Those who flee after committing misdeeds can never return: Jamaat ameer

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman has said those who flee after committing wrongdoing cannot return, stating that the Awami League was forced to flee Bangladesh because of its alleged misdeeds.

"The Awami League committed so many misdeeds that it could not stay in the country and was forced to flee. The history of the world shows that those who flee after bearing responsibility for wrongdoing cannot return," he said.

He made the remarks today (23 August) as the chief guest at a seminar and prize-giving ceremony marking Seerat-un-Nabi (PBUH), organised by the National Seerat Celebration Committee at the Muktijuddho Smriti Auditorium of the Institution of Diploma Engineers.

Shafiqur Rahman also said fascism does not belong to any particular political party but is a contagious disease that turns anyone who embraces it into a fascist.

"People of Bangladesh will not allow anyone to follow the path of fascism again," he said.
He said the people who rose up in 2024 had not all died and would continue to protest against injustice and fascism.

"The struggle for people's rights will continue until an equitable and humane Bangladesh is built through the establishment of justice and fairness," he said.

'2024 uprising was merely a rehearsal'

Referring to the July Museum, Shafiqur said it presents only a "dummy" version of the ousted government's repression, while the actual extent of the oppression was far greater.

He alleged that many important memories and materials from the 2024 mass uprising had been removed from the museum to please a particular country.

He cited the killing of Felani Khatun, whose body was left hanging from a barbed-wire fence, and alleged that photographs of the incident had been removed from the museum. He also claimed that photographs showing alleged torture of former Islami Chhatra Shibir central president Delwar Hossain in the name of remand had been removed.

"Those who come to power say history has been distorted, but each of them has distorted and continues to distort history," he said.

Referring to the 2024 mass uprising, Shafiqur warned against considering the student-people's revolution a "final war".

"The 2024 movement was merely a 'rehearsal'. The freedom-loving people who rose in 2024 have not died. They are still watching all developments in the country with vigilance," he said.

Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan said there was no corruption, terrorism or extortion under the Medina Charter.

"But among those who came to power promising to govern the country according to the Medina Charter, we see corruption, terrorism and extortion," he said.

Dhaka South Jamaat Ameer Md Nurul Islam Bulbul said Bangladesh had repeatedly become a "champion" in corruption during the 55 years since independence.

He alleged that those in power had exploited people through politicisation instead of establishing their rights.

"When they are in opposition, they speak of justice and fairness. But after coming to power, they turn into oppressors instead of establishing justice and fairness," he said.