Chhatra Dal stages protest march over Jamaat chief's X post

Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) today (1 February) staged a protest march condemning what it described as "objectionable" remarks about working women posted from the X (formerly Twitter) account of Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman.

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The demonstration began around 12pm at Madhur Canteen on the Dhaka University campus, where JCD leaders and activists gathered to protest the social media post.

The protest followed the circulation of a screenshot of a post from Dr Shafiqur Rahman's verified X account that began spreading on social media last night. The post has since been deleted, with Jamaat-e-Islami claiming the account had been hacked.

The post read, "On the question of women, Jamaat's position is neither confused nor apologetic – it is principled. We do not think women should come in leadership. In Jamaat, it is impossible. Allah did not permit this."

It further stated, "We believe that when women are pushed out of the home in the name of modernity, they are exposed to exploitation, moral decay, and insecurity. It's nothing but another form of prostitution. Social media vulgarity, workplace harassment, and commodification of women are not signs of progress – they are symptoms of moral collapse.

"We refuse to compromise with immorality, no matter how fashionable it becomes."

The screenshot of the now-deleted post triggered widespread criticism from various quarters, including political parties and rights activists.

Condemning the remarks, Jatiotabadi Chhatra Dal staged the protest march, terming the comments insulting and degrading to working women and demanding accountability over the post.