Jamaat-e-Islami Rebrands as Anti-Establishment Force, Says The Economist

Bangladesh’s Jamaat-e-Islami has attempted to re-enter mainstream politics by moving beyond its traditional ideological image and promoting itself through a range of contemporary political issues, according to a report by the British magazine The Economist.

The report says that under the leadership of party chief Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, Jamaat has tried to avoid emphasizing its religious identity and instead project itself as an anti-establishment force challenging the country’s political status quo.

However, the party still faces the burden of its historical legacy. During Bangladesh’s 1971 War of Independence, Jamaat-e-Islami sided with Pakistan. Despite Bangladesh being more than 90 percent Muslim, the country has long maintained a tradition of moderate and secular politics.

The Economist published the report online last Thursday and later included it in its Saturday print edition, examining the party’s past, present and possible future role in Bangladeshi politics.

According to the report, one of the biggest surprises in Bangladesh following the mass uprising of 2024 has been the rise of Islamist political forces. The student-led movement ultimately forced then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina from power.

Jamaat-e-Islami had previously been banned during that period. Yet few observers expected that in last month’s election the party would secure nearly one-third of the vote and emerge as the country’s main opposition party.

Since Bangladesh’s independence, power has largely alternated between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Awami League. In contrast, Jamaat has attempted to present itself as a party of change, advocating anti-corruption policies and good governance. Both major parties have long been associated with family-led political traditions and have faced allegations of corruption.

One of Jamaat’s most effective strategies, the report notes, has been its engagement in campus politics. Last year the party’s student wing won student union elections at several major universities.

Instead of focusing solely on religious campaigning, its activists organized study circles, formed community welfare groups, repaired broken dormitory facilities such as fans, and even arranged a recent hijab march at the University of Dhaka.

Jamaat also formed an electoral alliance with the National Citizen Party (NCP), a group led by student leaders who emerged from the uprising movement. As part of the arrangement, several high-profile candidates from the new party stepped aside. Six student leaders eventually won parliamentary seats.

The alliance helped reshape the public image of those leaders while placing Jamaat firmly within the victorious political camp of the uprising. As a result, the party has become a political force that can no longer be ignored.

Still, questions remain about Jamaat’s ideology and direction. BNP finance minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said, “I’m not sure what their ideology actually is.” According to the report, many observers share the same uncertainty.

One major challenge is that the party appears divided between moderate and hardline factions. The behavior of its leadership has also raised quest