Bangladish girls forced to cancel football against the backdrop of Islamist threats

Asha Roy, 17, was excited to participate in a women's football tournament, but her hopes were released as Islamists forced the organizers to cancel the match in North Bangladesh.

Shortly before the game began earlier this month, the Islamic Andolan Bangladesh group announced a protest rally against the Rangpur event, saying it was non-Islamic.

Fearing trouble, the local police intervened and the members of the women's team were asked to return to their home for their safety.

“I was disappointed and scared. We had never been confronted with such a situation before. It was disappointing that we were back without playing,” G -Jia Roy told the BBC.

Bangladesh, a nation with a majority of Muslims, has currently undergone political transition after Widespread protests have overthrown their authoritarian government Last year.

An intermediate administration is currently being managed, but there are fears that the Islamist groups that were pushed to fringe have been reinforced.

The women's football match was the third to be canceled in northern Bangladesh in less than two weeks due to the objections to religious hard lines.

In the area of ​​Dinapur, approximately 70 km (43 miles) west of Rangpur, Islamists protested against a game confronted with locals who supported him, leaving four people injured.

For girls like Asha Roy, who come from rural areas, football and other sports are a source of empowering women and a poverty outcome. Those who shine may be selected to play for sponsored teams, and some continue to represent Bangladesh internationally.

Many girls have been inspired to engage in 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.

The teammate of G -Jia Roy, Musammat Tara Moni said he would not stop playing despite the threats.

“My dream is to present our national team. My family supports me, so I don't lose hope,” said the 16-year-old youth.

For their coach Nurul Islam, the objections came as a surprise. “I have taken the team to many tournaments in the last seven years, but this is the first time we are facing such a situation,” he said.

Islamists insist that the match they have stopped is against their religious values ​​and say they are determined to prevent future football games.

“If women want to play football, they have to cover their whole body and they can only play in front of female viewers. Men can't watch them play,” Maulana Ashraf Ali, Islam -andolan Bangladesh leader in the Taragand area in Rangpur , BBC told.

Mr Ali also insisted that the group “definitely” wanted a hard Islamic law of Sharia in Bangladesh.

The cancellation of women's football matches has caused confusion on social media, which caused the authorities to reorganize one of them. They have also begun an investigation into the incidents, but they say the fear of radicalism is exaggerated.

“There is no truth in the claims that the government is diverging with the Islamists,” said Shafil Alam, a press secretary of the temporary leader Mohammed Yunus, before the BBC.

G -n Alam said that hundreds of women's sports matches are being held as part of a National Youth Festival in January and that they are played throughout the country without any problems.

Some people are not reassured. Samina Lutfa, an assistant to sociology at the University of Dhaka, told the BBC that the cancellation of women's football matches is “definitely anxious”.

“Bangladesh women will not stop playing football and will not stop going to work or do their things,” she said, adding that everyone will fight for “efforts to remove women from public spaces.

Other decisions made by the Provisional Government, as he took power in August in connection with Islamist extremism also sparked concerns.

These include the deprivation of a ban on the largest Islamist party in the country, Jamaat-e-Eslam, which was introduced in the last days of the government of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Jashimuddin Rahmani, the leader of the forbidden Islamist belligerent group Ansarula Bangladesh (ABT) – now known as Ansar Al Islam – was released in August after the court gave him a guarantee. He was sentenced to five years in prison in connection with the murder of a secular blogger in 2013, but was detained behind bars for other hanging cases.

According to reports in local media, several other people accused of links with extremist groups have also been A guarantee in the last few months.

“Although security forces say they will monitor those released, it will be difficult for them to put everyone under supervision given the limitations,” says Dr. Tavohydul Hake, an analyst of crime at the University of Dhaka.

While most Bangladesh practice moderate Islam and secular values ​​dominate society, Islamic extremism is not a new phenomenon in the country. A decade ago, religious jealousy focused on secular bloggers, atheists, minorities, foreigners and others in a number of attacks – killing dozens and sending others who run abroad.

In such an incident, a group of Islamist artillerymen stormed Holey Artisan bread in Dhaka in 2016, killing 20 people.

Not only women's football games were also recently directed. Last week, dozens of Islamist students vandalized a book stall at the famous Ekushey Book Fair of Dhaka.

The protesters were angry about the display of a book by the feminist exile author Taslima Nararin, who in the past received threats of death from Islamist groups for what they say were her blasphemous scriptures.

Mohammed Yunus condemned the incident, saying that the attack “shows contempt for both the rights of Bangladeshi citizens and the laws of our country.” Police are investigating.

Meanwhile, one of the most famous actors in the country, Moni Moni said it was halted by the opening of a universal store in the northern city of Tanggan after announcing objections by religious groups.

“Now I really feel helpless, as well as uncertain. It's part of my job to participate in opening a showroom or like an event. No one has stopped me all these years,” G -ja Moni told BBC Bengali.

Similar events, including two other actors, APP Bishas and Mecasabian Chowdhare, were also canceled after threats from Islamists.

Groups of minorities such as Sufi Muslims say they also witness increasing attacks on their worship places. Islamist extremists view Sufism as heretical.

“About a hundred of our shrines (Mazari) and centers have been attacked in the last six months,” Anisus Rahman Japri, Secretary -General of the Universal Sufism Foundation, told the BBC.

“We have not seen this sudden extremist attack against us after the country's independence in 1971,” he added, warning that the country was at risk of “talibanization” if the situation continued.

Police said only 40 sanctuaries had been damaged and that they had intensified security around religious sites.

Authorities are also struggling to maintain law and order after the departure of Sheikh Hasina. Earlier this month, thousands of protesters vandalized homes and buildings Related to Hasina and senior leaders of her party Awami League.

People from other groups and parties, including Islamists, have joined other demonstrations in the capital, Dhaka and across the country.

Authorities have defended the security forces for not interfering, saying that it would cost life.

Right groups expressed concern about the security situation.

“If the government fails to act, then Islamists will feel strengthened. There will be more self-censorship for women and girls, they will be more tempted, participating in public events,” said Shirin Huk, a famous women's rights activist, told The of the forthcoming BBC.

“I'm still optimistic that this phenomenon will not support,” she added.

Additional reporting from the BBC Bengali service in Daca