US Seeks To Strengthen Ties With Bangladesh’s Once-Banned Islamist Party Ahead Of Polls: Report

Last Updated:January 24, 2026, 16:19 IST

The US diplomats are looking to step up their engagement with Bangladesh’s largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, The Washington Post reported.

US diplomats are seeking to improve their ties with Jamaat-e-Islami amid its chances of clinching a best-ever win in the February polls. (Courtesy: AFP)

Bangladesh is gearing up for elections nearly a year-and-a-half after anti-government protests toppled Sheikh Hasina’s government and forced her to resign and flee the country.

With Hasina’s Awami League banned from contesting the February polls, Bangladesh’s largest Islamist party – Jamaat-e-Islami – is likely to get its best-ever win in the elections. In the wake of the party’s likely victory, US diplomats are looking to step up their engagement with the group, according to a report published in The Washington Post.

According to the report, the US diplomats have signalled that they are willing to work with the organisation, which has been banned multiple times in Bangladesh, even under Sheikh Hasina’s government.

Jamaat-e-Islami has long advocated governance based on sharia law and policies that seek to limit women’s working hours to help them “fulfil their duties toward their children".

However, in recent years, the party has sought to soften its public image and broaden its support base, claiming it is now focused solely on combating corruption.

In this changing political landscape of Bangladesh, US diplomats have signalled that they are willing to work with the Islamist party.

A US diplomat, during a closed-door meeting with female Bangladeshi journalists on December 1, said that the country has “shifted Islamic" and predicted Jamaat-e-Islami would “do better than it’s ever done before" in the February 12 election, according to The Washington Post’s audio recordings.

“We want them to be our friends," said the diplomat, while asking the reporters present if they could bring members of the party’s student wing on their programme.

“Can you talk to them? Will they go on your show?" asked the diplomat.

The diplomat, who has not been named in the report, also downplayed concerns that Jamaat-e-Islami would enforce its interpretation of Islamic law if it came to power.

“I simply do not believe that Jamaat can impose sharia," said the diplomat, while adding that if the party leaders made any concerning movies, then the United States “would have 100% tariffs put on them the next day."

While speaking to The Post, Monica Shie, the spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, said “the conversation that took place in December was a routine gathering, off-the-record discussion between U.S. Embassy officials and local journalists."

She said that “numerous political parties were discussed" during the meeting and that “the United States does not favour one political party over another and plans to work with whichever government is elected by the Bangladeshi people."

All About The Jamaat-e-Islami

Jamaat-e-Islami was founded by Islamist thinker Syed Abul Ala Maududi in 1941. According to Al-Jazeera, the party had opposed Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan and had claimed that this would shift the regional balance in South Asia.

In the 1971 war, senior Jamaat figures had supported the Pakistani state and also established paramilitary groups that killed thousands of civilians who were fighting for Bangladesh’s independence.

In 2009, after Sheikh Hasina returned to power, she ordered war-crimes trials against senior Jamaat leaders at the Crimes Tribunal while banning the party.

After the Sheikh Hasina government was toppled in 2024 by student protesters, the ban on the Islamist party was lifted.

Since 2024, the Jamaat-e-Islami worked towards turning itself into a major political force, led by Chief Shafiqur Rahman, Secretary-General Mia Golam Porwar, and deputy chief Syed Abdullah Mohammed Taher.

The party has also held several meetings with US officials. In January, party’s leader Mohammad Rahman also met virtually with US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer.

India’s Ties With Jamaat-e-Islami

In 2019, India had labelled Jamaat-e-Islami’s chapter in Kashmir an “unlawful group and renewed the designation in 2024.

Speaking to Al-Jazeera, Thomas Kean of the Crisis Group said that if Jamaat comes to power, it would face more difficulty in resetting ties with India than any other state, as the ties between the two countries have remained strained after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina.

“India is looking for a reset after the election, but that will be more challenging with Jamaat in power than the BNP. Domestic politics in both countries would make it very difficult for Jamaat and the BJP to work together," Kean said.

Bangladesh Elections 2026

The elections will be held in the country on February 12 between the Bangladesh ist Party (BNP) and an alliance led by the Jamaat-e-Islami. Both parties have been a one-time coalition partner. The Jamaat has stated that it is open to working with the BNP.

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