70% of Jamaat’s female members opposed female MP nominations, says Mardia Mumtaz

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami reserved seat lawmaker Mardia Mumtaz has said around 70% of the party’s female members opposed receiving nominations to contest parliamentary seats in the last election.

“We have heard this question a lot: Why Jamaat did not give MP nominations to its female members?” Mardia said at a seminar titled “The July Movement and Women’s Rights”, organised by the People Against Supremacy and Hegemony at the National Press Club on Thursday.

The speakers discussed violence against women, patriarchal attitudes, women’s political representation and their role in the July 2024 Uprising. 

Explaining the party’s decision, Mardia said Jamaat leaders had asked its female members whether they wanted to contest for parliamentary nominations, but “70% of the female members of the party were against it.”

She said women face significant barriers in electoral politics because of the role of muscle power, money and power politics.

Mardia also criticised those who raise questions about the party’s lack of female candidates without considering the broader social and political environment.

“The way you ask this question bypassing the reality, it seems you live in Switzerland, not in Bangladesh,” she said.

Jamaat plans direct female candidates

Mardia said Jamaat would field female candidates directly in the next parliamentary election, describing the decision as “almost final.”

She also attributed the limited visibility of women in state structures after the July uprising to the lack of effective social protection, arguing that greater political participation requires measures to ensure women’s safety and dignity.

Political scientist Dr Dilara Choudhury, who presented the keynote, said women had made significant contributions and sacrifices during the Uprising but were now facing insecurity, neglect and despair. 

She also called for greater participation of women in policymaking and decision-making.