The Nizam-e-Islam Party or simply Nizam-e-Islam ( bn, নেজামে ইসলাম, , Order of Islam), is a
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
in
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
and
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. The party was founded in the city of
Kishoreganj
Kishoreganj is a city and the headquarters of Kishoreganj District
Kishoreganj ( bn, কিশোরগঞ্জ) is a district in Dhaka Division, Bangladesh. Earlier it was a Mohkuma (মহকুমা) under the Mymensingh district. It ...
in 1952, by the Islamic scholars of erstwhile
East Bengal
ur,
, common_name = East Bengal
, status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan
, p1 = Bengal Presidency
, flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg
, s1 = East ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
as an offshoot of the
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam ( ur, جمیعت علماءِ اسلام, abbreviated as JUI) was founded by Shabbir Ahmad Usmani as an offshoot of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind (JUH) on 26 October 1945.
History
The original Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind was formed in Bri ...
. It was one of the four political parties belonging to the
United Front
A united front is an alliance of groups against their common enemies, figuratively evoking unification of previously separate geographic fronts and/or unification of previously separate armies into a front. The name often refers to a political a ...
alliance which defeated the
Muslim League Muslim League may refer to:
Political parties Subcontinent
; British India
*All-India Muslim League, Mohammed Ali Jinah, led the demand for the partition of India resulting in the creation of Pakistan.
**Punjab Muslim League, a branch of the organ ...
in the
1954 elections.
History
Establishment
The
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind or Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind () is one of the leading organizations of Islamic scholars belonging to the Deobandi school of thought in India. It was founded in November 1919 by a group of Muslim scholars including Abdul Bari F ...
, founded in 1919, was a political body of
Islamic scholars
In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...
predominantly belonging to the
Deobandi
Deobandi is a revivalist movement within Sunni Islam, adhering to the Hanafi school of law,
formed in the late 19th century around the Darul Uloom Madrassa in Deoband, India, from which the name derives,
by Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi, R ...
movement that
opposed the partition of India. In 1945, a breakaway faction was formed under the leadership of
Shabbir Ahmad Usmani
Shabbir Ahmad Usmani (11 October 188713 December 1949) was an Islamic scholar who supported the Pakistan Movement in the 1940s. He was a religious scholar, writer, orator, politician, and expert in Tafsir and Hadith.
Born in 1887 in Bijnor, Us ...
, who was one of the founders of the original party. The new faction, known as the ''All-India Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam'', supported the
creation of Pakistan
The Pakistan Movement ( ur, , translit=Teḥrīk-e-Pākistān) was a political movement in the first half of the 20th century that aimed for the creation of Pakistan from the Muslim-majority areas of British India. It was connected to the per ...
and sided with the pro-partition
Muslim League Muslim League may refer to:
Political parties Subcontinent
; British India
*All-India Muslim League, Mohammed Ali Jinah, led the demand for the partition of India resulting in the creation of Pakistan.
**Punjab Muslim League, a branch of the organ ...
party. The organisation took the name
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam ( ur, جمیعت علماءِ اسلام, abbreviated as JUI) was founded by Shabbir Ahmad Usmani as an offshoot of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind (JUH) on 26 October 1945.
History
The original Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind was formed in Bri ...
after the partition in 1947, and had representatives in both the
western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
and
eastern
Eastern may refer to:
Transportation
*China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai
*Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways
*Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991
*Eastern Air Li ...
wings of the new
Dominion of Pakistan
Between 14 August 1947 and 23 March 1956, Pakistan was an independent federal dominion in the Commonwealth of Nations, created by the passing of the Indian Independence Act 1947 by the British parliament, which also created the Dominion of I ...
. As a result of broken promises relating to Islamic governance, the Jamiat broke its ties with the Muslim League in 1952. Its political wing, the ''Nizam-e-Islam Party'', was subsequently formed at a three-day conference ending on 20 March in Haybatnagar,
Kishoreganj
Kishoreganj is a city and the headquarters of Kishoreganj District
Kishoreganj ( bn, কিশোরগঞ্জ) is a district in Dhaka Division, Bangladesh. Earlier it was a Mohkuma (মহকুমা) under the Mymensingh district. It ...
.
Athar Ali Bengali
Athar Ali ( bn, আতহার আলী; 1891-1976) was a Bangladeshi Islamic activist, author, teacher and politician. He participated in the Indian independence movement, and was former president of the Nizam-e-Islam Party. Ali was also a '' ...
was appointed as the party's inaugural president, with
Syed Muslehuddin as secretary-general and
Ashraf Ali Dharmanduli
Sharīf ( ar, شريف, 'noble', 'highborn'), also spelled shareef or sherif, feminine sharīfa (), plural ashrāf (), shurafāʾ (), or (in the Maghreb) shurfāʾ, is a title used to designate a person descended, or claiming to be descended, fr ...
as assistant secretary.
