Overview

• More than 20,000 Hefazat-e-Islam supporters gathered near Dhaka University to denounce proposed reforms promoting women's rights, including inheritance equality and bans on polygamy.
• Leaders of the Islamist group demanded the dissolution of the interim government's Women's Affairs Reform Commission, labeling its proposals as anti-Islamic and contrary to Sharia law.
• The group called for a ban on the Awami League, the party of exiled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and the withdrawal of criminal cases against its leaders.
• Hefazat-e-Islam threatened nationwide rallies on May 23 if the interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, does not meet their demands.
• Security forces in Dhaka were deployed to manage potential unrest, as concerns grow over the rising influence of Islamist groups since Hasina’s ouster in August 2024.