DHAKA: Thousands of activists of Bangladeshi religious parties rallied in Dhaka on Saturday, one of their biggest public shows of strength in years.

Religious groups have gained strength after the toppling of the iron-fisted regime of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, opposing attempts at reforms they say are un-Islamic.

Hefazat-i-Islam — an influential group made up of multiple political parties, Muslim organisations and religious schools — issued a string of demands at Saturday’s rally, including the abolishment of a government women’s commission seeking equality.

“Men and women can never be equal: the Holy Quran outlines specific codes of life for both genders,” said Mohammad Shihab Ud­din, 53, leader of a women’s mad­­rassa, a religious school. “There is no way we can go beyond that.”

No date has been set for elections, but caretaker leader Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel Peace Prize winner who heads the interim government, has promised polls will be held by June 2026 at the latest.

Muhammad Umar Faruq, 30, another teacher at a seminary, said they helped the interim government run the country.

“If a government atte­mpts anything anti-Isla­mic in a country where 92 per cent of the population is Muslim, we will reject it immediately,” he said.

Hasina, who was blamed for extensive human rights abuses, took a tough stand against Islamist movements during her autocratic 15-year rule.

Since she fled to India — where she has defied extradition orders to face charges of crimes against humanity — religious groups have become emboldened.

Religious parties have demanded an end to a swath of activities, including cultural events deemed “anti-Islamic” — from music to theatre festivals, women’s football matches and kite-flying celebrations.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2025