Washington, Feb 22 (NationPress) The radical Islamist party of Bangladesh, Jamaat-e-Islami, did not manage to convert its electoral successes into political power during the 13th Parliamentary elections. However, it significantly increased its vote share and number of seats, evoking memories of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.

According to a report by Dimitra Staikou for Pressenza - International Press Agency, while the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) achieved a substantial majority, the standout story was the remarkable electoral rise of Jamaat, which secured 77 seats and nearly 31 percent of the vote—marking its best performance in years.

Staikou noted that Jamaat-e-Islami has re-entered mainstream politics despite its historical ties to the traumas of the 1971 Liberation War. She argued that this political rehabilitation lacks historical accountability, stating, "The memory of 1971 — when factions associated with Jamaat collaborated with Pakistani forces during the Liberation War — remains deeply ingrained in the collective memory of Bangladesh. Political rehabilitation without confronting historical truths risks transforming collective trauma into electoral oblivion."

She further remarked, "The ascendance of the party raises significant questions about democratic memory, generational shifts, and the ability of political systems to integrate actors without addressing their pasts."

The report indicated that Jamaat's campaign for 2026 revolved around a familiar yet strategically framed message: protecting "mothers and sisters." Shafiqur Rahman, the party chief, expressed his willingness to sacrifice his life for women's honor, while simultaneously asserting that, regardless of women's educational advancements, they must always remain subordinate to men.

The report added that Rahman's statements were not merely "theological abstraction" but rather a calculated "electoral framing." Notably, the proposal to limit women's working hours to five daily was presented under the guise of allowing more time for domestic duties and child-rearing.

"Presented as a benevolent reform, this was largely interpreted as an effort to re-domesticate women's labor. In a nation where women play a vital role in the ready-made garment sector—the backbone of Bangladesh's export economy—this proposal was far from a neutral social policy. It indicated an ideological preference for containment over autonomy," the report highlighted.

Furthermore, Jamaat's electoral strategy seems to have miscalculated the extent of socio-economic changes that have transformed gender expectations. "Women’s participation in the workforce, migration, and exposure to digital political discourse have created a demographic less open to paternalistic political narratives. The electorate now includes a generation that has grown up witnessing female leaders in various roles, from Prime Ministers to justices. The patriarchal authority that once went unchallenged has been structurally weakened," it elaborated.

The report concluded by stating that Jamaat's inability to achieve "executive control" signifies a structural limitation. "While political Islam in Bangladesh may mobilize identity and moral discourse, it cannot easily reverse decades of economic integration and social evolution," it noted.