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Ghulam Azam | |
|---|---|
গোলাম আযম | |
.jpg) Azam in 2009 | |
| Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami | |
| In office 1992–2000 | |
| Preceded by | Abbas Ali Khan |
| Succeeded by | Motiur Rahman Nizami |
| Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami East Pakistan | |
| In office 1960–1971 | |
| Preceded by | Abdur Rahim |
| Succeeded by | Abbas Ali Khan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1922-11-07)7 November 1922 |
| Died | 23 October 2014(2014-10-23) (aged 91) Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka Division, Bangladesh |
| Resting place | Moghbazar, Dhaka Division, Bangladesh |
| Nationality |  British India (1922–1947) Pakistan (1947–1994) Bangladesh (1994–2014) |
| Party | Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami |
| Spouse | Afifa Azam |
| Children | 6, includingAzmi |
| Alma mater | Dhaka University |
| Occupation | Professor Emir of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami |
Ghulam Azam[a] (7 November 1922 – 23 October 2014) was aBangladeshi writer and politician who headed theBangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (BJI).[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Azam was involved in forming paramilitary groups, includingRazakar Bahini andAl-Badr, to support to the Pakistan Army during theBangladesh Liberation War. Thesemilitias were accused of involvement in war crimes, including murder, rape and torture during theBangladesh genocide and opposed theMukti Bahini, who fought for the independence of Bangladesh.[7][8]
Azam was arrested on January 11th 2012 by theInternational Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh (ICT), a domestic Bangladeshi tribunal. He was charged with committing war crimes during the liberation war.[9][10][11] On 15 July 2013, the ICT found him guilty of war crimes such as conspiring, planning, incitement to and complicity in committing the genocide and was sentenced to 90 years in jail.[12][13] The tribunal stated that Azam deservedcapital punishment for his activity during the war, but was given a lenient punishment of imprisonment because of his old age and poor health.[14][15][16] The trial was criticized by international observers for being deeply flawed, such asHuman Rights Watch andAmnesty International. The deficiencies highlighted in the trial included judges improperly conducting "investigation on behalf of the prosecution", "collusion and bias among prosecutors and judges", failure "to protect defence witnesses" and "lack of evidence to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt".[17][18][19][20]
Sheikh Ghulam Azam was born on 7 November 1922 in his maternal home,Shah Saheb Bari of Lakshmibazar,Dacca,Bengal Presidency. He was the eldest son of Sheikh Ghulam Kabir and Sayeda Ashrafunnisa. His ancestral home isMaulvi Bari in Birgaon Village,Brahmanbaria. His paternal family is theSheikh family of Birgaon, he descends from Sheikh Zaqi who had migrated from easternIran, as aMuslim preacher and settled in the settlement of Birgaon beside theMeghna River.[21] His family's residence in the area is referred to asMaulvi Bari due to the fact that the family had produced several scholarly figures during their stay in Bengal. Ghulam Azam's father, Ghulam Kabir was aMawlana and so was his father Sheikh Abdus Subhan.[22] The tradition of religious scholarship in the family was started by his great-grandfather Sheikh Shahabuddin Munshi, who was considered anAlim and aMunshi based in the area east of theMeghna river.[23] His mother Sayeda Ashrafunnisa was the daughter of Shah Sayed Abdul Munim, whose family is aSayedPeer family. His father Shah Sayed Emdad Ali was a descendant of Shah Sayed Sufi Hosseini who arrived from Iran viaDelhi in 1722 AD and settled in what is now known as Sayedabad of Kaliakor.[22][21] Ghulam Azam's education began at the localmadrasa in Birgaon and then completed his secondary school education inDhaka. After that, he enrolled atUniversity of Dhaka where he completed BA and MA degrees in political science.[24]
While studying at University of Dhaka, Azam became active in student politics and was elected as the General Secretary of theDhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) for two consecutive years between 1947 and 1949.[24][b]
He earned his BA in 1946 and MA in Political Science in 1948 from Dhaka University. As DUCSU General Secretary, Azam was arrested for his role in the Bengali language movement.[26][27] On 20 June 1970, he was quoted inThe Azad saying that fight for Bengali language was a mistake.[28][29]
