Survival Strategies of Jamaat as a Religion-Based Political Opponent in Bangladesh (original) (raw)

Masks of Authoritarianism, 2021

Abstract

A hybrid regime survives on the fabricated legitimacy created by ruling elites through several undemocratic measures, including suppressing the opponents. While the current AL government has been successful in holding power for more than a decade, the oppositions remain mostly silent with occasional demonstrations and violence. Jamaat is a religion-based political party and one of the significant opponents to the AL regime. In Bangladesh politics, the 1971 liberation war is the determinant factor that acts as a strength for AL due to the glorious leadership and spearheading the independence of Bangladesh. In contrast, Jamaat collaborated with the Pakistani regime for a united Pakistan. It became a symbol of ‘Rajakars’ (collaborators), a much-hated word that is a serious threat to Jamaat in Bangladesh politics. The government led by AL has a trump card in underlining the dubious role of Jamaat during the war and prosecuting the top leaders, including some of them are executed. In response, Jamaat activists carried out several failed attempts to protest the trial by both fighting in legal proceedings and staging violent demonstrations on the streets. The government also took severe actions against all oppositions, including Jamaat to squeeze them out of the political arena. This chapter aims to explore the religious-cum-political strategies taken by Jamaat to survive under a tyrannical hybrid regime of AL. The study findings demonstrate nothing innovative but an old-style of the strategies Jamaat is following covertly that might only ensure its survival in Bangladesh politics. We conclude that the political future of Jamaat is neither bleak nor very promising. Instead, it depends mostly on the political opportunity and the relationship with major political parties, BNP and AL, and collaboration with different religious groups. Keyword: Political Suppression, Awami League, Violence, Jamaat, Political Islam

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