Dominion of Pakistan (1947–1956)
The party swiftly gained prominence in Muslim-majority Bengal, in comparison to the modernist-capitalist Muslim League, because its members were composed of popular
Islamic scholars
In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...
. In the lead-up to the
1954 East Bengal Legislative Assembly election
Legislative elections were held in East Bengal between 8 and 12 March 1954, the first since Pakistan became an independent country in 1947. The opposition United Front led by the Awami League and Krishak Sramik Party won a landslide victory wit ...
, the party eventually joined the
United Front
A united front is an alliance of groups against their common enemies, figuratively evoking unification of previously separate geographic fronts and/or unification of previously separate armies into a front. The name often refers to a political a ...
coalition which challenged the Muslim League. In the introduction of the United Front's
21 Point Programme manifesto was the statement "No law shall be enacted against the
Qur'an
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing. ...
and ''
sunnah
In Islam, , also spelled ( ar, سنة), are the traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. The sunnah is what all the Muslims of Muhammad's time evidently saw and followed and passed ...
''". The coalition was successful, with the Nizam-e-Islam Party winning 19 of the United Front's 223 seats, in comparison to the Muslim League which won only 9 seats. By virtue of also attaining seats in the ministry, the party gained important roles in policy-making.
Farid Ahmad
Farid Ahmad was a Bengali Pakistani politician, lawyer, and vice-president of Pakistan Democratic Party.
Early life
Ahmad was born on 3 January 1923 in Rashid Nagar, Ramu Upazila, Cox's Bazar District, East Bengal, British Raj. He completed his M ...
became East Bengal's Minister of Labour,
Abdul Wahab Khan became the Speaker of the Assembly, and the ministries of Law, Land and Education were also under the Nizam-e-Islam party. The former
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Paki ...
Chaudhry Muhammad Ali
Chaudhry Muhammad Ali ( Urdu, pa, ; 15 July 1905 – 2 December 1982), best known as Muhammad Ali, was a Pakistani politician and statesman who served as the fourth prime minister of Pakistan, appointed on 12 August 1955. His government tra ...
later joined the party, and was appointed its president.
Islamic Republic of Pakistan (1956–1971)
The Nizam-e-Islam Party protested against the central government's discriminatory treatment of
Bengalis
Bengalis (singular Bengali bn, বাঙ্গালী/বাঙালি ), also rendered as Bangalee or the Bengali people, are an Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the ...
. It played a role in the struggle for East Pakistan's demands. For example, they demanded that Pakistan's capital be changed from
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan's ...
to
Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...
and that the headquarters of the
Pakistan Navy
ur, ہمارے لیے اللّٰہ کافی ہے اور وہ بہترین کارساز ہے۔ English language, English: Allah is Sufficient for us - and what an excellent (reliable) Trustee (of affairs) is He!(''Quran, Qur'an, Al Imran, 3:173' ...
to be in
Chittagong
Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...
, rather than
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
.
In 1966, the Nizam-e-Islam party asked its ministers to resign from the government. The party split from the
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam ( ur, جمیعت علماءِ اسلام, abbreviated as JUI) was founded by Shabbir Ahmad Usmani as an offshoot of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind (JUH) on 26 October 1945.
History
The original Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind was formed in Bri ...
in the following year. In 1969, a central election was held within the party, with
Muhammad Shafi Deobandi
Muḥammad Shafī‘ ibn Muḥammad Yāsīn ‘Us̱mānī Deobandī ( ur, ; ar, محمد شفيع بن محمد ياسين العثماني الديوبندي, ''Muḥammad Shafī‘ ibn Muḥammad Yāsīn al-‘Uthmānī ad-Diyūbandī''; ...
as chief advisor,
Zafar Ahmad Usmani
)
, office1 = Ameer of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam
, term_start1 = 1949
, term_end1 = Unknown
, predecessor1 = Shabbir Ahmad Usmani
, successor1 = Abdullah Darkhawasti
, title =
, religion = Islam
, bi ...
as president, Athar Ali as executive president, Abdul Wahab Khan and Mustafa al-Madani as vice-presidents,
Ehtisham ul Haq Thanvi
)
, native_name_lang = ur
, image = Ehtisham ul Haq Thanvi.jpg
, alt =
, caption =
, religion = Islam
, denomination = Sunni
, ordained =
, school =
, lineage ...
as ''
qaid
Qaid ( ar , قائد ', "commander"; pl. '), also spelled kaid or caïd, is a word meaning "commander" or "leader." It was a title in the Norman kingdom of Sicily, applied to palatine officials and members of the ''curia'', usually to those w ...
