Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is a major right-wing to far-rightpolitical party in Bangladesh. It emerged from the East Pakistani wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (JIP) in 1979. A part of the Islamist movement Jamaat-e-Islami, it is the largest Islamist political party in the country, as well as one of the two contemporary mainstream parties, alongside the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

The party's origin lies in the original Jamaat-e-Islami organization founded by Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi in 1941 in British India. Jamaat's predecessor, the JIP, though actively participating in the pro-democracy movements of East Pakistan, opposed the independence of Bangladesh and supported Pakistani Forces in the Liberation War in 1971. It reportedly organized several pro-Pakistan groups, and participated in the genocide and other mass atrocities. After a period of post-independence ban on religion-based parties between 1972 and 1976, local members of the JIP merged with several other parties to form the Islamic Democratic League (IDL) in ahead of the general election. In 1979, the IDL was dissolved and the members of the erstwhile East Pakistan JIP reconvened to form the modern-day Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.

The Jamaat played crucial roles in the 1990 mass uprising, 1995 pro-caretaker government movement and 2024 July Uprising. Two of its leaders served in the BNP's coalition government between 2001 and 2006. However, between 2009 and 2024, leaders of the party were prosecuted for war crimes of 1971, its registration was cancelled and was eventually banned. Following the July Uprising, the ban was lifted and its registration was reinstated. Since 2026, it has been the main opposition to the BNP-led government in the Jatiya Sangsad.

Today, Jamaat's politics differ to the Maududi's vision for a totalitarian Islamic state, as it has since sought to portray itself moderate and centrist. The party supports a welfarist economy, and runs charity programmes. The party is controversial for its role in the Liberation War, ideological links to Islamic extremism, human rights abuses, and contradictory positions on women and sharia. As of 2026, Jamaat's strongest demographics include younger and educated people and socially conservative women.

Shafiqur Rahman has been serving as the emir (leader) and Miya Ghulam Parwar has been serving as the secretary-general of the party since 2019. The party maintains a network of affiliated organizations, including the Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir.