Jamaat’s new strategy

 On February 5 last, the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) awarded life sentence to senior JEI leader Abdul Quader Molla triggering a massive protest at Shahbag against what the protesters called ‘inadequate’ punishment to a well known war criminal deserving death sentence.

Since the Shahbag movement eventually succeeded in mobilizing people across the country against the war crimes, the panicky JEI and its student front ICS are adopting various strategies to counter the Shahbag upsurge and thwart the trial. They are resorting to falsehood and smear campaign against the Shahbag movement to discredit it and also exploiting religious sentiments to counter it.

False propaganda being carried out on JEI Facebook / blog:

JEI run Facebook page posted a report citing Ananda Bazar Patrika (published from Kolkata). It reads ‘Girl raped by Shahbag activists at Projanma (new generation) Square’. This is completely fabricated news and Ananda Bazar Patrika did not carry this report in any of its issues.

Another such Facebook page ’18-party coalition’ posted a report purportedly from Prothom Alo along with photograph stating that a young man died while he was acting of being hanged as Abdul Quader Molla. The report was not published in Prothom Alo, nor was it true. The fabricated news was sought to be made credible by creating a photoshopped image. The actual image carried in Prothom Alo was of a young man protesting at Shahbag demanding capital punishment to Molla and other war criminals.

JEI run Facebook page posted a report citing ‘banglasangbad24.com’. The report stated that a woman police officer was raped by Bangladesh Chhatra League (student front of the ruling Awami League) activist. The photograph provided with the news was of a woman police officer who fainted while on duty on July 7, 2011 near BNP central office. The actual report reads ‘Woman police officer faints while on duty’.

Vernacular daily Amar Desh brought out from Dhaka which is known for its pro-JEI leanings published a report in its issue dated December 6, 2012 stating that the clerics of Kaaba formed human wall to protest atrocities perpetrated against Islamic scholars in Bangladesh. The image attached was taken from an Arabic site which mentions that the image was about covering Kaaba shrine.

In its issue of March 4, 2013 the daily Amar Desh reported that the Shahbag Convener Imran H Sarkar is grandson of a ‘Razakar’ (war criminal). However the locals of his grandfather’s village protested this report and condemned the daily for publishing false reports to misguide people. Well known freedom fighters of the village also came out with statement condemning ‘motivated’ report.

JEI has launched a well orchestrated campaign against the youth upsurge at Shahbag, terming the bloggers and Shahbag activists as atheists and enemies of Islam. Ahmed Razib Hyder, a prominent Shahbag activist was hacked to death on February 15, 2013 by ICS workers who have also prepared a hit list of 16 bloggers.

JEI-Shibir cadres are adept at deceiving police and security forces while pursuing their agenda. On February 14, 2013 when they enforced a country wide shut-down the party activists used ambulance as a means of transportation to conceal their identity as well as activities. In order to evade security forces they also carried arms and weapons as

well as propaganda materials in ambulance.

Launching attacks on police JEI-Shibir activists raised ‘Joy Bangla’, ‘Joy Bangabandhu’ slogans to misguide and create confusion in the mind of people as these slogans are associated with Awami League.

JEI befooled police before launching violent activities by using students from Madrassas and various Universities. They also engaged women and children in blocking roads and used them as human shields in their encounter with the security forces in different parts of the country.

JEI’s ploy to create anarchy by whipping up religious sentiments of the people is well known. Intelligence agencies in Bangladesh have information that the party has plans to burn the holy Quran and instigate people for violence by shifting the blame on the government.

Senior JEI leader Delawar Hossen Sayeedi has been convicted and sentenced to death by ICT on February 28 last. Following this, former JEI MP Shahjahan Chowdhury incited the people of Chittagong and Satkania asking them how long they would remain silent upon the death sentence of Sayeedi. Soon after this well orchestrated attacks on the life and property of Hindu minority were launched to intensify communal strife and distract the people from their sole demand of capital punishment to war criminals.

JEI-Shibir activists circulated a fabricated image showing the face of senior JEI leader Delawar Hossen Sayeedi superimposed on the moon, through mobile and internet. To draw attention of the gullible villagers ignorant of internet they made announcement through loudspeakers of village mosques exhorting the people to come out and watch Sayeedi on the moon. Such announcements incited hundreds of villagers into taking to the roads and attacking the police.

JEI run Facebook page Basherkella is being used to spread instigating contents and incite Jamaat followers to pro-actively participate in violent activities against the police and government officials. Some instigating comments posted on this page include ‘picketing is a sport – start it near your house’, ‘Brothers, show Dhaka people what hartal is’, ‘set up secret radio stations to arouse religious sentiments of the people’ etc.

JEI-Shibir workers are not only using print and electronic media, internet to spread false propaganda and misguide people but they are also participating in violent activities through meticulous planning.

Faced with political isolation over the war crimes trial and a possible ban demanded by pro-liberation forces across the political divide the JEI is fighting back the only way it knows – violence and more violence.

By resorting to large scale violence, JEI is not only reviving violent memories associated with it during the liberation war of 1971 but also forcing the government to crack down on it with all its might. It believes that large scale anarchy and disruptions by blocking roads and setting bus/train on fire leading to collapse of civil administration may create grounds for military intervention which it believes can save the party as it did after liberation of Bangladesh.