Chapainawabganj, Bangladesh – On September 14, twenty-five members of the Sanatan (Hindu) faith formally joined Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami in a move party leaders openly described as part of a broader program of religious conversion. Jamaat central committee member and former MP Professor Latifur Rahman admitted the new recruits were the product of dawati (proselytising) activities, which he vowed would intensify across the country.
Observers stress this development is not a simple case of political affiliation but an example of Jamaat’s long-standing “politics of conversion.” For decades, the party has faced accusations of pressuring minorities to embrace Islam. The situation has worsened since July’s nationwide riots, when Hindu homes, temples, and businesses came under attack, leaving minorities living in fear.
Critics say Jamaat’s dawati drive acts as an indirect ultimatum: convert to Islam or face persecution. Analysts further point to foreign funding, links to jihadist organisations, and covert military support behind Jamaat’s expanding influence. Since the ouster of the elected government in July, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus and his political allies—including Jamaat—have been accused of tightening pressure on religious minorities.
Rights advocates warn that Jamaat’s politics of conversion amounts to a crime against humanity, eroding Bangladesh’s constitutional promise of religious freedom. With Chapainawabganj as the starting point, the fear is that these campaigns could spread nationwide, placing the country’s Hindu and other minority communities in greater jeopardy.
