The much-discussed political party of student masses, the National Citizen Party (NCP), has sparked widespread enthusiasm and debate in the country.
However, controversy has erupted online after a member of the LGBTQ community secured a position in the party's central committee.
Although netizens have welcomed the new student-led party, many have expressed strong dissatisfaction over the inclusion of a recognized homosexual in the party and appointing them to an important position.
MD Muntasir Rahman, an LGBTQ advocate and openly gay individual, is known for his activism in Bangladesh for LGBTQ rights.
He is also closely associated with Ho Chi Minh, a key figure in this movement. His appointment as the joint member secretary of NCP has triggered an online backlash.
A Facebook user named Asif Saikat posted a picture on his verified page, featuring Abu Saeed on one side and Muntasir Rahman on the other, captioning it "The duck lays eggs, but the monitor lizard eats them." He further commented to NPC, "National Gay Party."
On February 23, a Facebook post by Muntasir Rahman went viral. The Islamic student organization, Islami Chhatra Shibir, had posted a Hadith on its verified page discouraging Valentine's Day.
In response, Muntasir sarcastically reposted the Hadith on his wall, stating "Sorry, Shibir, we will go out on Valentine's Day, love, attend concerts, kiss and hold hands. This is a global culture and there is no greater power than love. You have already failed by going against the people's desire for love. Shameful."
Homosexuality is illegal, prohibited and considered immoral in Bangladesh and Islamic culture. Therefore, NCP’s decision has sparked significant criticism in this Muslim-majority country.
A user named Nazmus Sakib questioned whether Abu Saeed, Mughda and Wasim sacrificed their lives for LGBTQ ideology. In his post, he further stated, "Did the students sacrifice their lives to abandon Islamic values in a 90% Muslim-majority country? The new party must clarify its stance to the nation."
Salman Haider highlighted a Facebook post by NCP’s Senior Joint Coordinator Abdul Hannan Masud, where he wrote "After being chased by intelligence forces from Kuwait-Maitree Hospital in Uttara, we first took refuge in the office of a powerful international organization in Bangladesh through MD Muntasir Rahman."
In response, Salman questioned "MD Muntasir Rahman is an activist/homosexual. Did Abdul Hannan Masud appoint him as joint member secretary out of gratitude? And is the funding coming from there?"
Many similar criticisms and questions have been raised about NCP. Some leaders of the new party have tried to respond to these criticisms.
NCP’s Joint Member Secretary, Rifat Rashid, wrote on Facebook "As a Muslim, I do not support LGBTQ or that community from a moral standpoint."
In the same post, he added, "We knew him as a human rights activist. After seeing some of his photos circulating on social media, we learned of his involvement with LGBTQ. I want to clarify that I do not support any form of homosexuality."
NCP’s chief organizer for the southern region, Hasanat Abdullah, wrote on Facebook "Before politics, my identity is that I am a Muslim. Nothing contrary to religious values will have a place in my or our politics."
He further stated "What happened was an unintentional mistake. We are not infallible. If we make mistakes, consider us your brothers and point them out, we will correct them."
Although various leaders of the new party have shared their personal opinions, the party has not yet issued any official statement or clarified its stance on LGBTQ issues.
It goes without saying that social media plays an incredibly powerful role in shaping narratives and situations. Recently, social media has been instrumental in the movement to overthrow the fascist Hasina regime.
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