Remarks on misogyny misinterpreted, unrelated to election: Rizwana

Former interim government adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan has said her recent remarks about extremism and hostility towards women were misinterpreted and circulated out of context, after criticism on social media and a protest rally organised by Jamaat-e-Islami in Dhaka.

In a statement posted on her personal Facebook profile, Rizwana said she had not referred to any political party during the television interview in which she discussed misogyny and extremist attitudes in society.

"My remarks are being circulated in a fragmented way," she wrote. "I did not mention the name of any political party. The opposition is obviously part of the mainstream, so what is being suggested is irrelevant."

Her comments came after clips from an interview with a private television channel began circulating online, prompting criticism from some quarters and claims that she had implied that a particular political group had been prevented from becoming mainstream.

Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami staged a protest rally in Dhaka yesterday (6 March), demanding that Rizwana and another former interim government adviser, Khalilur Rahman – now foreign minister, be questioned over alleged "election engineering" during the 13th national election.

The demonstration took place after Friday's Jumma prayers at the north gate of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque.

Jamaat allegations

The protest followed remarks by Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher a day earlier, in which he alleged that the two former advisers had been involved in manipulating the election process to prevent Jamaat from emerging as a major political force.

At a briefing on Thursday, the party said Rizwana's comments during her interview amounted to an indirect admission that "election engineering" had taken place. "Through her remarks, Rizwana has in a way admitted it herself and become a witness to it," Jamaat said.

Speaking at yesterday's rally, Jamaat Secretary General Professor Mia Golam Porwar alleged that irregularities had occurred throughout the election process.

"We thanked the then government and the Election Commission after the voting was conducted peacefully," he said. "But after that, election engineering took place at every stage – in vote counting, in the results, and in the publication of those results."

Porwar claimed his party had expected to secure around 160 seats based on the votes cast. "But you planned and reduced it to below 100 seats. Mechanisms were created during vote counting, and there was tampering," he alleged.

He also said a government should be run by elected representatives, accusing the authorities of failing to follow democratic principles.

"From the beginning, you failed to follow the path of democracy. Party loyalists are being appointed everywhere. You should exercise restraint," he said.

Referring to political developments on 5 August, he added, "That day taught us many lessons. Administrative changes can be made, but you are ignoring the July charter. We will protest against all injustices and stand for justice."

'Remarks taken out of context'

Responding to the criticism, Rizwana, in her Facebook post, wrote, "The discussion was about extremism against women," she wrote. "The question was about attacks on shrines, persecution of Bauls, and abusive remarks against women. I was asked how I viewed those incidents."

She said she had explained that when derogatory remarks were made about women, women's groups protested, issued legal notices, and demanded accountability, and the government also addressed the issue.

"I said we have to work so that those forces that make such derogatory remarks do not become mainstream in society," she said.

According to Rizwana, it was women's groups in society – not the government – that played the main role in preventing such attitudes from becoming dominant.

She also stressed that her remarks were not related to elections.

"There was no mention of the election in my remarks," she said. "When the presenter suddenly raised the issue of the election during the discussion, I replied that we would work with whatever involvement the opposition has in women's empowerment."

She added that linking her comments to a particular party was creating unnecessary confusion.

What Rizwana said in the interview

During the television interview on Monday, Rizwana was asked how the interim government had dealt with issues such as mob violence, attacks on shrines, persecution of Bauls, and misogynistic rhetoric after it took office on 8 August.

She said she had not encountered such hostile comments about women earlier in her professional life. "In my 31 years of work, until August 2024, I had not heard such misogynistic comments," she said.

"Now, if you look under clips of my interviews, you will see extremely abusive language directed at me simply because I am a woman."

Rizwana said there has long been a segment of society that opposes equal rights for women, and that this should not be ignored.

"This group has not emerged recently; it has long existed in society," she said.

She also referred to previous political periods, including the 1/11 caretaker government and earlier administrations, when the national women's policy had been altered.

"These forces have always been present in society," she said.

According to Rizwana, during the interim government's tenure, some groups had created disorder over issues related to women's rights, but later apologised following protests and legal action.

"Women leaders wrote letters, issued legal notices, and the government also spoke with them. After that, they apologised," she said.

Responding to accusations that the interim government had allowed space for extremists – including claims that extremists had been released from prison – Rizwana said the administration had faced significant pressure in managing various security issues.

"Just answer one question: what benefit would the interim government gain from maintaining ties with extremists?" she said.

She acknowledged that some detainees had been released, but noted that this included not only alleged extremists but also several high-profile criminals.

"It is true that many people could not be kept in custody – not only extremists, but also several top criminals were released. We held meetings and discussed these issues," she said.

Rizwana also reiterated that certain conservative forces had historically sought to weaken women's rights policies.

Asked during the interview whether some of those forces were now part of the opposition, she replied that any political group opposing women's rights should be challenged.

"Even if a part of that force is within the opposition, it is our responsibility to challenge the aspects of their politics that go against feminism, women's empowerment and equal participation of women," she said.

"We have been able to ensure that such forces do not become mainstream. We did not allow them to become mainstream."