Jan 22, 2026 / 07:00 am (CNA).

As Bangladesh heads toward a crucial general election on Feb. 12, the country’s largest Islamist party, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, has offered an unusual assurance to religious minorities, pledging that it would not impose Islamic Sharia law if it comes to power.

Shafiqur Rahman, the leader of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, made the promise during a meeting on Jan. 14 with Christian leaders in Dhaka, according to participants in the discussion. The statement has sparked debate across the country, where Jamaat’s Islamist ideology and past positions appear to stand in tension with the pledge.

“He promised that they will not run the country under Sharia law,” said Martha Das, general secretary of the National Christian Fellowship of Bangladesh, who was part of a 20-member Christian delegation that met Rahman.

She told EWTN News that Christian leaders also raised concerns about the possible introduction of blasphemy laws and the safety and social security of religious minorities.

Rahman assured them that existing laws would remain in place and that no additional legislation targeting religious minorities would be introduced.

Christian leaders described the meeting as an effort to seek clarity and accountability ahead of the election. “We recorded the assurances,” Das said, adding that the community intends to hold Jamaat publicly responsible if it reverses its position in the future.

At the same time, Christian leaders stressed that their community does not support Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. “We never support the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party,” said one Christian leader who did not want to be named. “But before the election, it is a better opportunity to talk with candidates about safeguards for our future.”

Mixed reactions

The statement has generated widespread discussion in Bangladesh, where Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has long been associated with calls for governance based on Islamic principles. Some analysts see the pledge as a tactical move aimed at broadening the party’s appeal among minority voters and the international community, while others argue that Jamaat has shown signs of gradual ideological adjustment in recent years.

A senior Catholic priest in Dhaka, who requested anonymity, cautiously welcomed the statement. “If Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami keeps its word, it is very good,” he told EWTN News. “But it remains to be seen whether this is a genuine commitment or a political strategy.”

The priest suggested that Jamaat may be attempting to present itself as more moderate to Western countries ahead of the elections. “Developed countries generally view Islamic Sharia negatively,” he said. “So Jamaat may be making such statements to gain international acceptance.”

Critics, however, point to apparent contradictions between Jamaat’s pledge and its broader political record. The party has not nominated any female candidates for the upcoming election, and previous remarks by its leaders about limiting women’s working hours have drawn criticism from civil society groups.

Election promises under scrutiny

Political analysts also caution against taking election-time promises at face value. “Sitting with people of different religions and communities before elections is definitely an election move,” said Professor Sayeed Ferdous, associate vice chancellor of Bangladesh Open University. “When leaders say we will do this or we will not do that — whether it is Sharia law or minority security — these must be considered election promises.”

Ferdous noted that Bangladesh’s political history is filled with unfulfilled preelection commitments. “Many parties have made similar promises in the past to attract votes but did not keep them later,” he said.

Another analyst, Mahbub Ullah, echoed that view, suggesting Jamaat is trying to soften its image. “They are talking a lot of soft talk ahead of the elections to appear acceptable to everyone,” he said. “It is not unusual to adopt such a strategy to change public perception of the party.”

Rift within Islamist coalition

The controversy has also exposed divisions within Islamist politics. Earlier this month, the Islamic Movement Bangladesh announced its withdrawal from the 11-party electoral alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami and declared it would contest 268 seats independently.

At a press briefing in Dhaka on Jan. 16, Islamic Movement spokesperson Gazi Ataur Rahman accused Jamaat of abandoning its ideological roots. “Jamaat has deviated from the Sharia law of Allah for power,” he said. “They consider power to be the only important thing.”

Rahman added that Jamaat’s traditional slogan — “We want the law of Allah, we want the rule of honest people” — has been forgotten, disappointing many grassroots supporters. “We believe it is not possible to establish peace under the existing law of the country,” he said. “We want Sharia law.”

As Bangladesh approaches election day, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s assurances to minorities have raised expectations — and skepticism — about whether political pragmatism or ideological transformation is driving the party’s message.

During the week dedicated to praying for Christian unity, the director of the Ecumenical Department of the Mother of Holy Mary in the Armenian Apostolic Church speaks about how true unity means "there is no sense of inferiority."

Read all

 

Monsignor Marco Sprizzi, president of the Labour Office of the Apostolic See (ULSA), explains the entity's work and comments on the recent survey conducted by the Association of Vatican Lay Employees, which reports discontent among employees.

Read all

 

From India to Rome, a young Christian studying at Bossey Ecumenical Institute reflects on unity and justice, as well as what Christian Unity means in a fractured world

Read all

 

Jan 22, 2026 / 04:45 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV urged Catholic journalists to double down on truth, human connection, and the voices of the vulnerable as artificial intelligence reshapes the communications landscape.

In a message signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin on the pope’s behalf, Leo addressed the Fédération des Médias Catholiques ahead of its Saint François de Sales gathering in Lourdes, scheduled for Jan. 21–23.

“To face this era marked — including in the world of communications — by the rise of artificial intelligence, we urgently need to return to what matters most: matters of the heart, the centrality of good relationships, and the ability to connect with others without excluding anyone,” the pope’s message said. That call, he added, is answered by “the service to truth that Catholic media can offer everyone, including those who do not believe.”

The pope specifically encouraged Catholic communications professionals to be “sowers of good words” and to amplify voices “that courageously seek reconciliation,” helping to “disarm hearts filled with hatred and fanaticism” in a world he described as “fragmented and polarized.”

He also urged journalists to tune in to those most likely to be overlooked.

The message called on Catholic media to act like antennas, picking up and passing along “the experiences of the vulnerable, the marginalized, those who are alone — and those who need to discover the joy of feeling loved.”

Leo’s message also pointed to Father Jacques Hamel, the French priest murdered at the altar while celebrating Mass in Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray on July 26, 2016. He was killed by two attackers who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group; both were later shot dead by police.

Noting that the federation has created an award in Hamel’s honor for journalists committed to peace and interreligious dialogue, the pope wrote that Hamel “was a witness to the faith, even to the point of death,” and believed deeply in dialogue and “patient, mutual listening.” He was convinced, the message said, that it is urgent “to know how to be close to others, without exception.”

This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

At the end of their annual pilgrimage to the Holy Land, the Co-ordination of Bishops' Conferences in Support of the Church in the Holy Land release a statement calling for the recognition of human dignity, praying that peace may prevail over violence.

Read all

 

Pope Leo XIV approves decrees for the causes of saints and recognizes the martyrdom of Guatemalan Fr. Augusto Rafael Ramírez Monasterio and Mother Maria Ignazia Isacchi, clearing the way for their beatification.

Read all

 

The Polish Military Ordinariate has awarded the Benemerenti Prize to the Polish-language section of Vatican Radio–Vatican News and L’Osservatore Romano in recognition of their contribution to promoting the values of peace. The honor was also conferred on several units of the Polish Armed Forces: the Operational Command of the Armed Forces, the Armed Forces Support Inspectorate, and the Air Force Orchestra.

Read all

 

Marking the fifth anniversary of the Treaty of the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, several Bishops of Japan and the United States renew calls for nations to work toward a world free of nuclear arms.

Read all

 

As the humanitarian emergency intensifies for severe flooding across Mozambique, the UN Children's Fund illustrates that children are most affected, and that waterborne illnesses and malnutrition are a 'lethal combination.'

Read all