Do hartal, violence go with Islam?

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 yesterday asked a defence counsel for Jamaat-e-Islami leaders to explain whether violent programmes or hartal were congruent with the spirit of Islam or sunnah, the way of life prescribed by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

“Enlighten us. To what extent is the spirit of Islam compatible with making a third party [common people] suffer?” Tribunal Chairman Justice M Enayetur Rahim asked Shishir Manir after issuing a show-cause notice.

The defence counsel was asked to give a reply on January 28 along with answers to the show-cause notice against Jamaat lawyer Tajul Islam and five leaders of Jamaat and Islami Chhatra Shibir for their media statements after the verdict of war crimes convict ATM Azharul Islam, allegedly demeaning the court.

Jamaat enforces hartal after every war crimes verdict against their leaders, and on several occasions, Jamaat and Shibir men perpetuated violence. So far, eight Jamaat top leaders have been convicted for war crimes, and the party enforced 30 days of shutdowns in the last two years protesting those verdicts.

Yesterday the notice was issued to Azharul's counsel Tajul Islam, Jamaat's Acting Ameer Moqbul Ahmed, Acting Secretary General Shafiqur Rahman and Nayeb-e-Ameer Mujibur Rahman, Shibir's President Abdul Jabbar and Secretary General Atiqur Rahman.

The notice came after the prosecution filed a contempt of court petition against the six and Jamaat as a party, for issuing those statements and calling hartal. The statements were "offensive" to the tribunal.

The court, however, crossed off Jamaat's name from the list of those served the show-cause notice.

Tajul on December 30, 2014 said the "evidence" produced by the prosecution, upon which the tribunal handed death to his client was "rubbish".

Meanwhile, the tribunal-2 deferred the recording of testimony of first prosecution witness to January 21 in the war crimes case against Mahidur Rahman and Afsar Hossain alias Chutu.