Islamist parties in Bangladesh have strongly warned the interim government, supported by the army and led by Muhammad Yunus, to immediately shut down the Women’s Affairs Reform Commission, which they claim is "anti-Islamic." These parties, under the banner of Jatiya Olama Mashayekh Aemma Parishad, have threatened large-scale protests if their demand is not met. According to the Dhaka-based Bengali newspaper Prothom Alo, some leaders even said that if the government goes ahead with the reforms, it would face serious consequences, with one warning that the Yunus-led government "won’t even get five minutes to escape."

The warning about "won't get even five minutes" referred to the 45 minutes Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had on August 5, 2024, to leave the country as a massive mob of hundreds of thousands marched towards her residence, demanding her blood. It was reported that Islamists had joined the student-led protests, causing the violence that spread in the final days of the protests. The Islamists accused the commission of pushing "anti-Islamic" and "Western-inspired" proposals, according to the Dhaka-based Daily Star. A warning was issued to Yunus's interim government on Wednesday during a seminar held in Dhaka. The event, titled "Islamophobia in the Women's Affairs Reform Commission: What We Can Do," took place just a few days after the women's commission submitted its report to Muhammad Yunus. The report had been handed over to Yunus on April 19.

"You have to keep in mind that the enemies who are confronting you cannot take advantage of this. Even then, if you want to move forward, you will not get even five minutes (to escape)," Prothom Alo quoted Mufti Syed Rezaul Karim, the Amir of the Islamic Movement Bangladesh, as saying. After violent student protests, taken over by Islamist groups, the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was removed in August 2024. Since then, Bangladesh, under interim leader Muhammad Yunus, has increasingly given in to the demands of Islamist factions.

Just days after Hasina was ousted, the ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami party was lifted. Convicted terrorists like Jashimuddin Rahmani were also released, showing a more lenient approach toward radical groups. At the same time, Yunus's government has been downplaying incidents of violence against minorities, especially Hindus. A seminar organised by the Jatiya Olama Mashayekh Aemma Parishad on Wednesday was attended by top leaders from several Islamist parties, including Islamic Movement Bangladesh, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, and the Islamic Unity Alliance, as reported by Prothom Alo.

During the event, Khelafat Majlis leader Mamunul Haque strongly opposed the proposals, saying that even the slightest attempt to implement them would have to be done "over our dead bodies." He claimed that the proposals were part of a planned conspiracy involving the Chief Adviser’s office and foreign powers. The Islamists not only demanded the immediate end of the commission but also rejected its recommendations. They called for forming a new commission made up of "pious, educated, and socially conscious women who truly represent the country's female population".

At the seminar, some Islamist speakers warned that if the government accepted the proposals, it would result in the "recognition of prostitution as a profession". They argued this would support a "cursed life" for women, rather than dealing with real problems like trafficking and poverty. After the commission submitted its report to Muhammad Yunus on April 19, Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh gave the government a deadline until May 3 to dissolve the commission, according to a BDnews24 report last week.

Hasina had previously worked closely with Hefazat-e-Islam in an effort to win support from Islamists in Bangladesh and expand her political base. The Women’s Affairs Reform Commission was set up by Bangladesh's interim government on November 18, 2024. It is led by well-known rights activist Shireen Parveen Haque. The commission has made 433 recommendations to improve gender-related policies in the country. Some of the main suggestions include doubling the number of seats in parliament to 600, with half (300 seats) reserved for women through direct elections. The commission also called for equal inheritance rights for women and changes in family laws to ensure gender equality.

Chief Adviser Yunus had earlier shown strong support for quickly putting these reforms into action. These reform efforts are part of the interim government’s plan to fix long-standing problems in the system. However, strong opposition from Islamist parties shows that Yunus will have to carefully manage the situation to keep things stable, especially with national elections expected by late 2025 or early 2026.