At an event in New York, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Naib-e-Ameer Dr. Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher said on Friday (September 26/27) that the country will not compromise on its independence and sovereignty. Raising the issue of conflict with India, he claimed, “At least 5 million of our youth will fight for independence against India.”

Dr. Taher’s statement came at a public reception organized by the Bangladesh American Association (COBA) — where he said that if by any means the Jamaat would invade a neighboring country if it came to power, he would rather “invade” it so that the people would have an opportunity to prove their true position against the slander they claimed in 1971. In his words, then we would have an opportunity to prove ourselves as “genuine freedom fighters.”

Taher also said that if a war situation develops, an organized resistance will be formed — he claimed that “at least 5 million youth” will participate among them; one part will go to guerrilla warfare, the other part will spread over a wide area. He also referred to Islamic historical hadiths and ideas and said that the implementation of the hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) regarding the Ghazwa would stand as a grand plan in such a situation.

In the context of this incident, it is particularly noteworthy that in such a war, provocative and incendiary language is politically sensitive and has the potential to disrupt mutual relations. Statements by political leaders can affect the internal stability of the country and diplomatic relations with neighboring countries — political analysts and diplomats need to be careful in this regard.

Taher also spoke about the economic use of zakat; he said that if zakat is collected officially, it is possible to eliminate poverty from Bangladesh within three to four years — he said that plans to create employment and take up business ventures with zakat money are possible. He also praised the contribution of expatriates to the movement and struggle.

Reactions and possible next steps: After detailed reports of the speech are published in the national and international media, various politicians, human rights organizations and diplomatic circles may comment. If the government's diplomatic and security agencies consider such statements sensitive, formal explanations or condemnations or investigations may be initiated in the future. It is important for journalists and readers to verify the authenticity of events and statements; the statements used in this report are based on reports from local news agencies and government news agencies.