Jamaat Candidate's Radical Speech: No Non-Muslims in Bangladesh Parliament

• Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Afzal Hossain from Barguna-2 constituency advocated for excluding religious minorities, including Hindus, from Bangladesh Parliament.
• Hossain called for governance strictly based on the Quran, rejecting a constitutional framework and supporting Quran-based punishments.
• Government sources warned that such speeches inject radical narratives into electoral politics, fueling extremism and cross-border instability.
• The remarks drew criticism for violating democratic norms and come amid rising violence against minorities, particularly Hindus, in Bangladesh.
• Recent incidents include a Hindu family's house set ablaze in Sylhet, an auto driver beaten to death in Chittagong, and a Hindu man lynched and burned in Mymensingh.

Why It Matters: A Jamaat candidate's call to exclude non-Muslims from Parliament raises alarms about radicalization and minority safety in Bangladesh.