Recently, a video of a statement by the Amir of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, was circulated on the social media platform X with a caption claiming: ‘”We will carry out genocide during Bangladesh’s elections!” – Shocking threat by Jamaat-e-Islami. Jamaat is reportedly receiving money, weapons & explosives from Pakistan’s ISI. If such extremists openly threaten an Islamic nation, imagine their mindset toward Hindu-majority India. The warning is loud and clear!’
See the post circulated on X with this claim here (Archive).
However, in the video attached to the circulated post, the Amir of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, is heard saying in Bengali, “If a referendum is held on the day of the election, there is a possibility of an election genocide.”
Observation of the ‘About’ section of the X account ‘Sanatan Prabhat’, which circulated the post with the discussed claim, shows that it is primarily an India-based account.
Additionally, ‘Sanatan Prabhat’ also circulated a report with the discussed claim on their website on November 25. See here (Archive).
Fact Check
The Rumor Scanner Team’s investigation found that the Amir of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, did not make the comment, “We will carry out genocide during Bangladesh’s elections.” In fact, his actual statement, “If a referendum is held on the day of the election, there is a possibility of an election genocide,” was distorted and circulated with the discussed claim.
In the investigation, a report was found on the YouTube channel of the mainstream media outlet ‘ATN Bangla News’ on November 22, titled ‘If a national election and a referendum are held on the same day, it will be an election genocide – Shafiqur Rahman.’ The report included the Jamaat Amir’s statement. The Jamaat Amir is heard saying, “As I said before, if a referendum is held on the day of the election, there is a possibility of an election genocide.”
Additionally, the Jamaat Amir is heard saying the same thing in a video circulated on the YouTube channel of the mainstream media outlet ‘Jamuna TV’ on November 22.
A search using relevant keywords found a report published on the website of the mainstream media outlet ‘Kaler Kantho’ on November 22. The report stated that while on a tour to Chattogram on the afternoon of November 22, the Amir of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, told reporters at the Chawkbazar Parade Ground, “As I said before, if a referendum is held on the day of the election, there is a possibility of an election genocide.” In response to a question about local government elections, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman said, “We are not talking about local elections right now. Because it is not possible. We do not believe in unrealistic demands. As I said before, if a referendum is held on the day of the election, there is a possibility of an election genocide.”
Furthermore, similar information was gathered from reports published on the websites of the mainstream media outlets ‘Samakal‘ and ‘Desh Rupantor‘ on the matter.
This indicates that the Amir of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, did not say, “We will carry out genocide during Bangladesh’s elections.” In fact, he said, “As I said before, if a referendum is held on the day of the election, there is a possibility of an election genocide.”
It is worth noting that Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has made a demand to hold a referendum any time before the national election if it is not possible in November. On the other hand, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir stated on November 6, “The referendum must be held on the same day as the national parliamentary election. We agree on this. No referendum will be allowed before the parliamentary election.”
Therefore, the comment made by the Amir of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, “If a referendum is held on the day of the election, there is a possibility of an election genocide,” has been distorted and circulated as the comment, “We will carry out genocide during Bangladesh’s elections”; which is false.
Sources
- ATN Bangla News – একই দিনে জাতীয় নির্বাচন এবং গণভোট হলে তা হবে নির্বাচনের জেনোসাইড-শফিকুর রহমান
- Jamuna TV – নির্বাচনের দিন গণভোট হলে ‘নির্বাচনের জেনোসাইড’ হবার শঙ্কা আছে: ডা. শফিকুর
- Kaler Kantho – নির্বাচনের দিন গণভোট হলে নির্বাচনের জেনোসাইড হওয়ার সম্ভাবনা আছে
- Rumor Scanner’s analysis
