Radical Islamist cleric Mufti Jasimuddin Rahmani, previously imprisoned for inciting violence, has re-emerged as a prominent voice in Bangladesh’s political discourse, following the controversial banning of the Awami League on May 12 under the government of Muhammad Yunus.
At a rally in Shahbag on May 10, Rahmani led a mass prayer and issued fiery remarks, accusing the Awami League of blasphemy. “They have hurled abuses against Allah and His Messenger,” he claimed, insisting that such alleged offenses were grounds for the party’s dissolution. Addressing a crowd of supporters, Rahmani warned:
“If you don’t ban the Awami League, the people will take over and do it themselves.”
Two days later, after the official ban was enforced, Rahmani addressed another large gathering at Shapla Chattar, saying:
“This is not a great victory for us; it is merely the beginning… We must remove all false ideologies (like democracy) and establish the laws of the Qur’an on Allah’s earth, Insha’Allah.”
Rahmani is known for his ideological alignment with Al-Qaeda propagandist Anwar al-Awlaki and serves as the spiritual leader of the Ansarullah Bangla Team, a militant outfit linked to extremist activities in the country.
In 2015, he was sentenced to prison for inciting the brutal murder of secular blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider. In his book Unmukto Tarbari (The Unsheathed Sword), Rahmani cited Quranic verses to justify capital punishment for blasphemy, specifically targeting Haider and other secular writers.
Security experts have long warned of Rahmani’s influence in radicalizing youth through coded rhetoric. “He is smart, so he didn’t say, ‘go and kill.’ He’d say, ‘this is what God expects from a good Muslim,’” noted one analyst with the Counter Extremism Project.
Rahmani’s renewed presence in Bangladesh’s political arena raises alarms over the potential mainstreaming of extremist ideologies, especially amid a period of heightened political tension and the erosion of democratic norms.
Authorities have yet to formally respond to his public statements, but security analysts stress the importance of monitoring his activities closely to prevent further radicalization and violence.