Shafi loses control over Hathazari madrasa giving in to two days of protests

Hifazat-e Islam chief Shah Ahmed Shafi has stepped down as director general of the madrasa in Chattogram’s Hathazari in the wake of protests dragging on for two days.

The institution’s governing body, Shura Committee, made the decision in a meeting on Thursday night, ending Shafi’s long reign in one of the largest and oldest madrasas in Bangladesh.

Five members of the 12-strong committee and senior teachers attended the meeting, said Salahuddin Nanupuri, a member of the panel.

“Baro Hujur (Shafi) has resigned on his own volition citing illness, but he will remain Sadre Muhtamim (advisor) for life. He has tasked the Shura Committee with running the madrasa and selecting a new Muhtamim (director general),” Salahuddin told bdnews24.com.

The committee also sacked his son Anas Madani as assistant director and loyalist teacher Maulana Nurul Islam.

Shafi, believed to be 98, was sent to a hospital in Chattogram by an ambulance after the meeting.

Al Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Uloom Moinul Islam, known as the Hathazari Baro Madrasa, has more than 7,000 students who learn lessons on the basis of the principles of Deoband school of Islam.

Shafi, the Muhtamim or director general of the madrasa, is also president of Bangladesh Qawmi Madrasa Board – Befaqul Madrisil Arabia Bangladesh.

Called the ‘Baro Hujur’ by Qawmi madrasa students, he is respected by a section of Muslims as one of the top Islamic scholars in Bangladesh.

His radical views on some issues such as secular bloggers, statues and clothing of women, however, drew criticism on a number of occasions.

Tension rose in the Hathazari madrasa in recent months over a leadership struggle as Shafi has fallen ill several times.

The government finally shut down the madrasa earlier on Thursday amid roiling tensions following the protests.

It cited the institution’s “failure” to meet the conditions for the resumption of some activities amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Qawmi madrasas are allowed to hold undergraduate and master's examinations by following the health protocols while the other institutions have remained shut since mid-March due to the pandemic.

The protest for the removal of Anas followed a row between Shafi’s followers and the supporters of former assistant director Junayed Babunagri.

The dispute between supporters of Shafi and Babunagri came out in the open when the Shura Committee replaced Babunagri with Sheikh Ahmed in June.

Hundreds of students demonstrated on Chattogram-Khagrachhari Road and vandalised the offices of Anas and Sheikh inside the madrasa on Wednesday demanding removal of Anas.

Locals said the demonstration was a result of the dispute between supporters of Shafi and Babunagri.

Police later cleared the students off the road and moved outside the campus on Thursday saying tensions simmered inside.