Bangladesh Cleric Sparks Outrage by Comparing Working Women to Prostitutes

Image: Jihad Watch

Bangladesh has once again been thrust into an intense national controversy after Shafiqur Rahman, chief of the Islamist party Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, ignited outrage by comparing women who work outside the home to “prostitution” in a social media post that was later deleted. The remarks, made at a politically sensitive moment as the country approaches national elections, have drawn condemnation from across the political spectrum and civil society. More broadly, they have exposed a deeper and increasingly troubling shift in Bangladesh’s social climate, marked by a growing absolutist interpretation of Islam and a resurgence of religious conservatism across various segments of the population.

In the now-deleted post on X, Rahman declared that Jamaat’s stance on women was “principled” and non-negotiable. He stated that women should not hold leadership positions within the party, claiming such roles were forbidden by Allah. He went further, asserting that when women are encouraged to leave the home in the name of modernity, they are subjected to exploitation, moral degradation, and insecurity — equating their participation in public and professional life with “another form of prostitution.”

The framing of women’s visibility in workplaces and public spaces as moral decay rather than social progress struck many as deeply offensive and profoundly regressive. Jamaat later attempted to distance itself from the post, claiming it had been removed due to “misinterpretation” and even suggesting the account may have been compromised. These explanations were widely dismissed as implausible, given Jamaat-e-Islami’s long-standing ideological opposition to women’s leadership and public autonomy.

In 2026, such rhetoric resonated not only as insulting but as dangerously out of step with Bangladesh’s social and economic realities. Equating women’s economic participation with prostitution strips working women of dignity, agency, and legitimacy. Women form a critical backbone of Bangladesh’s economy — from garment factory workers and teachers to doctors, entrepreneurs, and civil servants. To portray their labor as immoral is to delegitimize their very presence in public life and reinforce a worldview that confines women to domestic roles while treating independence as a social threat.

The controversy has also reignited attention on what many critics argue is the structural nature of misogyny within rigid interpretations of Islam. Jamaat’s position reflects a broader ideological framework in which women’s independence is treated as disorder, and control over women’s mobility becomes central to social regulation. In this context, Rahman’s comments have been seen as laying bare how deeply gender inequality is embedded in the party’s religious and political worldview.

Rather than repudiating the remarks, Jamaat’s women’s wing moved to defend the party’s position. Nurunnisa Siddika, Secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami’s Central Women’s Division, publicly reaffirmed that women should not occupy top leadership roles, stating that such positions were “against the Qur’an.” She argued that men are divinely appointed as guardians and decision-makers, reinforcing the party’s theological justification for excluding women from power. Unsurprisingly, Jamaat has not nominated any female candidates for the upcoming elections.

Siddika further attempted to justify the stance by pointing to Bangladesh’s history of female prime ministers, questioning whether violence against women had declined under female leadership. Her remarks strengthened the perception that Jamaat’s gender ideology is not the isolated opinion of one leader, but an institutional doctrine deeply embedded within the party.

This controversy unfolds against a grim and deeply alarming backdrop. Over the past two years, Bangladesh has seen a documented rise in violence against women, coinciding with a renewed push toward Sharia-based social norms following the removal of Sheikh Hasina. Human rights organizations have reported hundreds of rape cases in the past year alone, including a disturbing number involving minors and gang assaults. Several victims reportedly died following sexual violence, while others took their own lives. These figures represent only reported cases; many more are believed to go unreported due to stigma, fear, and a lack of trust in authorities.

Alongside sexual violence, moral policing and mob intimidation have surged. Women have been harassed, threatened, and in some cases assaulted for not wearing hijab or for appearing in public spaces deemed “inappropriate.” Videos circulating online show groups confronting women over their clothing, while students on university campuses report increasing pressure to conform to Islamic dress codes. Cultural programs and women’s sporting events have also faced threats from Islamist groups demanding their cancellation.

These developments reflect the growing influence of hardline Islamic ideology within Bangladesh’s political and social landscape. With state institutions weakened and political authority contested, Islamist groups have increasingly stepped into the vacuum, asserting social control — often by targeting women as the most visible symbols of social change. In this environment, misogynistic rhetoric from political leaders does not remain symbolic; it translates into real-world consequences, emboldening street-level harassment, coercion, and violence.

The Jamaat chief’s remarks, and the women’s wing’s defense of them, have thus come to represent far more than a single offensive social media post. They signal a broader and more dangerous shift toward rigid Islamization and Sharia-driven social norms, where women’s freedoms are steadily narrowed and violence is increasingly normalized under the banner of morality and religious virtue.

As Bangladesh moves closer to national elections, the question is no longer merely political, but existential for women’s rights. The world is watching to see whether women will continue to have a place in Bangladesh’s public, professional, and civic life. If current trends persist unchecked, the country risks drifting toward a social order reminiscent of Afghanistan-style restrictions — where women’s autonomy is systematically eroded, and their visibility in society is treated not as progress, but as a provocation.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)