Islami Andolan Bangladesh

Islami Andolan Bangladesh (ইসলামী আন্দোলন বাংলাদেশ, lit. Islamic Movement of Bangladesh) is an Islamist political organization in Bangladesh. It was founded by Fazlul Karim. They have campaigned in favour of a blasphemy law and organised rallies in support for a restoration of the caretaker government of Bangladesh,^[1] as well as demanding punishment of former government minister Abdul Latif Siddique for his comments criticizing Hajj and Muhammad.^[2]

Islami Andolan Bangladesh ইসলামী আন্দোলন বাংলাদেশ
Abbreviation	IAB
President	Syed Rezaul Karim
Secretary-General	Yunus Ahmad
Founder	Syed Fazlul Karim
Founded	13 March 1987 (38 years ago) (1987-03-13)
Headquarters	55/B, Purana Paltan, Dhaka
Student wing	Islami Chhatra Andolan Bangladesh
Youth wing	Islami Jubo Andolan Bangladesh
Trade union	Islami Sramik Andolan Bangladesh
Ideology	Deobandism Islamism Islamic fundamentalism Islamic democracy
Political position	Right-wing to far-right
Religion	Islam
Colors	Green (official)   Golden (customary)
Slogan	"True system of liberation, Islamic governance" (মুক্তির মূলমন্ত্র, ইসলামী শাসনতন্ত্র)
MPs in Jatiya Sangsad	Parliament dissolved
Mayors in City Corporations	0 / 2 (0%)
Councillors in City Corporations	Post dissolved
Chairmen in District Councils	Post dissolved
Chairmen in Subdistrict Councils	Post dissolved
Chairmen in Union Councils	Post dissolved
Election symbol
Hand fan
Iab flag
Website
islamiandolanbd.org
Politics of Bangladesh Political parties Elections

History

A procession of IAB, 24 February 2023

Syed Fazlul Karim, pir of Chormonai, established the party on 13 March 1987. The party protested against the government of Bangladesh for allowing a women's football tournament in October 2004 and called it "disgrace to women". The party has campaigned in favour of a blasphemy law and organised rallies in support for a restoration of the caretaker government of Bangladesh, as well as demanding punishment of former government minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui for his comments criticizing Hajj and Muhammad. A memorandum has been submitted to the United Nations, urging an end to the violence occurring in Rakhine State, Myanmar. Prior to leaving Baitul Mukarram, party leaders, including Mufti Syed Rezaul Karim, delivered speeches denouncing the atrocities faced by the Rohingya people in Myanmar. In 2019, numerous activists from Islami Andolan Bangladesh assembled at the north gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque following Jumah prayers, staging a protest in the vicinity of the mosque against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in India. They raised slogans such as, "No CAB, no NRC, and stop torturing Muslims in India! Where is humanity?"

On April 25, 2017, IAB announced plans to besiege the Prime Minister's Office, demanding the arrest of "atheist bloggers who insulted Islam" and the enactment of legislation to penalize those who "insult Islam" in Parliament.

The party has been particularly vocal compared to others during the 2024 Bangladesh textbook tearing controversy, advocating for a boycott of Aarong and BRAC University as part of its anti-transformation protests.

Political

The proposals put forth by both the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party concerning the election-time government have been dismissed as flawed and ineffective in addressing the current political crisis. The party has called for the dissolution of parliament and the establishment of a neutral caretaker government to oversee a fair election. IAB Amir Sayed Rezaul Karim criticized the recent local government elections as unjust, stating, "Had the elections been conducted fairly, the true popularity of the party would have been evident." He further remarked on the political climate, asserting, "The populace seeks liberation from the current oppressive and autocratic regime. In their desperate quest for a peaceful society, they struggle to find viable alternatives. Consequently, they are increasingly turning to an Islamist party like ours, with growing participation in the Islamist movement. Interest in IAB is rising as people see no other options."

Election results

In the 2018 Bangladesh general elections, the Islami Andolan Bangladesh (IAB) achieved the third highest vote count, following the Awami League-led Grand Alliance and BNP-led Jatiya Oikya Front.

Recent city corporation elections have demonstrated a significant increase in the votes received by IAB candidates. In the 2023 Khulna City Corporation election, the IAB candidate surpassed the Jatiya Party (Ershad), the current opposition in parliament, by securing 14,363 votes, while the JaPa candidate received only 1,500 votes. Additionally, IAB ranked third in the 2020 Dhaka South City Corporation election, the 2020 Dhaka North City Corporation election, the 2022 Narayanganj City Corporation election, and the 2022 Rangpur City Corporation election.

Jatiya Sangsad elections

Election	Party leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Position	Government
Jun 1996	Syed Fazlul Karim	11,159	0.03%	0 / 300	New	19th	Extra-parliamentary
2001		5,944	0.01%	0 / 300	0	17th	Extra-parliamentary
2008	Syed Rezaul Karim	658,254	0.94%	0 / 300	0	5th	Extra-parliamentary
2014		Boycotted		0 / 300	0	—	Extra-parliamentary
2018		1,255,373	1.47%	0 / 300	0	3rd	Extra-parliamentary
2024		Boycotted		0 / 300	0	—	Extra-parliamentary

Leaders

Secretary-General

Yunus Ahmad (born 16 July 1957) is serving as the secretary general of Islami Andolan Bangladesh.^[3] He was born on July 16, 1957, in Maishaghuni village of Khulna district. His father Muslim Uddin and mother Sakina. His education start from JBM Primary School. He then passed secondary school from Belfulia High School. In 1973, he was admitted to Khulna City College. In 1974 he passed his HSC from Khulna Bangabandhu Degree College and moved to Jamia Rashidiya Islamia Charmonai and started memorizing Quran. After completing the memorization of Quran under the supervision of Hafez Nuruzzaman, he passed Dakhil from Anandnagar Nesaria Madrasa in 1981, Alim from Jugihati Aminya Madrasa in 1983, Fazil in 1985 and Kamil from Khulna Alia in 1987. He started practicing tasawwuf by taking bay'at from Syed Fazlul Karim. On November 17, 1998, he received the caliphate from him.^[4] His career began at JBM Hafizia Madrasa. Later he taught for some time at Deyara Hafizia Madrasah. In 1996, he took charge of the Principal of Jamia Rashidiya Goalkhali Adarsh Cadet Scheme Madrasah. He was in charge till 2002. Currently, he is teaching Hadith in Dhaka Kadmatli Jamia Islamia Fazlul Uloom Madrasa.^[4] He joined Muhammadullah Hafezzi's repentance politics in 1981 at the suggestion of Syed Fazlul Karim. He served as the general secretary of the Bangladesh Mujahid Committee, Khulna district branch. He was associated with the Islami Andolan Bangladesh since its inception. In 2008, he was elected as the general secretary of this party.^[4]

See also

• List of Islamic political parties
• List of Deobandi organisations