Workers March Across the Country as 71 People, Including Families of 34 Jamaat MPs, Embark on Luxury Trips to Five Countries!

‘Many have never seen a foreign country before’ – argument

Staff Reporter

While the 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami is busy holding programs like the Long March in support of its eight-point demands, 34 members of parliament (MPs) from the party are staying abroad. They are accompanied by their relatives on the 17-day visit, bringing the total number of members of the entire visiting party to 71.

The Jamaat MPs’ foreign trip has sparked a lot of discussion amid the party’s long march on the streets to resolve various crises including electricity and gas and protest against various government measures. However, Jamaat is saying that the trip was planned in advance and the MPs were sent abroad as part of the party’s plan.

Jamaat-related sources said that out of the 34 visiting MPs, 25 to 26 representatives have brought family members with them. The list of entourage includes Jamaat-e-Majlish-e-Shura member and Dhaka Metropolitan North Ameer Mohammad Selim Uddin, former MP and recently joined party Major (retd) Mohammad Akhtaruzzaman, and writer Ziaul Haque.

According to the information received, the two-phase tour group reached Malaysia on September 13 and 14. After an initial three-day stay there, they visited Singapore on September 17. From there, their destination was the Philippines last Saturday. After the tour schedule, they will go to Saudi Arabia on September 24 to perform Umrah and will stay in Bahrain for some time on the way. After that, they are scheduled to return home on September 30.

While in Malaysia, Masjali Malik, the country’s former Minister of Education, Head of the International Affairs Bureau of the Kedili Rakyat and a relevant person at the Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) Malaysia, paid a courtesy call on Jamaat MPs.

According to party sources, Masjoli Malik himself took the initiative to meet the Jamaat leaders. During the visit, they visited several tourist attractions, including the city center of Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, and the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).

After completing their tour of Malaysia, the Jamaat delegation landed in Singapore on September 17. There, they visited Nanyang Technological University, which was recognized as the world’s best university in the field of artificial intelligence in the 2025 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects.

The team participated in a symposium held at the university, which shed light on a variety of topics, including the context behind Singapore’s current global position.

After finishing their Singapore leg, they will travel to the Philippines on Saturday. According to the itinerary, they plan to meet with local political figures and important individuals as well as visit various places of interest.

They will leave the Philippines for Saudi Arabia on September 24. They also plan to visit the area around the airport during a stopover in Bahrain before performing Umrah. After completing Umrah in Saudi Arabia, they will return to Bangladesh by plane on September 30.

Syed Zainul Abedin, a member of the Jamaat’s central Majlis-e-Shura and a member of parliament from Dhaka-4 constituency, who is part of the visiting party, said on Sunday afternoon that they had come abroad with the consent of the Jamaat’s Ameer and that the Speaker of the National Assembly had also been informed about the matter in advance.

Explaining the reason for the trip, Syed Zainul Abedin said, “Many members of parliament have not had the experience of visiting the international arena before. The trip has been organized with the aim of understanding the historical trends, current outlines, strategies behind their development, and economic foundations of developed countries.”

Major (Retd.) Mohammad Akhtaruzzaman, one of the members of the delegation, said yesterday afternoon that the plan for the visit was finalized some time ago, but it was postponed due to the ongoing third session of the National Parliament.

He further added that many of the Jamaat members were elected as MPs for the first time and many had no prior experience of traveling abroad. This international trip has been arranged as part of their training to broaden the horizons of their thinking and perspectives.

According to information received from the visitors, this is not an official political visit. Despite this, they have had informal meetings with some members of parliament from the Malaysian government and opposition parties through previous acquaintances and institutional contacts.

Jamaat sources further said that during this visit, the delegation will meet with governments and opposition parties, Islamist political organizations and important figures of the state from different countries. The discussions will focus on the challenges of conducting politics, parliamentary norms, responsibilities of parliamentarians, transparency, ethics, accountability and strategic planning.

Another Jamaat-related source claims that various long-term plans have been formulated to transform Jamaat-e-Islami into a force suitable for running the state. The transfer of international experience and knowledge among the party’s senior and junior leadership is a special aspect of that plan, for the implementation of which this visit has been organized.

Sources said that the visit will not be limited to this one, but there are plans to visit other developed countries around the world, including Europe and America, in the future. Along with members of parliament, emerging young leaders and representatives of student organizations will also be involved. In addition to gaining experience, the visits will include meetings with prominent figures and visits to tourist attractions.

When asked for comment on this issue, Jamaat-e-Islami’s propaganda and media cell secretary Ehsanul Mahbub Zubair said yesterday evening that many leaders and activists have visited abroad in the past as part of the organization’s long-term plan and the current tour is part of that trend. However, this time, this special tour has been scheduled only for members of parliament.