Voting for Jamaat is haram: Islamist Hefazat launches jihad on Bangladesh poll eve
India Today
Just days before Bangladesh votes, rival Islamist groups have turned the election into a showdown. The Hefazat-e-Islam has declared jihad against the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami, saying voting for it is "haram". Hefazat is backing the Tarique Rahman-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Just days before Bangladesh's parliamentary elections on February 12, the Islamist advocacy group, Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, has opened a front against the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, the country's leading Islamist political party. The Ameer of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, Allama Shah Muhibbullah Babunagari, declared "jihad" against the Jamaat and warned that it was "haram (religiously forbidden) for Muslims to vote for it".
Announcing his support for a BNP candidate in the eastern city of Chattogram, Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh's chief Allama Shah Muhibbullah Babunagari on Thursday (February 5) said, "For me, this is not an election. This is a jihad against the Jamaat", reported Bangladeshi newspaper Desh Rupantor.
He further added that the Hefazat-e-Islam had fundamental ideological and doctrinal differences with the Shafiqur Rahman-led Jamaat-e-Islami, accusing the party of "misinterpreting Islam". "We must unite to prevent the rise of this false force," Babunagari added.
"Voting for the Jamaat is haram for all Muslims and is not permissible in any way... We have fundamental and doctrinal differences with Jamaat-e-Islami. They do not give a correct explanation of the religion. Therefore, we must unite to prevent the rise of this false force," Babunagari was quoted as saying by Bangladesh Protidin, a Dhaka-based newspaper.
Surveys have suggested that the Jamaat-e-Islami is likely to emerge stronger than ever in the February election. It is said to be breathing down the neck of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the frontrunner.
In September 2025, a report in Bangladeshi newspaper Prothom Alo noted that the BNP, now being led by Tarique Rahman, intensified outreach to the Hefazat. The report also said that, while the Hefazat had previously worked within alliances that included Jamaat without objection, it had begun opposing it.
The video, shared on Truth Social for nearly 12 hours, used manipulated imagery of Barack and Michelle Obama as apes and repeated unproven claims about Dominion's role in the 2020 election.
Iran said nuclear talks with the US, mediated by Oman, began positively, but warned progress depends on avoiding pressure, as Washington pushes to widen negotiations and ramps up economic sanctions.
Pakistan's Punjab government, led by Maryam Nawaz Sharif, has proposed a tough "Gutter Law" with up to 10 years' jail and fines of Rs 50 lakh to curb rampant manhole cover thefts that have turned uncovered drains into deadly hazards.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's forthcoming visit to Malaysia on 7th February 2026 represents far more than routine diplomatic engagement.
A video posted by US President Donald Trump on social media featuring former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes has sparked widespread criticism from Democrats. Former national security advisor Ben Rhodes said that Trump would be remembered as a "stain" in history.
Just days before Bangladesh votes, rival Islamist groups have turned the election into a showdown. The Hefazat-e-Islam has declared jihad against the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami, saying voting for it is "haram". Hefazat is backing the Tarique Rahman-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Pankaj, a software professional from Bengaluru, said he built BuffetGPT, an AI agent designed to scan an entire buffet and generate a personalised eating "game plan".
Turkish parliamentary report further recommends night-time internet restrictions for devices used by minors under 18, mandatory content filtration on social media until aged 18 and a social media ban until aged 16.
A techie was laid off on December 15 and asked to resign within a week, a decision he said came without warning. At the time, he was working in a support-heavy role, and the sudden setback left him in a state of panic about gaps in his skills.
A suicide bomber killed at least 31 people and injured nearly 170 after being stopped by security guards at the gate of a Shi'ite mosque in Islamabad during Friday prayers.
A Mumbai woman shared snippets of her heartwarming conversation with a young girl selling flowers on the road. Social media users praised the girl's kindness in the comments section.
At least three E-11A, three Osprey supply aircraft, a dozen F-15 fighter jets, an MQ-9 Reaper combat drone and several A-10C Thunderbolt II ground attack aircraft tracked by India Today show better military preparedness than the US strike in June 2025.