Islamist right-wing organisations in Bangladesh held protests and issued statements against Education Minister Dr. A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milon’s remarks on transgender people, with some demanding his resignation. The protests and statements followed his speech on 28 October 2026 at the 34th founding anniversary programme of Bangladesh Open University, where he said, “This needs more campaigning… We can no longer remain in taboo.”
On Friday, 30 October, Bangladesh Khelafat Yuba Majlis, an Islamist right-wing organisation, held a protest rally at the north gate of Baitul Mukarram after Friday prayers, demanding the minister’s resignation over remarks in which he used the word “transgender”. Md. Mizanur Rahman, president of the organisation’s Dhaka Metropolitan South branch, said at the rally that laws against the Quran, including the “Heba law”, had been passed in a place like Parliament. He said, “Those who come to establish transgender in this country will have to face a situation bigger than protecting their freedom.”
The same day, Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, an Islamist right-wing organisation, condemned the minister’s remarks in a joint statement signed by its Amir, Allama Shah Muhibbullah Babunagari, and Secretary General, Allama Shaikh Sajidur Rahman. The statement described the remarks as a call to promote transgender ideology. It said that, under Islamic belief and Shariah, male and female identities are a specific creation of Allah, and that denying a person’s birth-assigned sex and legitimising a “distorted gender identity” ideology conflicts with the faith, culture, social values and morality of Muslim-majority Bangladesh. It said education should not spread ideas that clash with the religious feelings and family values of about 90 per cent of the population. Hefazat demanded that the minister immediately withdraw the remarks and state his position clearly to the nation, and that the government ensure the religious values of the majority are respected in the education system.
Joint Secretary General Shah Iftekhar Tariq of Islami Andolon Bangladesh, an Islamist right-wing organisation, called the minister’s remarks “anti-social and unscientific” in a statement. The statement said that Hijras are part of Bangladeshi society, but that transgenderism is a “serious distortion”, unscientific and a threat to family and social order. It also said that someone with such views is unsafe to be responsible for students’ education. Islami Andolon demanded that the minister withdraw the remarks and apologise to the nation unconditionally, failing which he should be removed from the cabinet.
References
- Daily Amar Desh — Hefazat-e-Islam’s condemnation of the Education Minister’s remarks on transgender people, 30 October 2026. Read the Daily Amar Desh report
- Insaf — Islami Andolon’s statement calling the Education Minister’s transgender-related remarks “anti-social”, 30 October 2026. Read the Insaf report
- Insaf — Hefazat’s strong condemnation of the Education Minister’s remarks on transgender people, 31 October 2026. Read the Insaf report
- Daily Amar Desh — Islami Andolon’s statement on the Education Minister’s remarks on the transgender issue, 30 October 2026. Read the Daily Amar Desh report
- Rupali Bangladesh — Islami Andolon Bangladesh demands the Education Minister’s resignation, 31 October 2026. Read the Rupali Bangladesh report
- Kalbela — Protest and demand for the Education Minister’s resignation, 30 October 2026. Read the Kalbela report
