Bangladesh Feminist Archives (BDFA) expresses grave concern over an incident involving Mufti Syed Muhammad Faizul Karim of Islami Andolon Bangladesh and parliamentary candidate Dr. Manisha Chakraborty in the Barishal-5 constituency ahead of the 13th National Election.
The issue arose during a live election discussion program hosted at the Barishal Shilpakala Academy. Dr. Chakraborty, who appeared in the first segment of the program, was asked to wait backstage and was not brought back to the panel. She later stated that she learned Mufti Faizul Karim was unwilling to share the stage with her because she is a woman. According to her account, this decision was not communicated transparently by the organizers.
When asked about the matter, Faizul Karim dismissed her concerns as “unwarranted” and stated that if he chooses not to sit next to a woman in order to observe purdah, that is his religious belief. He also deferred questions about how he would work alongside women in Parliament if elected.
This incident is not merely a personal disagreement between candidates. It reflects a broader and dangerous normalization of gender-based exclusion from political spaces. Public political forums are not private religious gatherings; they are democratic spaces where equal participation is fundamental.
Bangladesh’s Constitution guarantees equal rights to women. Excluding a woman candidate from a public political platform because of her gender directly undermines these constitutional principles and sets a troubling precedent for women’s political participation.
BDFA condemns this discriminatory treatment and calls for accountability from both Islami Andolon Bangladesh and the media organizers involved. Gender-based exclusion cannot be justified under the guise of belief when it restricts women’s access to democratic platforms.
Bangladesh Feminist Archives 