In 1950, Azam left Dhaka to teach political science at Government Carmichael College inRangpur. During this time, he was influenced by the writings ofAbul Ala Maududi, and he joined Maududi's party,Jamaat-e-Islami in 1954, and was later elected as the Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami'sEast Pakistan branch.[24]
In 1964, the government ofAyub Khan banned Jamaat-e-Islami and its leaders, including Azam, and imprisoned them for eight months without trial. He was the general secretary of the Pakistan Democratic Movement, formed in 1967, and later he was elected as a member of the Democratic Action Committee in 1969 to transform the anti-Ayub movement into a popular uprising. In 1969, he became theEmir of Jamaat in East Pakistan. He and other opposition leaders took part in the Round Table Conference held in Rawalpindi in 1969 to solve the prevailing political impasse in Pakistan.[24] On 13 March 1969, Khan announced his acceptance of their two fundamental demands ofparliamentary government and direct elections.[30]
In the run-up to the1970 Pakistani general election, Azam, together with leaders of many other parties in East Pakistan (including thePakistan Democratic Party,National Awami Party,Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, and the Pakistan National League), protested against theAwami League for reportedly breaking up public meetings, physical attacks on political opponents, and the looting and destruction of party offices.[31] During 1970, while Azam was the head of Jamaat-e-Islami East Pakistan, many political rallies, including rallies of Jamaat-e-Islami, were attacked by armed mobs alleged to be incited by the Awami League.[32][33]
During theBangladesh Liberation War, Azam took a political stance in support of a unified Pakistan,[34][35] and repeatedly denounced Awami League andMukti Bahini secessionists, whose declared aim after 26 March 1971 became the establishment of an independent state of Bangladesh in place of East Pakistan. Excerpts from Azam's speeches after 25 March 1971 used to be published in the mouthpiece ofBangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami namedThe Daily Sangram. On 20 June 1971, Azam reaffirmed his support for the Pakistani army by citing that 'the army has eradicated nearly all criminals of East Pakistan'.[36]
During the war of 1971, Azam played a central role in the formation ofEast Pakistan Central Peace Committee on 11 April 1971.[37][38] Azam was one of the founding members of this organization.[37]
The Peace Committee served as a front for the army, informing on civil administration as well as the general public. They were also in charge of confiscating and redistribution shops and lands from Hindu and Bengali civilians, mainly relatives and friends of Mukti Bahini fighters. The Shanti Committee has also been alleged to have recruitedRazakars.[39] The first recruits included 96 Jamaat party members, who started training in an Ansar camp at Shahjahan Ali Road,Khulna.[citation needed]
During Azam's leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami, Ashraf Hossain, a leader of Jamaat's student wing Islami Chhatra Sangha, createdAl-Badr inJamalpur on 22 April 1971. In April 1971, Azam andMotiur Rahman Nizami led demonstrations denouncing the independence movement as an Indian conspiracy.[40] Azam denied the association between the Peace Committee andRazakar Bahini, even though they were formed by the government and headed by Pakistani army generalTikka Khan.[35]
During the war, Azam travelled to West Pakistan at the time to consult Pakistani leaders.[41] He declared that his party (Jamaat) is trying its best to curb the activities of "miscreants".[42] He took part in meetings with GeneralYahya Khan,the then military strongman of Pakistan and other military leaders to organize the campaign against Bangladeshi independence.[41]
On 12 August 1971, Azam declared in a statement published in theDaily Sangram that "the supporters of the so-called Bangladesh Movement are the enemies of Islam, Pakistan, and Muslims".[43] He also called for an all-out war against India.[44] He called for the annexation ofAssam.[45]
Azam was the prime standard-bearer who presented the blueprint of the killing of the intellectuals during a meeting withRao Farman Ali in early September 1971.[46] With his help, Pakistan Army and the local collaborators executed the of the on 14 December 1971.
