On Tuesday, 6th August, an Islamist hate preacher Rafiqul Islam Madani, who was arrested in the year 2021 for inciting violence and making objectionable remarks against the government uploaded a video on Facebook amid the ongoing Bangladesh political crisis. He attempted to spread lies and incite hate by claiming that Senior Jail Superintendent Subrata Kumar Bala of the Kashimpur High-Security Central Jail in Gazipur had open-fired at the prisoners. He, however, failed to provide any evidence to support his claims.
He said that Bala had opened fire at the prisoners resulting in many casualties. He also said that one of the prisoners had been ‘martyred’ during the fire. Madani who has a history of spreading violence further referred to Bala as an ISKCON member and ‘Sheikh Hasina’s Dalal’ and indicated that he, a Hindu was deliberately targeting the prisoners at Kashimpur High-Security Central Jail in Gazipur of Bangladesh.
After Sheikh Hasina’s resignation as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, several Hindu temples have been attacked at the hands of Muslims. Also, more than 50 attacks have happened against Hindus. According to X handle Voice of Bangladeshi Hindus, these attacks happened within five hours of Sheikh Hasina’s resignation. Notably, the actual number of attacks could be much higher than reported in the list below. The document has listed 54 attacks.
These incidents happened within 5 hours. The genocide is still going on.
— Voice of Bangladeshi Hindus 🇧🇩 (@VoiceofHindu71) August 5, 2024
It could be more than that.#AllEyesOnBangladeshiHindus pic.twitter.com/voPqyV4i2a
Amid this, Madani’s deliberate hate spread could fuel the attacks. Madani is followed by lacs of Islamists across the country who might get provoked by such hate spread against Hindus posing danger to the minority community. Madani allegedly in an attempt to justify attacks on minorities, claimed that Bala, a Hindu religious preacher had opened fire at prisoners at Gazipur.
Notably, no proof of such claims was provided by Madani.
In April 2021, Madani was arrested from his residence in Netrokona in the Mymensingh Division of Bangladesh for inciting violence and making objectionable remarks against the government. A case was lodged against the preacher at the Gaccha police station in Gazipur. On preliminary investigation, the RAB found adult content on his mobile phone and said that it proved that Madani was a ‘fraud’ preacher.
The 29-year-old Hefazat-e-Islam preacher rose to national prominence in Bangladesh through his fiery speeches against the Awami League government on YouTube. He hails from Ledirkanda village in Purbadhala Upazila. A midget by height, Rafiqul Islam Madani is known as shishu bokta (child preacher). Born into a poor family, he studied at the Jamia Hussainia Malni Madrasa and completed his master’s degree in Islamic studies (Dawra-e-Hadith) from Jamia Madani Madrasa in Dhaka in 2019.
Rafiqul Islam Madani decided to become an orator and soon reached thousands of followers through social media. He operated two madrassas in Gazipur and Netrokona. He received legal notice for using the title ‘Madani’ despite not being a graduate of the Islamic University of Madinah in Saudi Arabia. He was earlier detained in March 2021 in the Motijheel area over inciting people to lead violent protests against PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Dhaka.
In many of his videos uploaded on social media, Madani is seen provoking Muslims to die for Islam. “We have to free this country and Isla, from the hands of the Mafia government and infidels…There must be one religious Head for all Islamic institutions. Under his directions, we will paralyze the government system and free this country from the hands of the mafias. If necessary, we will cede power to the army,” he could be heard saying in one of his videos.
Furthermore, he once instigated his followers by alleging that the student wing of the Awami League would kill him and other such preachers. Since then, several such rebellious clerics have been under the surveillance of the Intelligence agencies of Bangladesh.
Rafiqul Islam Madani condemned Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Bangladesh that year, warning that his actions would prove his power or Modi’s stooges. Madani provoked Muslims to stop Modi from entering the soil of Bangladesh and to die if necessary, leading to widespread violence and destruction of Hindu temples. He also threatened to capture Delhi stating that no power or fence could stop his plans. Madani urged Muslims to keep their faith strong and face martyrdom if needed.
He incited the Muslims by saying that Sheikh Hasina was working on the terms of Hindutva and that whatever Modi wanted, happened in Bangladesh. “Today, all temples are being upgraded and the mosques here are dying. This means whoever will speak against Modi will be tortured and jailed… In the name of lockdown, they will shut down mosques and madrassas. We will not follow anything… We want this country to be a true Islamic Republic,” Rafiqul Islam Madani said.
In the current scenario too, Madani is trying to spread hate against Hindus using social media. He, however, fails to provide any evidence to support his claims.
