Jubo Dal leader 'threatens' Narayanganj imam for not mentioning Khaleda in Eid prayer

“It was a public congregation, attended by people from different political backgrounds. I felt it was best to avoid controversy and keep the prayer non-partisan," says the imam

An imam in Narayanganj Sadar has allegedly been threatened with dismissal by a local Jubo Dal leader for failing to mention BNP chief Khaleda Zia during the munajat, or supplication, at an Eid prayer congregation.

The incident occurred on Monday after the second Eid congregation at the Kashipur Central Eidgah in Fatullah, according to Mufti Muhammad Imdadul Haque, chief cleric of Anjubahar Jame Mosque.

Imdadul, who also serves as the publicity and dawah, or Islamic propagation, secretary for Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s Narayanganj district committee, said he had led the second Eid congregation at the Eidgah.

After the prayers, he was allegedly confronted by Syed Hasan Iqbal, a former assistant secretary of Fatullah Thana unit of Jubo Dal, the BNP's youth affiliate. Iqbal reportedly verbally harassed Imdadul and threatened to have him removed from his position for not praying specifically for Khaleda's well-being.

Witnesses said the imam had offered a general prayer for the well-being of the nation and all those who were ill, but did not name any individual. Later, Iqbal and his followers allegedly surrounded the imam and accused him of ignoring their request to mention Khaleda in the munajat.

Their conduct reportedly drew protests from members of the congregation, prompting them to leave the scene.

Imdadul later posted about the incident on Facebook under the title “Returned home with a heavy heart from Eidgah on Eid day”, detailing what happened. Local residents also expressed their anger and condemnation on social media over the Jubo Dal leader’s behaviour.

Speaking to bdnews24.com, Imdadul explained that before the prayers, a local BNP supporter -- also a member of the Eidgah committee -- had asked him to include Khaleda in the munajat. However, he opted to offer a general prayer for all those suffering from illness.

“It was a public congregation, attended by people from different political backgrounds. I felt it was best to avoid controversy and keep the prayer non-partisan. Besides, Khaleda Zia does not currently hold any official position, so I was under no obligation to mention her.”

“After the prayer, Iqbal angrily told me he would see to it that I lose my job. He accused me of defying a request and approached me in a very aggressive manner. He only backed off when worshippers around us protested,” he added.

Imdadul urged BNP leaders to take action against Iqbal for his “inappropriate conduct”.

When contacted, Iqbal denied threatening the imam or behaving improperly.

“I didn’t mistreat him. I just asked why he didn’t mention Khaleda Zia’s name even after we requested him to. He said he wasn’t obliged to,” Iqbal said.

“I then asked him where he worked and found out that the president of his mosque’s committee is someone we know.”

He also denied threatening to have the imam dismissed. “I never said I’d get him fired.”