Ulema League president stabbed

A suspected radical Islamist youth stabbed ruling party-backed Awami Ulema League president Maulana Ilias Hossain Helali at Baitul Mokarrom National mosque in Dhaka yesterday. Police identified the stabber as Md Mujahid, 20, a second-year student of Alim at Baitul Rosul madrassa at Hajatibagh. He is the son of an imam of a mosque in Narayanganj district. Police said that Helali had gone to Baitul Mokarram mosque to offer Jumma prayers. A group of youths followed the pro-AL leader as he was coming out of the mosque. Mujahid then accosted him at the south gate of the mosque and stabbed him. Helali was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital with injuries on his neck.
Quoting the arrested youth, sub-inspector Abdul Jalil said Mujahid had also offered Jumma prayers near Helali. Meanwhile, Jewel Rana, senior assistant commissioner of Dhaka Metropoliotan Police, said Paltan Police handed Mujahid over to the Detective Branch (DB). He was being interrogated to find whether he was linked to any militant group. The attack on Helali has exposed a rift among Awami Ulema League leadership. According to party insiders, two factions of the Ulema League use the same address at AL head office at Bangabandhu Avenue in the city. But the two factions organise their programmes separately. Helali and Md Delowar Hossain lead one of the factions, while the other is led by Aktar Hossain and Abul Hasan. Helali has alleged in the past that that his rival group was in favour of extremism and militancy and it was being backed by Hefazat-e Islam and Jamaat-e-Islami . Recently, he also claimed that several intruders from Hefazat were tarnishing the image of Ulema League. He also alleged that the rival faction was mainly made up of militants, who were involved in anti-government activities funded by Hefazat. The Hossain and Hasan-led faction rejected Helali’s allegations and said they took part in all Awami League programmes. According to the AL constitution, there is no mention of an associate body called Awami Ulema League.

Ulema League president stabbed

A suspected radical Islamist youth stabbed ruling party-backed Awami Ulema League president Maulana Ilias Hossain Helali at Baitul Mokarrom National mosque in Dhaka yesterday. Police identified the stabber as Md Mujahid, 20, a second-year student of Alim at Baitul Rosul madrassa at Hajatibagh. He is the son of an imam of a mosque in Narayanganj district. Police said that Helali had gone to Baitul Mokarram mosque to offer Jumma prayers. A group of youths followed the pro-AL leader as he was coming out of the mosque. Mujahid then accosted him at the south gate of the mosque and stabbed him. Helali was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital with injuries on his neck. Quoting the arrested youth, sub-inspector Abdul Jalil said Mujahid had also offered Jumma prayers near Helali. Meanwhile, Jewel Rana, senior assistant commissioner of Dhaka Metropoliotan Police, said Paltan Police handed Mujahid over to the Detective Branch (DB). He was being interrogated to find whether he was linked to any militant group. The attack on Helali has exposed a rift among Awami Ulema League leadership. According to party insiders, two factions of the Ulema League use the same address at AL head office at Bangabandhu Avenue in the city. But the two factions organise their programmes separately. Helali and Md Delowar Hossain lead one of the factions, while the other is led by Aktar Hossain and Abul Hasan. Helali has alleged in the past that that his rival group was in favour of extremism and militancy and it was being backed by Hefazat-e Islam and Jamaat-e-Islami . Recently, he also claimed that several intruders from Hefazat were tarnishing the image of Ulema League. He also alleged that the rival faction was mainly made up of militants, who were involved in anti-government activities funded by Hefazat. The Hossain and Hasan-led faction rejected Helalis allegations and said they took part in all Awami League programmes. According to the AL constitution, there is no mention of an associate body called Awami Ulema League.