State Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Nurul Haque Nur on Thursday called on Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami to drop the word “Islam” from its name, alleging that the party has caused significant harm to Islam by using its name.

“If Jamaat gets an opportunity, it will become an even bigger fascist force than the Awami League,” he said while speaking to reporters after visiting Sohanur Rahman Sohan, president of the Kushtia Government College unit of Chhatra Odhikar Parishad, at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) in the afternoon.

Sohan was injured in a clash between Jamaat-Shibir and Gono Odhikar Parishad activists in Kushtia and is receiving treatment in a cabin in the old building of the DMCH.

Nur, who is also president of Gono Odhikar Parishad, alleged that Jamaat has caused the greatest harm to Islam by using its name and said the party had experienced a decline in moral standards.

Referring to Jamaat lawmakers Amir Hamza of Kushtia and Gazi Nazrul Islam of Satkhira, Nur said their alleged conduct was an example of the party’s moral decline.

He also alleged that Jamaat has been seeking to come to power and had started making “irritating” remarks against the government only six months into its tenure.

The Gono Odhikar Parishad chief further accused Amir of making obscene and derogatory remarks about lawmakers, including Rubina Farhana and Farzana Putul, as well as making offensive comments about late Arafat Rahman Koko, the younger son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

“Jamaat is supporting such filthy and hypocritical remarks,” he alleged.

Referring to the conduct of Satkhira MP, Nur said Jamaat’s continued claim to being an Islamic party would contradict the principles of Islam.

“I would urge them to drop the word ‘Islam’ from Jamaat-e-Islami because they are causing the greatest harm to Islam by using the name of Islam as a guise,” he said.