Myths of nationhood: Cultural nationalism, political Islam, and the movement against sculptures in Bangladesh
| Author | Bobby Hajjaj |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/20578911211068890 |
| Published date | 01 December 2022 |
| Date | 01 December 2022 |
| Subject Matter | South Asian Politics |
Myths of nationhood: Cultural
nationalism, political Islam, and
the movement against
sculptures in Bangladesh
Bobby Hajjaj
Department of Management, North South University, Bangladesh
Abstract
In November 2020, the government of Bangladesh announced plans to erect a 25-foot-tall sculp-
ture of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the national memorial located in the country’s
capital, Dhaka. This announcement caused a massive uproar among the religious ulema and quickly
turned into a quasi-mass scale movement, sparking a torrent of political and religious rhetoric
from both sides. This article argues that behind the religious rhetoric, the true cause underlying
this fracas was purely political in nature, and tied to the clash of two contrasting nationalist dog-
mas. The country’s Islamic political parties and the Qawmi madrasas leaders face a clear and per-
ceived threat from the nationalist narratives expounded by the ruling political party, the
Bangladesh Awami League, and this movement was a retaliatory attempt and will not be the last.
Keywords
Bangladesh, idolatry, Mujibism, nationalism, political Islam
Introduction
In the wake of one of the grandest celebrations ever planned by the government of Bangladesh, the
centennial anniversary of the birth of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,
1
and the 50th anni-
versary of the nation’s independence, plans for the erection of a 26-foot-tall statue of Bangabandhu
were announced in November 2020. This was soon followed by protests against erection of sculp-
tures by a vocal portion of the ulema and Islamic political parties, which were then followed by an
act of vandalism and desecration of one statue while still under construction (Chaudhury, 2020).
Corresponding author:
Bobby Hajjaj, North South University, Bashundara, Dhaka 1229, Bangladesh.
Email: bobby.hajjaj@hotmail.com
South Asian Politics
Asian Journal of Comparative Politics
2022, Vol. 7(4) 757–771
© The Author(s) 2021
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DOI: 10.1177/20578911211068890
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