“Women Under Siege: How Islamist Misogyny Unleashed a Wave of Hijab‑Policing in Bangladesh”, ForPol, October 16, 2025
“In the months after Bangladesh’s interim government came to power in August 2024, women across the country found themselves targeted for what they wore, and what they didn’t. Videos shared on social media show angry men wielding sticks and forcing women to perform humiliating punishments on the Cox’s Bazar beach, schoolgirls had their hair cut off because their hijab was not on, and even a former war‑crimes prosecutor was assaulted in her own home and told she should be wearing a hijab. These incidents reveal a chilling pattern: when Islamist hard‑liners seek to impose control, women and girls in Bangladesh are the first to bear the brunt.
Haircut as punishment
On 29 February 2024 parents in Munshiganj were shocked when their daughters returned from Syedpur Abdur Rahman School & College. Biology teacher Runia Sarker had lined up seventh‑grade girls and cut off their hair as punishment for not wearing a hijab. One student told reporters she had only one hijab and had washed it that day; despite pleading with her teacher, her hair was still cut. Authorities suspended the teacher after an investigation. Religious scholar Mufti Lutfur Rahman said that although Islam encourages modest dress, “forcing someone to comply, and cutting a girl’s hair has no place in religion”, while rights activist Khushi Kabir called the practice unconstitutional. A local newspaper, Dhaka Tribune, reported that a three‑member committee was formed and the teacher faces legal action.
Forcing Hindu schoolgirls to veil
At Rangpur’s Moslem Uddin Girls’ High School, two teachers crossed another line. In September 2024 a video went viral showing Hindu students protesting after being instructed to wear the hijab. The district administration confirmed that headmaster Mofizur Rahman and Islamic studies teacher Mostafizar Rahman had issued that order; both were suspended and issued show‑cause notices. Officials said they would probe allegations that the teachers also made disparaging remarks about the Bhagavad Gita. The incident was widely covered by Bangladeshi media; for example, The Daily Star noted that the action was taken after students staged a protest…….”
Read full article at forpolindia.com
