Education Minister Takes Anti-Transgender Stance in Meeting with Hefazat-e-Islam

Leaders of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh submitted a written review report consisting of several hundred pages to Education Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury Nowfel, raising objections to aspects of Bangladesh’s new education curriculum and textbook content concerning transgender and Hijra communities. During a meeting with the Education Minister in Chattogram on 20 January 2024, representatives of the organisation presented their observations and objections regarding different aspects of the new curriculum, including issues related to transgender and Hijra identities. According to contemporary media reports, a delegation of Hefazat-e-Islam leaders met the minister at Premier University in the GEC area of Chattogram and handed over the lengthy written review of the new curriculum and textbooks.

During the discussion, Hefazat-e-Islam representatives expressed their opposition to several aspects of the new curriculum and specifically raised objections concerning educational content relating to transgender and Hijra communities. News reports published on 21 January stated that the Education Minister listened to their observations and assured them that concerns he considered reasonable would be discussed with experts and addressed through necessary curriculum revisions. He was also reported to have assured the religious leaders that no “controversial” education curriculum would be implemented during his tenure. Daily Inqilab reported the minister as expressing strong opposition to transgender identity and distinguishing transgender identity from Hijra identity. The meeting therefore went beyond broader concerns about curriculum reform and directly addressed how transgender identities were represented within educational materials.

According to Ajker Patrika, the Education Minister told Hefazat-e-Islam representatives that reasonable aspects of their observations would be reviewed in consultation with experts and addressed through appropriate changes to the curriculum. He also stated that the government would remain attentive to ensuring that textbooks did not contain controversial material conflicting with religious beliefs. At the same time, he maintained that there would be no compromise with political parties or socially influential groups regarding educational content related to skills development and the fundamental principles of the Constitution of Bangladesh. His reported remarks therefore combined an assurance that objections raised by the religious leaders would be considered with a stated commitment to maintaining constitutional principles in education. Following the meeting, Hefazat-e-Islam leaders described the discussion as positive and said the minister had listened to their concerns and assured them that the issues raised would be addressed.

The meeting took place amid public opposition to the inclusion and representation of gender diversity, particularly transgender identities, in Bangladesh’s new education curriculum. Through the meeting, Hefazat-e-Islam representatives brought their objections directly to the Education Minister and submitted an extensive written review addressing the curriculum and transgender-related content. At the same meeting, media reports attributed an explicitly oppositional position on transgender identity to the Education Minister, while he also assured the delegation that concerns considered reasonable would be taken into account in reviewing the curriculum. The interaction documented how opposition to transgender representation in educational materials was brought directly into discussions with the country’s education authorities. However, the full text of the several-hundred-page review submitted by Hefazat-e-Islam was not published in the reports available by 21 January. The precise claims, language and recommendations concerning transgender communities contained in that document therefore cannot be established beyond what was reported by the media. The reports also did not establish that, by that date, the government had made a final decision to remove any specific transgender-related content from textbooks.