Democratic politics and the rule of law have virtually collapsed in Bangladesh. A group like Hefazat-e-Islami burnt Dhaka and other parts of the country with impunity. The government failed miserably to protect common people, traders and even journalists. The Hefazat is not the only menace. Violence is rampant in the country. Street fights between the rival political parties recall the days before the last election. Shut-downs have brought business to a halt. A building collapse killed over 650garment industry workers. But that has not led to a lull in the violence in the streets of Dhaka. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party has condoned Hefazat violence. All this casts a shadow over democratic governance in the country. What passes understanding is that a recognized political party which is a major contender for power can support the Hefazat’s absurd demands. It wants an official ban on the free movement of women and an orthodox Islamic code for the government and society. Shades of the Taliban!
Bangladesh has witnessed a number of coups and assassinations. But the present crisis is unprecedented. The Hefazat wants to set the clock back in the country’s modernization and is targeting the ruling Awami League. The trial of the war criminals of 1971 has inflamed passions in some sections. Many leaders of the communal Jammat-e-Islami have been arrested and that has aroused Islamist indignation. The only way to handle the extremist Hefazat is for the government and other democratic forces to unite and throw away its demands. The Hefazat is not merely an enemy of democracy but also of civilized values in Bangladesh.
