Jamaat, BNP clash over ‘hacked’ X post on women sparks uproar

Staff Reporter :

A political row has erupted between Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) over a controversial post on women that appeared on Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman’s verified X (formerly Twitter) account, which the party later claimed was the result of a cyberattack.

The now-deleted post, which circulated widely on social media on Saturday afternoon, contained remarks opposing women’s leadership and described women being encouraged to work outside the home in the name of modernity as leading to “exploitation, moral decay and insecurity,” comparing it to “another form of prostitution.”

The post triggered immediate backlash across the country, with critics calling it misogynistic and regressive.

Jamaat-e-Islami has denied responsibility for the post, claiming that Rahman’s account was hacked for a brief period on Saturday afternoon.

The party said neither the Jamaat chief nor anyone authorised to manage the account had posted the content.

Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Ehsanul Mahbub Zubair alleged that “a particular political group and its cyber team” were behind the hacking incident.

He described the episode as a “deliberate conspiracy” aimed at discrediting Jamaat and tarnishing its ameer ahead of the election.

According to Jamaat, the party’s cyber team regained control of the account within 45 minutes of the breach.

In a statement issued from Jamaat’s verified Facebook page at 12:40am on Saturday night, the party said attackers had used “highly coordinated and sophisticated methods” to temporarily take control of Rahman’s X account.

“During this brief period, an unauthorised post was published falsely attributing statements to the Ameer-e-Jamaat,” the statement said, adding that the content did not reflect Rahman’s views or Jamaat’s official position and was “entirely false and misleading.”

The statement, signed by Zubair, also claimed that social media accounts of several other senior Jamaat leaders had recently been targeted in cyberattacks.

Jamaat filed a general diary (GD) with Hatirjheel Police Station shortly after midnight, accusing unknown persons of hacking Rahman’s verified X handle and posting content insulting to women.

The GD was lodged on behalf of Rahman and the party by Jamaat election committee member and former Islami Chhatra Shibir president Sirajul Islam.

However, the hacking claim has been questioned by BNP, which said the timing and handling of the incident raised serious doubts.

In a statement issued on Saturday, BNP Election Steering Committee Spokesperson and Adviser to BNP Chairperson Mahdi Amin said the party was deeply concerned by both the content of the post and Jamaat’s subsequent explanation.

“The language used in the post is unacceptable in any civilised society. If the statement is genuine, it represents an attempt to push society back into medieval darkness,” Mahdi Amin said, calling it a direct attack on women’s dignity, freedom and equal rights.

He also questioned why Jamaat waited nearly nine hours after the post sparked nationwide outrage before claiming the account had been hacked.

“If a verified or high-profile account is compromised, informing the public immediately is a moral and professional responsibility,” he said. “In this case, the hacking claim surfaced only after public anger had spread.”

Mahdi Amin further pointed out that Rahman’s Facebook account remained active during the same period, with multiple posts published, yet no warning was issued about the alleged hacking of the X account.

He also questioned the delay of nearly 12 hours in filing the GD and how the account could be recovered so quickly if the attack was as serious as claimed.

The controversy has also spilled onto the streets. BNP’s student wing, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, organised protest marches accusing Jamaat of insulting working women and promoting misogynistic ideology.

Mahdi Amin said Jamaat’s stance on women was not new, citing previous remarks by the party leadership opposing women’s empowerment and leadership roles.

“A party that speaks of ‘justice’ has never nominated a single woman as a parliamentary candidate and does not allow women to hold top positions within its structure. This reflects their true attitude toward half the population,” he said.

Political analysts say the episode has reignited debate over women’s rights, political rhetoric and the credibility of cyberattack claims, particularly at a time when election campaigning is intensifying.

With polls approaching, the dispute is expected to further sharpen political tensions.