With Bangladesh’s upcoming polls, strict election rules forbid using religious sentiments for political gain. However, reports reveal that various parties and candidates have engaged in portraying each other as “bad Muslims” through paid ads and social media content. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami candidates have exchanged insults, labeling one another as “munafeq,” a term denoting a hypocrite in Islamic faith.
The Daily Star highlighted 55 religiously provocative posts from social media sources, with many supporting the BNP and Jamaat. Allegations include claims that Jamaat leaders are promising “tickets to Jannah (paradise)” in exchange for votes, while opponents are accused of being “seasonal Muslims” who adopt Islamic appearances during elections to deceive voters. The BNP-nominated candidate for Rajshahi-1 criticized Jamaat’s tactics as deceptive, emphasizing the importance of avoiding deception in the name of religion.
The political atmosphere in Bangladesh has shifted towards the right, with parties mobilizing religiosity to appeal to voters. Asif Shahan from the University of Dhaka noted this trend, pointing out that the absence of a strong left or center-left alternative has led to parties like BNP and Jamaat moving towards the right to secure votes. Concerns have been raised about the potential for increased political conflict and the risk of fueling Islamist extremism with a change in power.
