A post on the social media platform, X, has now become the focal point of a political controversy. Not only netizens, but also the two principal leaders of the two main rival political parties have become embroiled in the debate. Setting aside the dispute over whether the ameer’s account was genuinely hacked, it can be stated without hesitation that, apart from the highly offensive word used, the remaining assertions in that post are not materially different from what the Jamaat ameer said in his interview with Al Jazeera.

When asked by Al Jazeera whether a woman could become the ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami, the Jamaat ameer replied, “It’s not possible. It’s not possible because Allah made everyone (men and women)  its own entity. Because you will never be able to bear a child; we will never be able to breastfeed our child. This is God given. And, there are some differences between men and women. What Allah made we cannot change it (sic).”

The presenter then posed a follow-up question, “Not all women necessarily want to be or will be mothers. But even if they are, even if they’re raising children, why can’t they head an organisation like the Jamaat? I’m not able to understand.”