Nurunnisa Siddiqua, secretary of the women’s wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, today said securing women’s rights is more important than having women in top leadership positions.
“Jamaat-e-Islami is an Islamic organisation, and it naturally follows Islamic principles. The Holy Quran said that ‘men are the managers of women.’ This is a Quranic directive and obligatory. So, in an Islamic organisation, women cannot hold top leadership positions. We accept this with faith and act accordingly,” she said.
She made the remarks after submitting a memorandum to the chief election commissioner over attacks on Jamaat’s female activists in various areas.
Nurunnisa further said, “The focus is not on women occupying top positions, but on whether women’s rights are being realised.”
She added, “Over the past 54 years, two women served as prime minister for long terms in Bangladesh. Has this solved women’s problems? Has violence decreased? Have their rights been secured? Simply having a woman in a top post does not automatically solve everything.”
At the event, Habiba Akter Chowdhury, in-charge of political affairs for Jamaat’s women’s wing, said Jamaat strives to ensure dignity and rights for women. “Forty-three percent of our organisational representatives are women, and more than 40 percent of our advisory and executive committees are women. Our organisation respects and values women.”
Regarding the absence of female candidates from Jamaat in this election, she said, “We are preparing for the future. Our advisory committee has decided that we will not nominate a female candidate this time. However, in local elections, our sisters have actively participated in rural areas.”
Commenting on the attacks on Jamaat’s female activists, she said, “We submitted documentation [to EC] from a total of 15 locations, including photos and videos. There are many more incidents as well.”
“The chief election commissioner has assured us that he will take action in this connection,” she added.
