Recently, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, shared a YouTube video link on both his Facebook page (source) and X account (source), claiming that Mahfuj Alam, an advisor to the interim government, was previously arrested for affiliation with the internationally banned organization Hizb ut-Tahrir. In his Facebook post, Joy encouraged viewers to watch the video for further information.
The video, titled “The Dangerous Past of Yunus’s Chief Assistant Mahfuz” from the YouTube channel “Chetona”/“চেতনা” (“ইউনূসের প্রধান সহকারী মাহফুজের ভয়ঙ্কর অতীত”), references a 2019 news report about an individual named Abdullah Al Mahfuz, allegedly a leader of Hizb ut-Tahrir, who was detained in Chattogram. However, the video incorrectly identifies Abdullah Al Mahfuz as Mahfuj Alam, the advisor to the interim government, falsely implying that they are the same individual. Rumor Scanner has already debunked this claim as false.
Rumor Scanner’s investigation has confirmed that Abdullah Al Mahfuz, the individual arrested in 2019, and Mahfuj Alam, the advisor, are two distinct individuals. A fact-check article titled “Mahfuz Arrested in 2019 for Hizb ut-Tahrir Affiliation is Not the Same as Advisor’s Special Assistant Mahfuz” (source) confirmed that Abdullah Al Mahfuz and Mahfuj Alam have no connection beyond a similarity in names. Photographic evidence, regional affiliations, and age differences clearly show that they are different individuals. The misidentification appears to have originated from a name-based confusion, which has since spread as misinformation.
Indeed, Abdullah Al Mahfuz, the individual arrested in 2019, was linked to Hizb ut-Tahrir. At the time, The Business Standard reported that Abdullah Al Mahfuz was remanded for eight days in connection with terrorism charges (source). Although this report mentioned his affiliation with the banned organization, it did not include any images or detailed descriptions of the detainee. Other media outlets, however, published photos of Abdullah Al Mahfuz, which show no resemblance to Mahfuj Alam, the current advisor, further disproving the mistaken claim.
In early October, Taslima Nasreen also shared similar misinformation, citing The Business Standard report and erroneously connecting Abdullah Al Mahfuz’s arrest with advisor Mahfuj Alam. Later realizing her error, Nasreen edited her post several times before eventually removing the report entirely.
On September 14, Mahfuj Alam published a statement on his personal Facebook page (source) explicitly distancing himself from any affiliations with Hizb ut-Tahrir or other anti-democratic organizations, reaffirming his stance against such ideologies.
Conclusion
The claim that Mahfuj Alam, advisor to the interim government, was previously arrested as a leader of Hizb ut-Tahrir is entirely false. This misinformation has been propagated by misrepresenting a separate individual, Abdullah Al Mahfuz, who was indeed detained in 2019. The interim government’s press wing, CA Press Wing Facts, has also recently confirmed that the social media claims linking Mahfuj Alam to Hizb ut-Tahrir are untrue (source).
Consequently, Sajeeb Wazed Joy has shared information that had already been debunked by Rumor Scanner, the Interim Government of Bangladesh, and several other media outlets.
Sources
- Multiple News Outlets
- CA Press Wing Facts: Facebook Confirmation
- Rumor Scanner’s Investigation
