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In a chilling display of mass opposition to gender equality, tens of thousands rallied in Bangladesh’s capital on Saturday (April 3, 2025), protesting proposed reforms aimed at granting equal inheritance rights to women. Spearheaded by the Islamist coalition group Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, the demonstration near Dhaka University signals a larger ideological battle — one where religion is used to resist women’s empowerment and, consequently, national progress.
The rally, attended by over 20,000 followers, was not merely a protest; it was a public denouncement of the state's attempt to bring legal parity between men and women. Placards warned against “Western laws,” and voices in unison chanted slogans like “Say no to Western laws on women, rise up Bangladesh.” The primary target? Reforms that would grant Muslim women inheritance rights on par with men — a concept deeply opposed by hardline interpretations of Islamic Sharia law.
One of the speakers, Mohammad Shihab Uddin, a religious school leader, bluntly stated, “Men and women can never be equal: the Quran outlines specific codes of life for both genders.” Such assertions, cloaked in religious justification, reveal a systemic resistance to change — one that keeps half the population structurally disadvantaged under the guise of divine law.
A Pattern of Suppression
This isn't the first time Bangladesh has witnessed this ideological chokehold. In 2013, Hefazat-e-Islam released a 13-point demand that included restricting women's freedom of movement and mandating Islamic dress codes. The group has repeatedly used religious populism to derail attempts at progressive legal reforms, particularly those benefiting women.
The broader implications of such resistance are devastating. Bangladesh ranks 71 out of 146 in the Global Gender Gap Report 2023 by the World Economic Forum. While the country has made strides in women’s education and workforce participation — thanks in part to efforts by NGOs and female-led governments — legal inequalities, especially in family law, remain a significant roadblock.
Inheritance laws rooted in Sharia grant male heirs double the share of females. This not only reinforces economic dependency but ensures that land and property, key sources of wealth in agrarian societies, stay within patriarchal control. Reforming these laws would be a bold step toward correcting entrenched economic injustices — and that is precisely what religious hardliners fear.
Silencing Reform Through Threats
The group has now threatened nationwide rallies on May 23 if the interim government fails to revoke the proposed reforms. Mamunul Haque, a senior Hefazat leader, called for the dissolution of the reform commission, demanding punishment for its members — a move aimed not just at halting reforms, but punishing those who dare envision gender equality.
Such extremist posturing thrives in political vacuums. Since the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a secular leader now in exile, Islamist groups have been emboldened. With the Awami League weakened, these groups are moving swiftly to assert religious orthodoxy as a substitute for democratic governance.
Religion and Regression: A Deadly Mix
It is vital to recognize that resistance to women's rights in Bangladesh is not cultural but ideologically religious. Countries that base their civil laws on rigid interpretations of religious scripture tend to have lower gender development indexes. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Iran are prominent examples, where female literacy, labor participation, and legal rights lag far behind global averages.
Bangladesh’s own Nobel laureate, Muhammad Yunus, has long advocated for women’s economic empowerment, noting that giving financial agency to women leads to generational upliftment. His microfinance model targeted women precisely because of their underprivileged status. And yet, groups like Hefazat view such empowerment as a threat — not to religion, but to male dominance masquerading as piety.
Venom to Vision: What Comes Next
If Bangladesh is to emerge as a truly progressive nation, it must separate religious dogma from civil law. The constitution promises equality for all — a promise that cannot coexist with gender-discriminatory laws justified by medieval interpretations of faith. Religious freedom should not become a tool to curtail women’s rights.
The courage to reform will define Bangladesh’s future. Will it follow the likes of Tunisia, which has actively worked to equalize inheritance laws? Or will it succumb to clerics who use divine texts to keep women in economic bondage?
Until the nation decisively answers this question, its dreams of development will remain shackled — not by foreign oppression, but by its own fear of modernity.
