A total of 650 people — including a former justice, intellectuals, lawyers, prominent businesspeople, Qawmi scholars, and leaders and activists from BNP and various other political parties — have joined Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.
They formally joined the party at an outreach rally organized by Dhaka Metropolitan South Jamaat on Tuesday afternoon, as part of the party’s month-long public outreach program. Opposition Leader and Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Dr Shafiqur Rahman, the event’s chief guest, welcomed the new members with flowers and Islamic books.
The rally was held at the Institution of Diploma Engineers’ Muktijuddho Sriti Milanayaton in the capital, chaired by Dhaka Metropolitan South Jamaat Amir Mohammad Nurul Islam Bulbul, MP.
Those who joined Jamaat include former justice Syed Shahidur Rahman, senior Supreme Court lawyer Dr A S M Khalekuzzaman, former army officer Colonel Farooq Hossain, former Bangladesh Police SP Obaidul Haque, and former national footballer and former United Nations official Selim Ahmed.
Prominent businessmen Abul Ayesh Khan, Md Firoz Alam Khan, Sinha A Khalid, Haji Shah Alam, Abdur Razzak Sohag and Dr Humayun Kabir also joined Jamaat that day.
Among BNP leaders and activists at various levels who joined were Yakub Sarkar, joint convener of Bangshal Thana Ward 2 BNP; Mushfiqur Rahman Babu, Jubo Dal leader from Ward 2; Haji Altab Hossain, BNP leader from Ward 75; Md Jabed Omar, convener of Swechchhasebak Dal from Ward 35; and Mosleh Uddin Ahmed, a social worker from Ward 32.
Also joining were Neyamat Ullah Kollol, secretary of the Gendaria Lal Khan City Mosque, and Maulana Muhammad Jasim Uddin, secretary-general of the Bangladesh Nurani Education Board.
Among the Qawmi scholars were Mufti Abul Kalam Azad Madani, Maulana Enamul Haque Azadi, Maulana Abdur Rahman Al Habibi, Maulana Md Jasim Uddin (Rasulpuri), and Maulana Hasan Jamil, among others.
The rally, jointly moderated by Dhaka Metropolitan South Jamaat Secretary Dr Shafiqul Islam Masud, MP, and Assistant Secretary Delawar Hossain, featured remarks from Advocate Dr A S M Khalekuzzaman, former justice Advocate Syed Shahidur Rahman, Mufti Abul Kalam Azad Madani, prominent businessman Abul Ayesh Khan, and Yakub Sarkar, joint convener of Bangshal Thana Ward 2 BNP.
Also speaking were Jamaat-e-Islami Central Working Council member and Dhaka Metropolitan South Naeb-e-Amir Abdus Sabur Fakir; Advocate Dr Helal Uddin; Central Majlis-e-Shura member and Dhaka Metropolitan South Assistant Secretary Dr Abdul Mannan; and Central Majlis-e-Shura member and Dhaka Metropolitan South Working Council member Syed Zainul Abedin, MP.
Also present at the event were Jamaat-e-Islami Central Majlis-e-Shura member and Dhaka Metropolitan South Assistant Secretary Mohammad Kamal Hossain, MP, along with other central and metropolitan-level leaders of the organization.