A group of religious and political leaders, under the banner of “Tawhidi Janata”, staged demonstrations on the premises of the Savar upazila administration office and local police station yesterday, demanding the cancellation of an urs scheduled for August 26-27.
The urs is scheduled to be held at the shrine of Shah Sufi Syed Maulana Kazi Afsar Uddin Al-Jahangir Al-Sureshwari and at the residence of his son, Kazi Jaber Al-Jahangir, in the Chakulia area.
The local religious and political leaders submitted complaints to the upazila administration, Savar police and several other offices, alleging that "anti-Islamic" remarks are made during the urs at the shrine.
Ten people, on behalf of “Tawhidi Janata”, signed the complaints, demanding that the urs be stopped and that a case filed against members of the group be withdrawn.
Those who signed the complaint include Pir Saheb of Chakulia Maulana Tayebur Rahman Khan; Secretary General of Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan Maulana Yusuf Sadiq Haqqani; Ameer of Hefazat-e-Islam Dhaka District North unit Maulana Ali Akbar Qasemi; Secretary General of Hefazat-e-Islam Dhaka District North unit Maulana Ali Azam Saheb; Organising Secretary of Hefazat-e-Islam Dhaka District North unit Maulana Aminul Islam Qasemi; President of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Savar thana unit Maulana Ali Ashraf Tayeb; Organising Secretary of Savar thana BNP Abdullah Md Abul Khair Bepari; Senior Vice-President of Savar thana BNP Saidul Ibn Hasib Sohel; Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami activist Aminul Islam Amin; and former Organising Secretary of Savar thana Jubo Dal and current secretary hopeful Mohammad Manju Molla.
The complaint accuses Jaber Al-Jahangir of making controversial remarks that “mislead devotees” and seeks administrative intervention to prevent any untoward incident.
Jaber, however, denied the allegations and said several people, including members of his family, were injured in an attack on his house on September 30, 2024. His house and vehicles were vandalised and looted, he said. Following a case filed earlier by several local people, he filed a counter-case, he said.
Jaber said the allegations being spread against him over religious matters were false. He said he did not want to engage in religious disputes with anyone. If anyone had objections, he was ready to sit for a discussion in the presence of the administration, he said.
He said an urs had been held at their home for around 19 years to mark his father’s death. Preparations were also under way to hold the event within the boundaries of the house this year. He claimed that no pandal or loudspeaker would be used outside the premises.
Jaber also expressed fear of an attack on his home over the urs. He said he had filed a general diary with police and informed various levels of the administration.
The Daily Star sought comments from several signatories who, on behalf of “Tawhidi Janata”, are demanding that the urs be stopped.
Asked why they were demanding that the urs at the shrine be stopped, Khilafat Andolan Secretary General Maulana Yusuf Sadiq told The Daily Star, “We have no personal enmity with him. But he is misinterpreting Islam and misleading people by misinterpreting the Quran and Hadith. In particular, what is evident from his statements is in serious conflict with the Quran and Hadith.”
He said, “He has created a confusing situation and misunderstandings in the area through various misleading statements.”
“An untoward incident also took place over the issue last year. We held meetings over some of his activities over the past few days. We decided that since there are laws in the country, the government should intervene through the law and stop these activities,” he added.
Maulana Yusuf Sadiq further said, “Our objection is to the anti-Islamic activities he carries out in the name of the urs. There is no objection to people of other faiths practicing their own religions. But no one should carry out activities in the name of Islam that have no basis in the Quran and Hadith.”
He further said, “We have gone to various government offices, submitted applications and spoken to officials so that these activities are stopped.”
Asked about the issue, Hefazat-e-Islam leader Azam Saheb told The Daily Star, “Actually, the area is close to us. Worshippers and religious scholars from the area sometimes discuss the matter with us.”
They have brought allegations against him of misinterpreting Islam during the urs, he said. “Because of this, local people, particularly the Tawhidi Janata and religious scholars, discussed the matter with us. They said that if the issue is contrary to Islamic beliefs, then all of us should speak out and make a demand. That is basically why we are raising the issue.”
Saidul Ibn Hasib Sohel, senior vice-president of Savar thana BNP, said, “Our main objective is to maintain peace and order in the area. I do not want any unrest, fighting, violence or hateful remarks. I do not have much knowledge of the matter from an Islamic perspective, but I do not want any conflict in the area.”
Mohammad Manju Molla, former Organising Secretary of Savar thana Jubo Dal, told The Daily Star, “We stand with the Tawhidi Janata to maintain peace and order in the area. We have informed the law enforcement agencies.”
Savar UNO Md Saiful Islam said those who came with the complaint had been advised to remain calm. A decision would be taken after discussions with the police administration, he said.
Savar Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Saiful Alam said the matter would be discussed. Senior officials had also been informed, he said. Police were alert to prevent any untoward situation, he added.
On October 4, 2024, Jaber’s brother, Kazi Golam Rasul, filed a case with Savar Model Police Station over the attack on his house. According to the case statement, around 500 people, claiming to be members of the Tawhidi Janata, attacked the plaintiff’s home around 10:30pm on September 29, carrying sticks, machetes, axes, iron pipes and other locally made weapons.
They threw bricks and stones at the house, damaging furniture and other belongings. Two motorcycles were set on fire. Property worth around Tk 20 lakh was also looted, according to the case statement.
At one point, the attackers allegedly attempted to vandalise the shrine of Maulana Afsar Uddin inside the house.
After being informed, members of the army and Savar Model Police Station went to the scene around midnight and brought the situation under control. Twenty to 25 people were injured in the attack, according to the case statement.
