Dhaka University is one of the leading and influential public universities in Bangladesh. Several anti-LGBTQ right-wing Islamist student leaders have participated in the Dhaka University Central Student Union (DUCSU) elections and have announced an anti-LGBTQ+ agenda. These anti-LGBTQ+ student leaders are followers of anti-LGBTQ+ leader Mohammad Sarwar. Sarwar posted on his verified Facebook profile supporting these leaders and urged people to vote for them.
Identity and agenda of the anti-LGBTQ+ right-wing leaders participating in the elections:
Profile Summary: Rakibul Islam (Tashfin)
Name: Rakibul Islam (Tashfin)
Facebook Profile: facebook.com/TashfinRakib170
Ballot Number: 23
Academic Background:
MBA in Marketing, University of Dhaka — Class of 2025
BBA in Marketing (25th Batch), University of Dhaka — Class of 2024
Daud Public College, Jashore
Overview:
Rakibul Islam (Tashfin) participated as a candidate in the 2025 Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) election. His campaign materials, social-media posts, and election-related messaging prominently featured anti-LGBTQI+ rhetoric. A recurring slogan in his campaign was “#NO_LGBTQI_in_DU”, which he used to position himself as a candidate opposing LGBTQI+ visibility and rights on campus.
His election photocards also included a pledge stating that Dhaka University would follow a “Zero-Tolerance” policy regarding transgender issues if he were elected.
Anti-LGBTQI+ Advocacy:
1. Campaign Slogans and Messaging
His election messaging incorporated explicit anti-LGBTQI+ positions, including:
Use of the hashtag #NO_LGBTQI_in_DU
Public promises of implementing discriminatory “zero-tolerance” approaches toward transgender individuals
2. Election-Related Posts Targeting LGBTQI+ Communities
Examples of his campaign posts include:
Post 1: Anti-LGBTQI+ messaging
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17c6LyvcjW/Post 2: Anti-LGBTQI+ campaign narrative
https://www.facebook.com/share/1BJGxZYtqB/Post 3: Election-focused anti-LGBTQI+ content
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FBo4K5RFi/
These posts collectively reflect a deliberate strategy of mobilizing anti-LGBTQI+ sentiment to appeal to conservative student constituencies.
Misinformation and Hate Content Targeting Transgender Communities:
Additional posts from his Facebook activity include misleading, inflammatory, and stigmatizing statements about transgender individuals. These messages reinforce social hostility and spread harmful misinformation.
Opposition to Human Rights Initiatives:
1. Resistance to Establishing a UN Human Rights Office in Dhaka
Rakibul Islam publicly opposed the establishment of a United Nations Human Rights Office in Dhaka. He participated in rallies and gatherings organized against the initiative, alongside groups known for anti-rights mobilization.
These activities positioned him against international human rights mechanisms and aligned his political messaging with broader anti-rights narratives.
Ideological Positioning:
Rakibul Islam’s campaign demonstrates a clear pattern of:
Utilizing anti-LGBTQI+ rhetoric as an electoral strategy
Presenting LGBTQI+ rights as a threat to cultural and social norms
Aligning with broader political tendencies that weaponize moral panic and exclusionary narratives
Opposing both domestic inclusion efforts and international human rights engagement
His political communication consistently centered on restricting rights, reinforcing discrimination, and promoting exclusionary policies.
Relevance for Documentation:
This profile is included in the documentation of anti-LGBTQI+ political actors in Bangladesh due to the following documented actions:
Explicit use of anti-LGBTQI+ slogans in election messaging
Public dissemination of discriminatory and stigmatizing posts targeting transgender communities
Open opposition to United Nations human rights initiatives
Election promises aimed at institutionalizing discriminatory “zero-tolerance” policies
These elements collectively illustrate a candidate whose political activities actively contribute to hostility, misinformation, and discrimination toward LGBTQI+ individuals.
Profile Summary: Md. Shahriar Alam
Name: Md. Shahriar Alam
Ballot Number: 09
Position Contested: Central Social Services Secretary
Affiliation: Khelafat Chhatra Majlis (Convener, Dhaka University Unit)
Panel: Sacheton Shikkharthi Sangsad
Background and Political Alignment:
Md. Shahriar Alam is a postgraduate student of Islamic Studies at the University of Dhaka, specializing in the political history of the Muslim world. In the 2025 DUCSU election, he ran for the position of Central Social Services Secretary representing the Islamist panel Sacheton Shikkharthi Sangsad, backed by Khelafat Chhatra Majlis and Islami Chhatra Andolon.
Known for his conservative stance, Shahriar Alam’s campaign was strongly framed around religious values, Islamic ethics, and resistance to perceived “Western influences” on campus culture.
Anti-LGBTQI+ Messaging and Public Statements:
Shahriar Alam actively campaigned on an explicitly anti-LGBTQI+ platform, which became a defining theme of his candidacy. His official campaign messaging and Facebook content included:
🔹 Use of the slogan: “No LGBTQI in DU”
🔹 Pledge for zero tolerance against LGBTQI+ visibility and rights in university spaces
🔹 Characterization of LGBTQI+ identity as immoral and harmful to the cultural and religious environment of the campus
In his publicly shared campaign post 📎 Link, Shahriar reiterated that if elected, he would work to block any LGBTQI+ activities or expressions within Dhaka University, portraying it as a defense of Islamic values.
He further issued a public call for an anti-LGBTQI+ student rally on his Facebook profile, using the platform to mobilize students against what he described as “immorality” and the infiltration of “foreign ideologies.”
📎 Rally Call: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1C8Q9LUHtP/
Ideological Framing:
His position was not merely cultural but explicitly political. Shahriar Alam presented LGBTQI+ rights as:
A threat to Islamic morality
A product of Western imperialism in social values
Incompatible with the ethos of Bangladeshi student life and Islamic tradition
His manifesto positioned him as a candidate who would uphold “clean campus” values, which included the removal of influences like gender diversity advocacy, secular gender theory, or inclusive policy reforms.
Institutional Agenda and Promises:
While running for a welfare-focused post, he tied his platform to moral reform and structural enforcement by promising to:
Push for institutional bans on LGBTQI+ activities
Stop any student organizations promoting gender diversity
Monitor and influence policy to align with conservative Islamic principles
He called for a “zero-tolerance policy on transgender issues,” mirroring language used by other hardline candidates in the 2025 election.
Response and Documentation:
Shahriar Alam’s anti-LGBTQI+ positions were documented by multiple election observers and rights-monitoring organizations. A post-election review of 2025 DUCSU candidates by a local LGBTIQ Phobia Monitoring network identified him as a high-profile figure in the rise of exclusionary, conservative student politics on campus.
While his campaign gained traction among conservative student voters, it also drew strong criticism from human rights observers, student diversity groups, and independent media who described such messaging as discriminatory and harmful to inclusive campus values.
