Why are Yunus supporters welcoming women abusers with garlands?

The spike in hate crimes against women and girls, ranging from gang-rape to moral policing, has been a matter of grave concern for many Bangladeshis, except for the radical Islamists supporting the Yunus regime.

The situation is so grave that even the female students, who supported the anti-quota movement and the subsequent anti-government uprising in July-August, have also expressed disgust at the crimes that are triggering insecurity.

But the Jamaat-backed interim government, led by the so-called pro-women microlender Muhammad Yunus, has done nothing to improve the scenario. Instead, it is offering indemnity for the Islamists, who create mobs and launch campaigns using the common banner of “Touhidi Janata”.

In May, the pro-Yunus Qawmi madrasa-based platform Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh staged massive protests in Dhaka and across the country against the proposed recommendations by the women’s reform commission for ensuring equal rights, including ones related to property, for mainly Muslim women.

Hefazat has long been vowing to establish Shariah law in the country, but its demands were rejected by the previous Awami League government.

Hefazat now says the interim government is trying to impose Western laws on women.

Earlier, ordinary women, journalists and female students were humiliated and assaulted in many places for not wearing the hijab and for protesting on the streets. Many top celebrities were forced to cancel their programs due to opposition from the Islamists.

When the police took action against some of the perpetrators, the Touhidi Janata showed up to demand their release. Due to fear of the mob and a lack of tough actions from the government, the culprits walked out of jail after getting bail. Then the Touhidi Janata welcomed them with garlands and spread the photos and videos of such celebrations on social media to issue a warning to the women who would try to act like outwardly independent humans.

In the latest incident, an activist of Islami Chhatra Shibir became viral after kicking a woman, who was protesting the acquittal of war criminal ATM Azharul Islam, on May 28. Police were dilly-dallying to arrest him. After several days of criticism, the culprit appeared in the police station and got bail the next day.

Jamaat-Shibir activists welcomed him with flowers.

Despite Jamaat’s official expulsion notice, the warm reception tells a chilling truth: those who attack women in public protests are not just protected —they are celebrated.

Women and girls are being disproportionately affected: child rape cases rose significantly in early 2025, while a girls’ football tournament was cancelled under pressure from Islamist factions.

The rise of the hardline Islamists has also been covered by international media, but the government is deemed subservient to this force.

Media reports and their own admissions suggest that radical Islamists linked to Jamaat-Shibir, Hefazat, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, and militant groups like Hizb ut-Tahrir and Lashkar-e-Tayyiba actively participated in the July-August political violence. So they are now trying to establish supremacy in the government and society to implement their common vision of a caliphate.

Awami League condemns violence against women

Commenting on the trend, Awami League spokesman Mohammad A Arafat said: “The rise of Islamic extremism under the illegitimate rule of Yunus created an environment in Bangladesh where you ‘beat a woman, become a hero.'”

He said that for 15 years, Sheikh Hasina championed women’s rights, ensuring women rose to leadership across all sectors in Bangladesh. The secular Awami League had to combat terrorism and fight against the Islamists for other social advancements like gender equality, women’s empowerment, women’s literacy, etc.

“Sheikh Hasina had to deal with these radical Islamist forces that are inherently against women’s rights with a strong hand. In the process, Sheikh Hasina’s strong leadership was misunderstood and portrayed as authoritarian by a set of people who refuse to comprehend Bangladesh’s complex political and socioeconomic reality. Given the current events in Bangladesh, where extremism is on the rise and creating a society that is extremely unsafe for women, it is clear why we need a leader like Sheikh Hasina.

“Today, under the interim government led by Yunus, this progress is unravelling. The very person who built his career on women’s empowerment is failing to protect it. Sad times for Bangladeshis,” said Arafat.