Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh has called for scrapping the Women's Affairs Reform Commission, which it termed as "anti-Quran."
The Islamist platform issued a 12-point declaration, calling for a nationwide protest on May 23, 2025, after Jumma prayers to press for four of its key demands.
The group has called for formation of a new women's commission comprising of Islamic scholars and representatives from "devout segments of the female population."
The declaration, read out today at a rally at Suhrawardy Udyan by the Hefazat's nayeb-e-ameer, Mahfuzul Haque, said women's social progress should not be dictated by Western values but instead be grounded in the country's religious and cultural traditions.
They called for reinstating "complete faith and trust in almighty Allah" in the constitution, urging the government to abandon, what it described as, the "suicidal concept" of pluralism and to protect the faith and religious practices of the devout Muslim population.
Hefazat also opposed the inclusion of terms such as "gender identity," "gender diversity," "gender equality," "gender discrimination," "third gender," and "other genders," arguing that these are used to promote LGBT and transgender inclusion under ambiguous slogans such as "leave no one behind" and "inclusive."
The group warned that these ideas could lead to a "destructive, anti-religious pro-homosexual society."
Among other demands, the group called for expediting tribunal processes regarding the 2013 Shapla Chattar and July 2024 incidents. It also demanded that former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her "identified associates" be tried before the upcoming national election.
Labeling the Awami League as a "terrorist organisation," Hefazat demanded a ban on all its activities until judicial proceedings are completed.
The declaration further called for laws prescribing the highest punishment for blasphemy against Allah and his messenger (PBUH).
The group opposed any recommendation from the Media Reform Commission to repeal existing blasphemy-related legal provisions.
It also demanded the cancellation of bail granted to Chinmoy Das in the Saiful Islam Alif murder case in Chattogram and urged the withdrawal of all "false and fabricated" cases filed against Islamic scholars, madrasa students, and religious youth during the Hasina administration under the pretext of militancy.
The group called for exemplary punishment for those allegedly involved in the persecution and enforced disappearances of Islamic figures over the past 15 years.
On international matters, Hefazat urged the government to raise its voice diplomatically against violence in Gaza and the persecution of Muslims in India. It also called for a boycott of Israeli and Indian products and demanded that Islamic education be made mandatory at all levels.
The group condemned, what it said was, the government's "consent" to establish a "humanitarian corridor" in Myanmar's Rakhine State, terming it a "short-sighted and suicidal decision" that could compromise national security.
Regarding security issues, Hefazat demanded increased military presence in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and stronger efforts to build harmony between Bengali settlers and indigenous communities. It also reiterated its demand for the state to officially declare the Ahmadiyya community as "non-Muslim."
Following the rally, Hefazat-e-Islam announced a series of divisional conferences over the next three months.
Hefazat-e-Islam's four demands include abolishing the women's reform commission, removing pluralism in the constitution and replacing it with the full trust and faith in almighty Allah, withdrawing all cases against Hefazat leaders and instituting a trial for all mass killings and putting an end to genocide and persecution of Muslims in Palestine and India.
