On August 5, the government led by Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power in a popular uprising of students and citizens. Following this, on August 8, an interim government was formed with Dr. Muhammad Yunus appointed as Chief Advisor, and Mahfuj Alam, the coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement Liaison Committee, was appointed as the Chief Advisor’s Special Assistant. Recently, a screenshot of a 2019 news report from The Business Standard has been circulating on social media, with claims that “Mahfuj, who was arrested by the Counter-Terrorism Unit in November 2019 in Chattogram, is the same person who is now serving as the Special Assistant to the Chief Advisor and is allegedly the mastermind behind the recent anti-discrimination movement leading to the government’s downfall.”
The rumors circulating on Facebook can be seen in these posts here, here, here, and here.
Previously, Taslima Nasreen attempted to validate this claim by citing a similar article on Facebook, alleging that Mahfuz Alam is a leader of Hizb ut-Tahrir. However, she later edited and ultimately deleted the post (source: Taslima’s post).
Fact-Check
Rumor Scanner’s investigation reveals that Mahfuz who was arrested in 2019 for his involvement with Hizb ut-Tahrir and Mahfuj Alam, the Chief Advisor’s Special Assistant, are two different individuals.
Rumor Scanner examined the article from The Business Standard referenced in these claims. The article, titled “Hizb ut-Tahrir leader Mahfuz placed on fresh remand,” was published on November 26, 2019. It reported that Abdullah Al Mahfuz, a leader of the banned organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, was remanded for eight days by a Chattogram court on terrorism charges. Prior to that, Mahfuz and 14 others had been remanded for three days. However, the article provided no photo or detailed description of Abdullah Al Mahfuz.
Further investigation into mainstream media outlets The Daily Star (source) and BDNews24 (source) confirmed that police arrested 15 individuals, including the metropolitan head of Hizb ut-Tahrir, in Chattogram. Abdullah Al Mahfuz, age 30, was identified as a Territory Manager for Novartis Pharmaceuticals in Chattogram and the second-highest leader of Hizb ut-Tahrir’s Chattogram chapter. Photos of those arrested were published in these reports, and Mahfuj Alam, the Special Assistant, does not appear in any of them.
Additionally, Somoy TV published an exclusive report on its YouTube channel titled “Exclusive: বেরিয়ে এলো হিযবুত তাহরীর-এর মূল হোতা ও তাদের কর্মকাণ্ড,” showing a photo of the Hizb ut-Tahrir leader Mahfuz, which visibly differs from Mahfuj Alam’s image, affirming that they are distinct individuals.
Furthermore, the age discrepancy between the two Mahfuzes provides more evidence. Sources (source 1, source 2) indicate that Mahfuj Alam, the Chief Advisor’s Special Assistant, was born in 1995 in Ichapur, Ramganj, Lakshmipur District, which means he was around 23-24 years old in 2019, compared to the Hizb ut-Tahrir Mahfuz, who was reported to be 30.
On September 14, Mahfuj Alam clarified these misrepresentations in a Facebook post, emphasizing his opposition to any undemocratic organizations, including Hizb ut-Tahrir.
Conclusion
Thus, the circulating claim that Mahfuj Alam, the Chief Advisor’s Special Assistant, was involved in Hizb ut-Tahrir activities or was under remand in 2019 is unequivocally false.
Sources:
- The Business Standard – “Hizb ut-Tahrir leader Mahfuz placed on fresh remand”
- The Daily Star – “15 ‘Militants’ Arrested in Chattogram Police Raid”
- BD News24 – “15 Hizb ut-Tahrir Members Including Leader Arrested in Chattogram”
- Somoy TV – “Exclusive: The Inner Workings and Leaders of Hizb ut-Tahrir Exposed!”
- Mahfuj Alam – Facebook Post
- Rumor Scanners in House Analysis
