Long vilified for opposing independence and barred from electoral politics for over a decade, Bangladesh's biggest Islamist party is reinventing itself and attracting new support ahead of parliamentary polls next month, unsettling moderates and minority communities. "We started welfare politics, not reactionary politics," Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman told Reuters, citing its medical camp initiatives, flood relief and aid for families of those killed in the uprising. "The constructive politics, which Jamaat and its associates ... are doing now, people will put their trust and belief in Jamaat-e-Islami," Rahman said. On its website, the party says it wants Bangladesh to be a democracy guided by Islamic principles. Today, I fear for my life, and I fear that minorities in Bangladesh may not have a secure future," he added.

Source: The Telegraph January 21, 2026 08:26 UTC