Meanwhile, Bangladesh is preparing for its national elections on February 12. The Jamaat-e-Islami party has been particularly effective on social media and in many campaigns, fostering voter engagement and reinforcing support for their reform agenda laid out in this July National Charter. Jamaat-e-Islami has been running a massive troll campaign online. Under the scales icon that serves as shorthand for their party, they hope to leverage public support to win approval for radical alterations to state institutions.
Touting the campaign as the party’s first extensively Generation Z-focused campaign, members have seen the power and impact of this younger demographic in recent electoral upsets. By employing platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, Jamaat-e-Islami aims to broaden its reach and share narratives that resonate with this younger demographic. This approach is a significant break from the strategy as the party tries to distance itself from old-school campaigning.
In early November, Jamaat-e-Islami released a viral song titled “Amar agey amra, amader agey desh; khomotar agey jonota, shobar agey Bangladesh,” which translates to “Us before ourselves, the country before us; people before power, Bangladesh above all.” HAL Banna wrote the song to support one specific candidate in Dhaka—alternative music-loving, singer-songwriter and poet Abrar Hossain. Instead, it took off and became a key driver of the party’s overall campaign operations.
Embracing Digital Campaigning
Jamaat-e-Islami’s foray into digital campaigning may be an indication of a new political landscape developing in Bangladesh. With in person and traditional media outreach declining, political parties are going online to reach their next voters. Shafiqul Alam, a political analyst, noted, “Legacy media is being used less and less,” suggesting that social media has become a preferred method for political engagement.
The party often uses the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) as a punching bag in its online fare. They paint the BNP as “no better” than the ruling Awami League. This narrative serves to bolster Jamaat-e-Islami’s case as the best alternative to the two major parties that dominate Bangladeshi politics. Jubaer Ahmed, an influential member of the party, explained their “unconventional” plan. He said that, “We don’t look at what other people are doing, we are copying them. Our competition will be intellectual.”
The dog whistle campaign capitalizes on the popular appeal of anti-India messaging, and particularly so among demographic segments most alienated by that India friendship. By aligning its messaging with nationalistic sentiments, Jamaat-e-Islami hopes to attract voters who feel disillusioned by the current political environment.
Engaging Young Voters
Jamaat-e-Islami’s online initiatives specifically target younger voters, many of whom played a pivotal role in political changes in recent years. The Democratic Party understands that this demographic is key to their success in these upcoming elections. They include themes and formats that are familiar and relevant to Gen Z. This new approach attempts to spark a sense of investment among these young voters in creating their own political future.
As one observer recently remarked, these dangerous ideas are permeating outside of Jamaat’s usual Islamist hardcore followers. They are educating and informing young users through the use of memes and other replicated formats. That means their messages are delivering—no longer just resonating with core, loyal supporters but breaking through to a larger audience.
HAL Banna, composer of the viral song, credited the success of online campaigns for leading public discourse to realize the significance of their message. He stated, “Online campaigns set discussion topics among people offline.” This is a great example of how creative and thoughtful social media engagement can meaningfully affect real-world attitudes and perceptions, even toward major political parties.
The Path Ahead
Jamaat-e-Islami is preparing already for the next elections. Simultaneously, it is leading an opposition coalition that hopes to prove the strongest rival yet to the highly controversial Awami League government. This new coalition wants to build on the public’s anger at the state of the government’s performance so far and provide a new vision for how to do government.
While the party’s efforts may seem small, they go hand-in-hand with the broader goal of institutionalizing reforms by ensuring public adoption of the July National Charter. Qadaruddin Shishir, an editor of The Dissent and affiliated with Jamaat-e-Islami, emphasizes the need for these reforms to reshape state institutions effectively.
While HAL Banna acknowledges that physical campaigning still holds unmatched reach and impact, he remains optimistic about the potential of online platforms. That era of canoes, bundles of rice, and tractor plows has passed. He proudly proclaimed that scales would now shape Bangladesh, exemplifying Jamaat-e-Islami’s symbolic representation.
