties realized that religious slogans alone do not guarantee votes.
"They understood that to succeed in electoral politics, they must address the people's daily problems rather than just relying on hardline rhetoric. When they shifted their focus to public issues, they performed better. Jamaat appears to be following this trajectory," he explained.
"This does not mean that Jamaat is shedding its religious identity to appear pro-Western. The religious tone is not missing; it has been repackaged. It is not a deviation but an adaptation. The party seems to be trying to move with the times and present itself as more positive and acceptable to a broader electorate," he added.
Sabbir further noted that there is also a parallel in the party's organisational history.
He said, "Jamaat's student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, previously accommodated female candidates and ethnic minority representation in Dhaka University Central Students' Union elections. That inclusive strategy contributed to a landslide victory and offers insight into the party's evolving tactical thinking."
Despite the softer tone, Sabbir Ahmed cautioned that Jamaat remains a tightly organised, cadre-based party, raising doubts about whether such an organisation can genuinely practise democratic values such as inclusivity and equal opportunity.
He noted that in Bangladesh, ruling parties have historically distributed authority and benefits mainly among loyalists, and argues that Jamaat's manifesto does not clearly explain how it would break this entrenched cycle. Representation alone, the writer stresses, does not guarantee empowerment.
Sabbir said, "Jamaat may promise cabinet positions for minority communities, but the deeper question remains: will those communities enjoy real rights and equal access to power?
"The contradiction between symbolic representation and genuine empowerment remains unresolved."
On foreign policy, Sabbir acknowledged the manifesto's stated commitment to national interest and mutual respect, but argued that intention and execution are not the same.
Managing relations with India, described as a regional hegemon and major power, would inevitably require compromises – an issue the manifesto does not fully confront, he added.
He also expresses concern about the manifesto's preamble, suggesting there is a deliberate attempt to frame the events of 2024 as the genesis of the nation's political history, effectively sidelining 1971.
"The emphasis on 2024 is so strong that it creates the impression that history begins there. This reflects a persistent reluctance within Jamaat-e-Islami to fully accept 1971 as the foundational moment of Bangladesh's national history. The attempt to overshadow 1971 with the narrative of 2024 suggests unresolved ideological tensions," he said.
Regarding economic pledges, he described the targets – creating five million jobs annually and achieving 7% GDP growth – as overly ambitious and lacking realism in light of current global and domestic economic conditions.
However, he welcomed the manifesto's focus on self-entrepreneurship and its promise of bank loans to support new entrepreneurs, viewing the encouragement of young people to become job creators rather than job seekers as a positive direction.
Sabbir Ahmed said overall, he sees Jamaat's manifesto as a calculated effort to modernise its political image by blending elements of Turkish and Malaysian models of political Islam.
"Whether this represents a genuine transformation or merely a tactical repositioning will ultimately depend on how these promises are translated into practice," he added.
