Beginning in November 2020, opposition was raised in Bangladesh against the creation of the sculpture of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, considered the founding father of Bangladesh and the central ideological figure of the then ruling Awami League.[1] Opposition was primarily led by the Islamist organization Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh. The controversy unleashed a spiral of protests, counter-protests, and debates between the government and Islamist groups.
This controversy began in November 2020 at Dholaikhal, Dhaka, under the contemporary Awami League government. Hefazat-e-Islam viewed that making any sculpture or representative living thing in Islam is like making idols, which is haram according to Islamic jurisprudence. On the other hand, representatives of the then ruling party Awami League made the distinction that sculptures and idols used in worship are not the same. They accused Hefazat-e-Islam of deliberately misinterpreting Islamic jurisprudence under the instigation of opposition forces, with the intent of creating political difficulties for the incumbent Awami League government.[2][3][4]
The government has filed sedition cases against the well-known leaders of the no-sculpture movement: Mamunul Haque, Syed Faizul Karim, and Junaid Babunagari, in the face of unrest.[5][6][7]