The "Women's Call for Solidarity March" (Narir Dake Maitree Jatra) was recently organised on Manik Mia Avenue in Dhaka, purportedly advocating for gender equality and women's rights. However, the event has sparked intense debates and controversies across social and religious circles in the country. The event claimed to advocate for women's rights, but its focus on LGBTQ+ promotion, transgender liberation and provocative slogans sharply conflicted with the religious and cultural values held by the majority in Bangladesh. Questions have arisen: Is this truly about women's rights or is it a calculated political and social project aimed at destabilizing the nation's religious and cultural foundations?
While the march was framed as a call for gender equality, its agenda and messaging have raised suspicions. Among the demands were LGBTQ+ rights, transgender liberation and the withdrawal of military forces from the Chittagong Hill Tracts, issues that have little to no connection to women's rights and appear politically motivated.
Speculation is rife about whether foreign powers are backing such initiatives. Social media platforms are abuzz with claims that this is a "Western anti-Islamic project" designed to impose alien cultural values on Bangladesh. Many gender equality programs funded by foreign donors operate in Bangladesh, some allegedly pushing agendas that conflict with local religious and cultural norms.
Possible motives include:
1. Exporting liberal values as part of a broader ideological campaign.
2. Creating social unrest to manipulate Bangladesh's internal affairs.
3. Undermining religious and cultural identity to facilitate long-term Western influence.
However, concrete evidence supporting these claims remains scarce, leaving room for skepticism.
Bangladesh is a conservative Muslim-majority nation where homosexuality is criminalized under Penal Code 377. Traditional patriarchal structures are deeply respected across religious communities like Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and Muslim, all of which reject prostitution and homosexuality as morally reprehensible.
Yet, the march featured slogans like:
l "My body, my choice"
l "Ensure women's sexual freedom"
l "We are all prostitutes, we demand our share"
These messages, far from advancing women's rights, appear aligned with an LGBTQ+ agenda, alienating mainstream Bangladeshi society.
Given Bangladesh's devout Muslim population, many view the movement as an attack on Islamic values. Islam strictly prohibits extramarital relations, prostitution and homosexuality, deeming them punishable offenses. Critics accuse the march of being a "conspiracy against Muslim societal values."
Notably, some participants were allegedly linked to the previous government, raising suspicions of political exploitation.
One particularly contentious placard read: "Withdraw the military from the hills." What does this have to do with women's rights? The Chittagong Hill Tracts face insurgent activities and the military's presence ensures national security. Calls for withdrawal align with separatist demands, further politicizing the event.
Many see the open advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights as "cultural aggression" by Western powers. International NGOs, under the guise of women's empowerment, are accused of pushing LGBTQ+ normalization in conservative societies like Bangladesh.
Bangladeshi women face genuine challenges: safety, economic independence, education and workplace discrimination. Instead of addressing these, the march focused on divisive issues, pitting women against men and religion, a strategy that risks societal breakdown.
Social and Political Fallout
1. Religious-Cultural Conflict: LGBTQ+ advocacy clashes with Islamic, Hindu and Christian values, fueling tensions.
2. Division Among Women: The movement risks alienating religious and traditional women, weakening genuine feminist solidarity.
3. Political Polarization: With having linked to leftist or liberal factions, the march could deepen ideological rifts.
4. Geopolitical Risks: Bangladesh's strategic location makes it vulnerable to foreign interference, with such movements potentially serving external agendas.
The "Women's Call for Solidarity March" has less to do with gender equality and more with promoting controversial LGBTQ+ and political agendas. By sidelining real women's issues and disregarding cultural sensitivities, it risks fracturing social harmony. For women's empowerment to succeed in Bangladesh, initiatives must respect the nation's religious and cultural framework, otherwise, they risk breeding chaos rather than progress.
If this march genuinely sought women's rights, why did it prioritize divisive slogans? The answer may lie not in solidarity, but in subterfuge.
The writer is a photo-journalist at The Daily Observer
