Women have no chance to reach top positions in Islam: Top leader of Jamaat’s women’s wing

Staff Correspondent

Jamaat-e-Islami has claimed that women are not allowed to hold top leadership positions according to Islamic teachings. According to the party, they have taken this position following the teachings of the Quran.

Jamaat-e-Islami Women’s Division Secretary Nurunnisa Siddique made the comment while responding to questions from journalists at the Election Commission (EC) on Sunday.

Responding to a question about the possibility of a female Ameer in the top position, he said, Jamaat-e-Islami is an organization based on Islamic ideology and it is natural for them to follow Islam. In his words, the Holy Quran mentions men as the ‘directors’ of women, which is an order and obligation of Islam. Accordingly, women cannot come to the top leadership in any Islamic organization.

He said that they have embraced faith and are conducting the organization’s activities in accordance with this principle.

When asked about Jamaat not fielding any women candidates in the parliamentary elections, Nurunnisa Siddique said that it is an internal decision of the organization.
However, she commented that having women in top positions is not a major issue for Jamaat. According to her, whether women’s rights are being realized or not, whether women are getting respect and security is more important.

Citing the example of the country’s political history, she said that in the last 54 years, two women have been prime ministers in Bangladesh for long periods. But whether women’s problems have been solved, whether violence against women has decreased, or whether women’s rights have been ensured – the question still remains.
Nurunnisa Siddika said that the idea that women’s conditions will change only if there are women in top positions is not realistic. Whether the leader is a woman or a man, only if he is humane and ensures the dignity of all men and women, then real change can come in society.

Earlier, a delegation of Jamaat-e-Islami met with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin on current affairs. The six-member delegation, led by Assistant Secretary General Advocate Ehsanul Mahbub Zubair, participated in the meeting.

After the meeting, Habiba Chowdhury, head of Jamaat-e-Islami’s women’s wing, said that although women make up about 50 percent of the country’s total voters, they have not been able to effectively exercise their voting rights for a long time.

She alleged that although the upcoming elections are important for women, there is an attempt to keep women away from voting by intimidating them through a ‘deep conspiracy’.

Habiba Chowdhury said they have submitted information to the Election Commission about at least 15 incidents of attacks on female Jamaat workers in different districts. She also alleged that political vendetta is behind these incidents.

Jamaat’s female leaders claim that their organization is working to establish the respect and rights of women. According to them, more than 40 percent of the organization’s advisory and executive committees are represented by women and training programs are being conducted to develop female leaders.

Regarding the election environment, they complained that a ‘level playing field’ has not yet been ensured at the field level. They called on the Election Commission to play a neutral and objective role, citing several recent killings and incidents of violence as major obstacles to peaceful elections.

When asked about the allegations made by other political parties including BNP, Jamaat leaders said that some ‘irrational allegations’ were being raised to question the election.