BBC News
Asha Roy, 17, was excited to participate in the women’s football tournament, but her hopes were exhausted as the Islamists forced the organizers to cancel the match in the northern Bangladesh.
Immediately before the match began earlier this month, the Islami Andolan Bangladesh group announced a protest rally against events in the Rangpur region, saying that it was non -Islamic.
Fearing the trouble, the local police also entered the women’s team members asking them to return home for safety.
“I was frustrated and scared. We never faced such a situation. It was disappointing that we came back without playing,” Ms. Roy told the BBC.
Bangladesh, a nation of the Muslim majority, is currently in a political transition after Widespread protests threw out his authoritarian government last year.
The temporary administration is currently in charge, but there are concerns that Islamist groups, which have been pushed to the edges, have reinstated.
The women’s football match was the third canceled in North Bangladesh in less than two weeks due to the objection of religious stubborn people.
In the Dynajpura area, approximately 70 km (43 miles) west of Rangpura, Islamists protested against a game of conflicted with the locals who supported it and four people were injured.
For girls like Asha Roy, who come from rural areas, football and other sports are the source of women’s strengthening and poverty exit. Those who shine can be selected to play for sponsored teams, and some continue to represent Bangladesh internationally.
Many girls have been inspired for football thanks to the success of the national women’s team, which are considered heroes after winning two consecutive football championships in South Asia in recent years.
Mrs. Roy’s teammate, Musammat Tara Moni, said she would not stop playing despite threats.
“My dream is to represent our national team. My family supports me, so I don’t lose hope,” said the 16-year-old.
For their coach Nurul Islam, objections came as a surprise. “In the last seven years, I have taken a team to many tournaments, but it’s the first time we have faced such a situation,” he said.
Islamists insist that the match they stopped was against their religious values and say that they were determined to prevent all future football games.
“If women want to play football, they should cover the whole body and they can only play in front of women’s spectators. Men cannot watch them play,” Maulana Ashraf Ali, the leader of Islam Andolan Bangladesh in the Tarage in Rangpuru, said the BBC.
Mr. Ali also insisted that the “Definite” group wants a stubborn Islamic Sharia law in Bangladesh.
The cancellation of women’s football matches caused discomfort on social media, leading the authorities to reorganize one of them. They also launched an investigation into incidents, but they say the fear of radicalism is exaggerated.
“There is no truth in the allegations that the Government of the Islamist is passing,” said Shafiquil Alam, a print secretary of the temporary leader of Muhammad Yunus, he told the BBC.
Mr. Alam pointed out that hundreds of women’s sports matches held as part of the National Youth Festival in January and that they played across the country without any problems.
Some people are not convinced. Samina Luthfa, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Daki, told the BBC that the cancellation of women’s football matches is “definitely alarming”.
“Bangladesh women will not stop playing football and will not stop from doing or doing their own things,” she said, adding that “everyone will fight” efforts to remove women from public spaces.
Other decisions made by the Provisional Government because they took power in August in relation to Islamist extremism also caused concern.
They include the recall of the ban on the largest Islamist party in the country, Jamaat-E-Islami, which was introduced in the last days of the Government of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Jashimuddin Rahmani, the leader of the banned Islamist militant group Ansarullah Bangladesh (ABT) – today known as Ansar al Islam – was released in August after the court approved him of bail. He was sentenced to five years in prison regarding the murder of a secular blogger in 2013, but was detained behind bars for other waiting cases.
According to local media reports, there were also several other people accused of connections with extremist groups Given the bail in the last few months.
“Although security forces say they will monitor the released, it will be difficult for them to be supervised by the restrictions,” says Dr. Tawohidul Haque, analyst of crime at the University of Daki.
While most of Bangladesha practices moderate Islam and worldly values in society, Islamic extremism is not a new phenomenon in the country. About ten years ago, religious zealous women aimed secular bloggers, atheists, minorities, foreigners and others in a series of attacks – killing dozens and sending others who flee abroad.
In one such incident, a group of Islamist armed attackers broke in 2016 at Holey Artisan Bakery in Daki, killing 20 people.
Not just women’s football games lately. Last week, dozens of Islamist students destroyed the booth of the book at the famous Book Fair at Ekushey, Daki.
The protesters were angry over the exhibition of the book of the exiled feminist author Tasli Nasrin, who in the past received death threats from Islamist groups because of what her blasphemical writings were.
Muhammad Yunus condemned the incident, saying that the attack “shows contempt for both the rights of citizens of Bangladesh and for the laws of our country.” Police are investigating.
Meanwhile, one of the most famous actors in the country, Pori Moni said she had been stopped from the opening of the department store in the northern city of Tangail after the objections of religious groups had been reported.
“Now I really feel helpless, as well as insecure. It is part of my job to participate in the opening of an exhibition salon or a similar event. No one stopped me all these years,” Ms Moni told BBC Bengali Service.
Similar events that include two other actor, Apu Biswas and Mehazabien Chowdhury are also canceled after the Islamist threats.
Minority groups like Sufi Muslims say that witnesses are also increasing attacks at their lives. Islamist extremists consider Sufism heretical.
“About a hundred of our shrines [mazars] And the centers have been attacked in the last six months, “said Anisur Rahman Jaffa, Secretary General of the Universal Sufism Foundation, for the BBC.
“We have not seen such a sudden extremist attack on us from the independence of the country in 1971,” he added, warning that the country was at risk of “talibanization” if the situation continued.
Police said only 40 shrines were damaged and that they had increased security around religious places.
The authorities are also fighting for maintaining the law and order after the departure of Sheikh Hasina. Earlier this month thousands of protesters vandalized homes and buildings Associated with Hasin and the older leaders of her party Awami League.
People from other groups and parties, including Islamists, joined other demonstrations in the capital, Daki and across the country.
The authorities defended security forces because they did not intervene, saying that it would cost life.
Rights groups expressed concern about the security situation.
“If the Government does not work, then the Islamists will feel strengthened. There will be more self -censorship for women and girls, they will be intimidated by participation in public events,” said Shireen Huq, a prominent activist for women’s rights, for BBC.
“I’m still optimistic that this phenomenon will not maintain,” she added.
Additional Reporting from BBC Bengali’s Service in Daki
