Concealed story on Dr. Shafiqur Rahman's rise to Jamaat Amir

 
Dr. Shafiqur Rahman is at present the Amir of Bangladesh Jamaat-E-Islami, the largest theocratic political party of the country. Political sources have informed that Dr. Shafiqur Rahman was actively associated with Chhatra League and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) during his academic life. However, with the passage of time Dr. Shafiqur Rahman has been able to reach the top echelon of Jamaat.

According to Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, he was a school student when the elections of 1970 were held. Awami League symbol boat was made from towns during that period while Dr. Shafiqur Rahman and his classmates prepared Awami League posters with their mere hands since no advanced printing facilities were available back then. "I was a member of Chhatra League poster making team back in 1970, in one sense. In fact I had no idea at that tender age about what Chhatra League or politics stood for. We just went with the flow" Dr. Shafiqur Rahman recalled while giving an interview to a popular Bengali newspaper very recently.

Dr. Shafiqur Rahman's cousin was a young officer in East Pakistan Rifles (EPR) who directly participated in the Liberation War of 1971 and embraced martyrdom, according to the interview cited above. Dr. Shafiqur Rahman told the interviewer that right after Bangladesh's independence, Awami League, Jubo League and Sramik League became the mainstream political parties in the country. Dr. Shafiqur Rahman blamed these three political fronts for sparking off a reign of terror and rampage throughout Bangladesh after independence.

"My ancestral home is located between hills and a small lake. We saw how the leaders and activists of Awami League and Jubo League chopped down big trees, raped women and committed many other atrocities without obstructions in the wake of the country's liberation. Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal was born right at that time which enabled the infuriated young generation to raise their voices against these criminal offences. These youths joined Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal because they got a political platform to demonstrate against the human rights violations and assaults on women which were being spearheaded by some culprits backed up by the Awami League government which was in power after Bangladesh became independent. I was one of those youths who joined Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal in an attempt to resist the felonies and horrors generated by the stalwarts of Awami League, Jubo League and Chhatra League following 1971" Dr. Shafiqur Rahman explained.

Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, as he told journalists, became disillusioned when he saw that JSD-Chhatra League also started robbing banks, attacking women and breaking laws. Dr. Shafiqur Rahman was at that time a student of Murari Chand or MC College, Sylhet. He decided to stop supporting Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) and Chhatra League under those untoward circumstances, his political background shows. He stopped residing in MC College hostel due to fears of retaliation from Chhatra League and JSD.

Dr. Shafiqur Rahman afterwards started reading the Holy Quran with Bengali interpretations borrowing the theological text from his college library, he unfolded to the interviewer. Dr. Shafiqur Rahman soon figured out that his roommates worked for an underground Islamic organization. "I accepted their request to join the Islamic group. This is how destiny got me closer to Islamic movement and the journey still continues" Dr. Shafiqur Rahman concluded.