Casting vote for Jamaat is haram for Muslims: Hefazat Ameer

Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh Ameer Allama Shah Muhibbullah Babunagari has taken a firm stance against Jamaat-e-Islami ahead of the upcoming 13th parliamentary election, stating that it is 'haram" (religiously forbidden) for Muslims to vote for Jamaat and that it is not permissible under any circumstances.

He made the remarks while addressing the concluding ceremony of Sahih Bukhari Sharif at a madrasa in Kajirhat under Fatikchhari upazila in Chattogram on Thursday night (February 5).

During his speech, the Hefazat Ameer also announced his support for BNP-nominated candidate Sarwar Alamgir, who is contesting in the Chattogram-2 constituency with the party’s electoral symbol, the sheaf of paddy.

He said he does not view the upcoming election merely as an electoral contest, but rather as a form of 'jihad' against Jamaat.

Muhibbullah Babunagari stated that those who have formed alliances with Maududi’s Jamaat are also Maududi followers. “For us, this is not an election; it is a 'jihad' against false forces. Voting for Jamaat is haram for all Muslims,” he said.

He further claimed that Hefazat-e-Islam has fundamental ideological and doctrinal differences with Jamaat-e-Islami. According to him, Jamaat does not present a correct interpretation of Islam, and the community of Islamic scholars must unite to resist its political rise.

The event was attended by BNP-nominated candidate Sarwar Alamgir, senior Islamic scholars from various madrasas, as well as leaders and activists of the BNP and its affiliated organisations.