Religious speaker Hamza gets notice over JU remarks
News Desk :
A legal notice has been sent to controversial religious speaker Amir Hamza, accusing him of making “disrespectful, offensive, and false” remarks about Jahangirnagar University.
Former university student, Senate member, and Supreme Court lawyer Shihab Uddin Khan issued the notice on Tuesday.
The notice was dispatched via post to Hamza’s residence in Kushtia, as confirmed by Shihab, reports bdnews24.com.
Shihab said, “A legal notice has been sent to Mufti Amir Hamza, leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami Kushtia branch.”
The notice demands Hamza offer an “unconditional public apology” within 48 hours.
Hamza, who has been a subject of both praise and criticism during the Awami League’s rule, was previously accused of having ties with the Jamaat-e-Islami.
Despite these allegations, he publicly supported the Awami League.
Hamza was arrested in May 2021 in Kushtia during the tenure of the Awami League government.
He was arrested by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit on charges of inciting extremism among youth under the guise of his sermons. He was released on bail in December 2023.
However, following the July Uprising, when Jamaat members began openly engaging in politics, Hamza also emerged, attending the party’s events as a guest.
Although no official confirmation regarding his organisational affiliation exists, Hamza was introduced as the Jamaat candidate for Kushtia-3, with promotional videos surfacing in the media.
The legal notice refers to various media outlets, YouTube videos, and online articles in which Hamza claims to be a former student of the university’s journalism and media studies department.
He claimed that he had seen students using alcohol as mouthwash and beating teachers in the residential halls. These statements were labelled as “false, defamatory, and malicious” in the notice.
The notice also accuses Hamza of tarnishing the university’s long-standing reputation and causing adverse reactions among students and parents.
It highlights the personal affront felt by Shihab as a former student. The university administration, while issuing a rebuttal, has pointed out that Hamza’s claims are “entirely false”.
The notice also asks the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to remove the videos from YouTube and social media platforms.
If the demands are not met, the notice warns of possible legal actions, including criminal cases and civil lawsuits for compensation.
The university clarified that the journalism and media studies department was established in 2011, and the first batch of students enrolled in the 2011-12 Academic Session, making Hamza’s claims about his attendance in the department unfounded.