With Bangladesh’s general elections looming on February 12, campaign rhetoric has veered into dangerous territory. Several parties now claim opposing them equates to betraying Islam, a strategy exposed in a Thursday report as a recurring tool to demonize rivals amid legitimacy crises.

The report paints a grim picture of religious overreach nationwide: bans on music classes citing piety, vandalism at Sufi shrines, intimidation of drama troupes, and ideological overhauls in schoolbooks. In Prothom Alo, analyst Hasan Firdous delves into this history, linking it to the Pakistani military’s 1971 genocide against Bengalis, where faith was weaponized to excuse atrocities.

Firdous warns that religion’s political hijacking has accelerated. Parties flaunt Islamic nomenclature, leaving no doubt about their leanings. Empowered leaders then target minorities—echoing Ahmadis’ plight in Pakistan or Shia mosque bombings. In Bangladesh, Facebook comments alone spark mob violence against non-Muslims, incidents skyrocketing.

A fresh proposal from a political outfit to cap women’s workdays at five hours reveals another angle: cloaked as strategic planning, it’s designed to economically marginalize women, pushing them back into the home. Jamaat-e-Islami exemplifies duplicity—downplaying Sharia ambitions for electability, while TV appearances and street-level propaganda from mid- and low-tier members hail their ‘daripalla’ symbol as a sacred vote, promising heavenly rewards.

This hypocrisy lays bare the fault lines. Bangladesh’s democracy teeters as faith becomes a political cudgel, eroding secular foundations laid post-independence. The electorate faces a pivotal choice: succumb to divisive appeals or reclaim a pluralistic vision.