This article possibly contains original research. (September 2007) |
Ghulam Azam (Template:Lang-bn) (born 7 November 1922), is a Bangladeshi political leader. The former Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, he opposed the independence of Bangladesh upon its liberation on December 16 1971, and was a permanent resident of England until 1978, and was forced to maintain Pakistani citizenship until 1994 due to the decision by the Bangladeshi government at the time to refuse him citizenship. In 1994, the Supreme Court upheld the decision to restore his citizenship of Bangladesh as a matter of birth-right.[1] He was leader of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh until 2000.[2]
Ghulam Azam | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh | |
| In office 1969–2000 | |
| Prime Minister | Tajuddin Ahmad Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Muhammad Mansur Ali Shah Azizur Rahman Khaleda Zia Sheikh Hasina |
| Preceded by | Maulana Abdur Raheem |
| Succeeded by | Motiur Rahman Nizami |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 November 1922 Dhaka,Bengal, British Raj (now Bangladesh) |
| Political party | Jamaat-e-Islami |
| Spouse | Afifa Azam |
| Alma mater | Dhaka University |
| Occupation | Politician |
Early political career
Azam entered politics as a student leader at Dhaka University, and in 1947 became the Secretary General of the Dhaka University Central Students Union. Among his earliest campaigns was participation in the Bengali Language Movement during 1950s. He submitted the memorandum to the Pakistan government demanding Bengali as one of the state languages, on behalf of the students of Dhaka University, following the demand made by Dhirendranath Datta in the Pakistan Constituent Assembly in February 1948 and the resulting nationalist uprising in East Bengal. Azam may have distanced himself from the Language Movement when it became clear that it was becoming a rallying call for a secular Bengali nationalist movement rather than one focused on Bengali Muslim activism alone. Since his return to Bangladesh in the 1970s Ghulam Azam has never participated in the official commemorations of the Language Movement and he and his party celebrate that event separately.[citation needed]
Azam became the secretary of the Islamist political party, Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, in 1957. Later, he became the Ameer (president) of the Jamaat in East Pakistan in 1969. He was also a participant in the formation of the Pakistan Democratic Alliance in 1967.
Bangladesh Liberation War
Ghulam Azam wrote all his activities of 9 months of the war in his biography Jibone Ja Dekhlam. Azam was on way to Dhaka from West Pakistan on 3 December when midway through the flight, the plane changed direction to Saudi Arabia because of the Indian declaration of war against Pakistan. A few weeks later East Pakistan emerged as newly independent country Bangladesh and Ghulam Azam along with his political party Jamaat-e-Islami was banned by new country's government and Azam's Bangladesh citizenship was cancelled.
Years in exile
After the war, the Bangladesh government declared the newly independent country to be secular, and mandated separation of religion from the state, and therefore sought to remove the influence of religious fundamentalists from national life, and religion based parties were banned. In addition, the Jamaat and its leaders, because they were seen as guilty of collaboration with the Pakistan occupation forces during the Bangladesh Liberation War, were similarly restricted from participation in the new country's political scenario. Azam's automatic right to Bangladesh citizenship was revoked as he was one of the singled out alleged collaborators, and he refused an offer of amnesty from the then Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to return to Bangladesh and renounce Jamaat politics, choosing to live in exile in Pakistan and England until 1978, when President Ziaur Rahman restored multi-party democratic system, Jamaat re-launched itself, seizing the opportunity, and soon Ghulam Azam returned to Bangladesh on a temporary visa. While in Pakistan, he was a leader of what was left of the Pakistani branch of the Jamaat.
Rehabilitation in independent Bangladesh
In 1978, then Bangladesh President Ziaur Rahman allowed Azam to return to Bangladesh. Ghulam Azam returned to Bangladesh on a temporary visa with a Pakistani passport.
Azam became the unofficial Ameer of the party while remaining in Bangladesh illegally, as he was denied Bangladeshi citizenship and had overstayed his visitors visa on his Pakistani passport. However, no attempt was made to restrain him, and he moved around openly. His opponents resorted to the Court of justice seeking annulment of his citizenship of Bangladesh. His citizenship was granted in 1994 by a decision of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, as the panel of Judges, with Habibur Rahman as the Chief Justice (later chief of the Caretaker government of 1996), decreed that by virtue of his birth he had right to Bangladeshi citizenship.[1]
Though the Jamaat fell out with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in the run up to the 1996 elections, it re-established its alliance creating a coalition of 4 parties prior to the 2001 elections. In conjunction with the Islami Oikya Jote and a faction of the Jatiya Party, Jamaat again allied with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the coalition emerged as the winning power. Ghulam Azam was seen as one of the instrumental players in brokering this alliance.
Ghulam Azam announced his retirement from active politics in late 2000. He was succeeded by Motiur Rahman Nizami.[2]
Ghulam Azam's party, Jamaat-e-Islami, has been accused by a section of political parties and secular organizations as a patron of recently (2002-2006) rising militancy and behind a number of terrorist bombings.[3]
Footnotes
- ^ a b Article 15, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UN.
- ^ a b Prof. Ghulam Azam Retires, Islamic Voice, December 2006.
- ^ [Daily Prothom Alo, 26 March 2006.