People didn’t sacrifice lives in July Uprising for looters, extortionists: Jamaat Ameer

Shafiqur Rahman, ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami and leader of the opposition, said that students and the public did not shed their blood in the July 2024 uprising for the “benefit of looters and extortionists.”

The people will not tolerate looting, extortion, injustice, or oppression under any circumstances, and everyone will have to account for their crimes in the future.

He made these remarks as the chief guest at the 2026 conference of former associates and members of the Islamic Student Movement, organized by Jamaat-e-Islami’s Chattogram Metropolitan unit at the GEC Convention Center in the city on Tuesday.

The conference was chaired by Muhammad Nazrul Islam, a member of the Central Executive Council and Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami’s Chattogram Metropolitan unit.

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Special guests included Nurul Islam Saddam, central president of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir; AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad, assistant secretary-general of Jamaat-e-Islami; Muhammad Shahjahan, assistant secretary-general; Nurul Islam Bulbul, member of the Central Executive Council; and Muhammad Selim Uddin, ameer of the Dhaka Metropolitan North unit; among others.

Shafiqur Rahman said that the responsibilities of the Islamic movement must be carried out throughout one’s life. Over the past 17 years, he said, members of the movement had faced various forms of oppression and persecution. Twelve senior leaders, he claimed, had been killed after being subjected to what he described as the “century’s most disgraceful accusations.” He said they had remained steadfast in their faith in Allah and cherished the dream of building a better Bangladesh.

He added that the people of Bangladesh believe Jamaat-e-Islami will safeguard the trust placed in it by the public. According to him, this trust did not emerge overnight. During what he described as the fascist period, countless men and women had sacrificed their lives, while many others had been left disabled.

He said lessons must be learned from various incidents of the past. He referred to an incident involving a former judge who, according to his account, fled and was apprehended near the border while lying on banana leaves. He said everyone should remain mindful of the consequences of oppressing others, violating people's rights, and depriving them of what rightfully belongs to them. No one will escape accountability for wrongdoing, he added, and everyone must answer for their own actions.

Addressing the former associates and members, the Jamaat chief urged them to earn their livelihoods through lawful means and lead their lives with honesty and moral integrity.

He said some statements were being made at the highest levels of the country that were entirely baseless and irrelevant. He added that they had no time to respond to such remarks. Rather than engaging in a competition of words, he urged members to earn public trust through their ideals, morality, and actions.

“Islam will be established in this country, and a Bangladesh founded on justice will be built,” he said.