No place BNP isn’t extorting from, Islami Andolan’s Mufti alleges 

The Islami Andolan Bangladesh (IAB), has accused the BNP of widespread extortion and violence.

Speaking at a dialogue on Sunday (6 July) in Shalbagan, Rajshahi, the party's senior Nayeb-e-Ameer Mufti Syed Mohammad Faizul Karim alleged that the severity of BNP's actions remains largely concealed.

"There is no place where the BNP is not extorting money from," Karim said at the event titled "Unity of Islamists Ahead of the National Elections: Role of Ulama and Tawhidi People".

"What little we see publicly is nothing compared to what they actually do. It's a thousand times worse," he claimed.

Mufti further questioned the logic behind supporting the BNP, stating, "There is no rational reason why people would vote for them. None would vote those who rape women, attack and loot police stations.

"The BNP has indulged in tyranny, oppression, extortion, thuggery, hooliganism and the deprivation of people's rights," he claimed.

Karim also addressed BNP's plea for lifting the ban on the fallen Awami League (AL).

"The BNP made the most emphatic statement demanding the AL remain unbanned, under the pretext of an inclusive election," he said, accusing the party of coveting AL's illegal assets such as those tied to the controversial S Alam Group.

"BNP must answer the question," he asserted while painting the current national political landscape as divided into two camps.

"One is pro‑India, the other is anti‑India." He emphasised that, with 92% of Bangladesh's population identifying as Muslim, Islamist parties should naturally lead the country.

"It's not enough just to profess belief in Allah," he said. "One must adhere to His attributes, His words in the Qur'an. Yet most Muslims nowadays lack that knowledge."

Also present at the event were key IAB figures, who called for the upcoming polls to be held under the Proportional Representation (PR) system, stating that it would enable Islamist parties to gain power.