'' (chief leader) and
Siddiq Ahmad as secretary-general.
In the lead-up to the
1970 East Pakistan Provincial Assembly election, the Party entered into an agreement with the
Jamaat-e-Islami
Jamaat-e-Islami ( ur, ) () is an Islamic movement founded in 1941 in British India by the Islamic theologian and socio-political philosopher, Syed Abul Ala Maududi.van der Veer P. and Munshi S. (eds.''Media, War, and Terrorism: Responses fro ...
that the Jamaat will not nominate a candidate in a constituency where the Nizam-e-Islam nominates their candidate, and that the Nizam-e-Islam will not nominate a candidate where the Jamaat has nominated a candidate. Regardless, the
Awami League In Urdu language, Awami is the adjectival form for '' Awam'', the Urdu language word for common people.
The adjective appears in the following proper names:
*Awami Colony, a neighbourhood of Landhi Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
*Awami Front, wa ...
under the leadership of
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ( bn, শেখ মুজিবুর রহমান; 17 March 1920 – 15 August 1975), often shortened as Sheikh Mujib or Mujib and widely known as Bangabandhu (meaning ''Friend of Bengal''), was a Bengalis, Beng ...
won all the seats in East Pakistan except twelve (one belonging to Nizam-e-Islam), rightfully making him the next Prime Minister of Pakistan. A lengthy delay in the transfer of power to the Awami League in Bengal by the central government in West Pakistan, eventually led to the outbreak of the
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...
.
The party was against Bangladesh being an independent country. Its leaders like Farid Ahmad supported the Pakistan army and their paramilitary forces. The party was in the
Peace Committees of East Pakistan, and provided intelligence to Pakistan Army. Ahmad was killed after the war by members of the
Mujib Bahini
The Mujib Bahini, also known as Bangladesh Liberation Force (BLF), was an armed force formed during the Bangladesh Liberation War to fight against Pakistan in 1971.
The force was mainly composed of activists drawn from the Awami League and its st ...
.
Bangladesh period (1971–present)
The government of Bangladesh banned all religion-based parties, including Nizam-e-Islam, after its independence. In 1978, this ban was lifted under president
Ziaur Rahman
Lt. General Ziaur Rahman (19 January 1936 – 30 May 1981), was a Bangladeshi military officer and politician who served as the President of Bangladesh from 1977 to 1981. He was assassinated on 30 May 1981 in Chittagong in an army coup d' ...
. The Nizam-e-Islam Party was reorganised in 1981, with
Siddiq Ahmad as its new president,
Manzurul Ahsan as secretary, Ashraf Ali as assistant secretary and
Sarwar Kamal Azizi
Sarwar may refer to:
Places
*Sarwar, Rajasthan, a town in India
*Khuian Sarwar, a village in Punjab, India
*Sakhi Sarwar, a town in Punjab, Pakistan
*Chowk Sarwar Shaheed Tehsil, in Punjab, Pakistan
People First name
*Sarwar Ahmed, British pub ...
as publicity and public welfare secretary. A central election was held three years later, with
Abdul Malek Halim
Maulana Abdul Malek Halim ( bn, আল্লামা আব্দুল মালেক হালিম) is a prominent Islamic scholar of Bangladesh and ''Nayeb-e Ameer'' of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh. Abdul Malek Halim is the pioneer of ''Qawm ...
becoming president, Siddiq Ahmad as adviser, Ataur Rahman and Sarwar Kamal Azizi as vice presidents, Ashraf Ali as general secretary and Nurul Haque Arman as organising secretary.
It became part of the
Islami Okiya Jote alliance composed of six parties.
See also
*
List of Deobandi organisations
This list includes Deobandi and pro-Deobandi organizations.
See also
* List of Deobandi universities
Deobandi ( ur, دیو بندی, russian: Деобанди, bn, দেওবন্দ, hi, देवबन्दी) is a term used for a ...
References
{{Bangladeshi political parties
1954 establishments in East Pakistan
Islamic political parties in Bangladesh
Political parties established in 1954
Political parties in Bangladesh
Political parties in Pakistan
Far-right politics in Bangladesh
Deobandi organisations
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam