Jamaat-e-Islami names Islamic preacher Amir Hamza as parliamentary poll candidate in Bangladesh

Controversial Islamic preacher Mufti Amir Hamza has been nominated as Jamaat-e-Islami’s MP candidate for the Kushtia-3 (Sadr) constituency in the upcoming national parliamentary elections. Jamaat’s Central Executive Council member Mubarak Hossain announced Hamza’s name at a gathering at the Abdul Wahid Auditorium in Kushtia district on Sunday (May 25).

After announcing Hamza’s name, Hossain said, “The candidate (Amir Hamza) we have nominated for this seat is not limited to the country; he is a well-known candidate internationally.”

“The announcement of candidates for most of the 300 seats has been completed, including the Kushtia-3 constituency. Jamaat-e-Islami will not accept any elections without reforms and progress in the judicial process,” he added.

“Jamaat-e-Islami does not want to see elections like those in 2018 or 2019. Our biggest demand is that the elections be held under a caretaker government.”

Hamza faced legal action in Bangladesh and Singapore

Hamza has faced legal action in Bangladesh and Singapore for delivering provocative speeches, misinterpreting religion, and spreading extremism. Singapore launched an investigation against Hamza for giving a sermon to migrant workers in the country on 9 August, 2024, without a permit.

Singapore’s home ministry said Hamza’s sermon propagated extremist and segregationist teachings that were dangerous and detrimental to Singapore’s communal harmony.

In his sermon, Hamza referred to non-Muslims as kafirs (infidels) and praised extremists as models of religious devotion, said Singapore’s minister for home affairs and law, K Shanmugam.

Hamza is notorious for his alleged extremist teachings and terror links, as he promotes religious intolerance, hatred, and violence in his sermons. He is also alleged to be an influential figure in Ansar al-Islam (AAI), a pro-Al-Qaeda terrorist organisation operating in Bangladesh.

Earlier, on May 24, 2021, Hamza was arrested by the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), and he confessed to misinterpreting religion and spreading extremism.