Is Jamaat Walking on the Liberal Political Path? What Mirza Ghalib Said

Dr. Mirza Ghalib, former president of Islami Chhatra Shibir's Dhaka University branch and assistant professor at Harvard University, stated that some are trying to label Jamaat-e-Islami's current politics as "liberal."

He noted, “One side questions if it's double standards, hypocrisy, or vote-seeking liberalism. Another wonders if they're shifting from Islamic Sharia politics to liberal ones.”

Dr. Ghalib shared these views during a talk show on Ekushey Television on Friday (October 3).

He disagreed with the "liberal" tag, calling it pragmatic politics adapting to society and time: “What’s appropriate now, they'll do.”

On trusting Jamaat, he said, “No reason for distrust—they’ve done long-term democratic politics. They must commit via manifestos and constitutions, answerable to the people. As a democratic party, trust isn't an issue; we can question their plans, and they haven't broken promises.”

Addressing Islamism doubts, Ghalib explained, “In a Muslim-majority place, Sharia talk should please people, but these technical questions stem from colonialism. Our Islamic education system failed; we adopted British colonial systems, including laws.”

He added, “The generation raised in this system views Sharia negatively, as incompatible with modernity. How to do Islamic politics with them is a practical question Jamaat is addressing. Merging two systems is tough; we'll see how they manage.”