On 20 June 1971, Azam declared inLahore that the Hindu minority in East Pakistan, under the leadership ofSheikh Mujibur Rahman, are conspiring to secede from Pakistan.[42] On 12 August 1971, Azam again declared in a statement published in theDaily Sangram that "the supporters of the Bangladesh Movement are the enemies of Islam, Pakistan, and Muslims".[43] On his part, Azam denied all such accusations and challenged the validity of some and gave reasons to justify others.[47] However, he admitted that he was on the list of collaborators of the Pakistani army, but denied that he was a war criminal.[38] In 2011, Azam denied such sentiments and claimed that thePakistani government censoredThe Daily Sangram.[35]
The military junta of GeneralYahya Khan decided to call an election in an effort to legitimize themselves. On 12 October 1971, Yahya Khan declared that an election will be held from 25 November to 9 December. Azam decided to take part in this election.[48][better source needed] According to a government declaration of 2 November, 53 candidates would be elected without competition. Jamaat received 14 of the uncontested seats.[49]
In 2011, Azam claimed that the reason for his opposition to thecreation of Bangladesh were only political and he denied participation in any crime.[35] He also disliked Indian involvement and influence in Bangladeshi internal society and economic matters.[35]
The government of newly independent Bangladesh bannedBangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and cancelled Azam's citizenship, along with that ofNurul Amin, the former prime minister, due to their opposition toBangladesh's independence.[50][35] Following theindependence of Bangladesh, he migrated to Pakistan.[35]
In 1978, his citizenship was cancelled by the Bangladeshi government.[51][52][53][54] However, Azam returned to Bangladesh on a Pakistani passport with a temporary visa, staying as a Pakistani national even after his visa expired. TheSupreme Court of Bangladesh reinstated his citizenship in 1994.[55][56] His stay was, however, unwelcome in Bangladesh and he was beaten up by a crowd nearBaitul Mukarram while attending a funeral in 1981.[57]
Azam was particularly critical of the military rule underHussain Muhammad Ershad, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1982. Azam proposed a caretaker government system to facilitate free and fair elections, which was adopted in 1990. In the1991 Bangladeshi general election, Jamaat-e-Islami won 18 seats and its support allowed the BNP to form a government.[24]
During this time, he acted unofficially as the emir (leader) of the BJI until 1991, when he was officially elected to the post. This led the government to arrest him and an unofficial court called "The People's Court" was established by civilians such asJahanara Imam to try alleged war criminals and anti-independence activists. Imam held a symbolic trial of Azam where thousands of people gathered and gave the verdict that Azam's offences committed during the war deserve capital punishment.[58] In 1994, he fought a lengthy legal battle, which resulted in the Supreme Court of Bangladesh ruling in his favour and restoring his nationality.[24]
In the1996 election, Jamaat won only three seats and most of their candidates lost their deposits.[59] Azam announced his retirement from active politics in late 2000. He was succeeded byMotiur Rahman Nizami.[60]
On 11 January 2012, Azam was arrested on charges of committingcrimes against humanity and peace, genocide and war crimes in 1971 by theInternational Crimes Tribunal. His petition for bail was rejected by the ICT, and he was sent toDhaka Central Jail. However, three hours later he was taken to theBangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) hospital for a medical check-up because of health issues.
According toThe Daily Star, Azam was allowed to remain in a hospital prison cell despite being declared fit for trial by a medical team on 15 January.[61][62] The same paper later acknowledged that he had been placed there because to his "ailing condition".[63]
Azam's health was deteriorating rapidly after being imprisoned.[64] His wife, Syeda Afifa Azam, reported in several newspapers as being shocked about Azam's treatment and stated that he was very weak and had lost 3 kilograms in a month due to malnutrition.[36] She described his treatment as "a gross violation of human rights," even though he was kept in a hospital prison cell.[65][66]
Azam's wife complained that he had been denied proper family visits and access to books, saying that this amounted to "mental torture".[67]The Daily Star reported that Azam's wife and his counsels were allowed to meet him on 18 February.[63]
On 25 February 2012, The Daily Star reported that Azam's nephew was denied a visit shortly before he entered the hospital prison, even though the application had initially been approved.[68]
During the trial, former advisor to theCaretaker government of Bangladesh, human rights activist and witness for the prosecution,Sultanaa Kamal said:
In brutality, Ghulam Azam is synonymous with German ruler Hitler who had influential role in implementation and execution of genocide and ethnic cleansing.[69]
In response to this statement, the defence counsel pointed out that the comparison was a fallacy and "fake with malicious intention" as Hitler held state power, which Azam did not and that in 1971, General Tikka Khan and Yahya Khan held state power.[70] Prosecutor ofICT, Zead-Al-Malum said:
He was the one making all the decisions, why would he need to be on any committee? Being Hitler was enough for Hitler in World War II.
Islamic activists from different countries expressed their concerns for Mr. Azam. TheInternational Union of Muslim Scholars, chaired byYusuf al-Qaradawi, called the arrest "disgraceful," and called on the Bangladesh government to release him immediately, stating that "the charge of Professor Ghulam Azam and his fellow scholars and Islamic activists of committing war crimes more than forty years ago is irrational and cannot be accepted".[71]
The judicial process under which Azam was on trial was criticized by international organizations such asHuman Rights Watch andAmnesty International.[72][73] Human Rights Watch criticized the "strong judicial bias towards the prosecution and grave violations of due process rights", calling the trial process deeply flawed and unable to meet international fair trial standards.[17][18][19][20]
Azam was convicted of war crimes during the Bangladesh Liberation War by the International Crimes Tribunal.[74] The charges against Azam were torturing and the killings of a police officer Shiru Mia and three others. He was found guilty on all five charges and was sentenced to 90 years in prison.[citation needed]
The judges unanimously agreed that Azam deserved capital punishment but was given a lenient punishment because of his aging and poor health condition.[74][75]
Azam had always maintained that he never participated in any crimes but tried "to help people as much as he could."[35] In a press release, Jamaat's Acting Secretary General Rafiqul Islam rejected the International Crimes Tribunal's verdict against Azam by stating his conviction "nothing but a reflection of what AL-led 14-party alliance leaders had said against him Ghulam Azam, in different meetings".[76] TheDaily Amar Desh said that the evidence presented before the court against Ghulam Azam consisted of newspaper clippings published during 1971 and not independently proved.[77]
Ghulam Azam died at age 91, following a stroke on 23 October 2014 at 10:10 PM atBangladesh Medical University.[78] He passed away while serving jail sentences for crimes against humanity during the Bangladesh Liberation War. His death was reported by Abdul Majid Bhuiyan, director of BMU. Ghulam Azam was put on life support at 8 PM.[79][80] He was also suffering from kidney ailments.[81]
Azam was buried at his family graveyard atMoghbazar, Dhaka on 25 October. Hisnamaz-e-janaza (Islamic funeral prayer) was held at Bangladesh's national mosqueBaitul Mokarram; thousands of people attended his funeral prayers,[82] which is still considered one of the largest gatherings at any funeral prayers. Different quarters of the country protested against taking Azam's body to the national mosque.[83]
His son,Abdullahil Amaan Azmi was a brigadier general in theBangladesh Army who was dismissed without explanation. He was missing after 2016.[84] In 2022, it was revealed by an investigative report byNetra News that he was detained at a secret prison calledAynaghar, which is controlled by theDirectorate General of Forces Intelligence.[85]
In August 2024, after theJuly Revolution, he was released from Aynaghar after 9 years of disappearance.[86] Moreover, his dismissal was revoked and he was granted retirement as a Brigadier General, with the benefits of the rank.[87]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Nov 3 ... The Pakistani government announced yesterday that 53 of the National Assembly seats taken away from members of the outlawed Awami League in East Pakistan will be filled without contest ... The party getting the biggest bloc of seats from the 53 ... is the Jamaat-Islami ... to get 14 seats.
He finally won back his citizenship on 22 June 1994, as decided by the Supreme Court ... It may be mentioned here that he had been living in Bangladesh from 1978 to 1994 as a Pakistani national without any valid visa to stay in Bangladesh.
He finally won back his citizenship on 22 June 1994, as decided by the Supreme Court ... It may be mentioned here that he had been living in Bangladesh from 1978 to 1994 as a Pakistani national without any valid visa to stay in Bangladesh.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Maulana Abdur Raheem | Emir ofJamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh 1969–2000 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
