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Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's cult of personality

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Cult of personality surrounding the first president of Bangladesh
Mritunjoyi Mujib at Islamic University in Kushtia. It was demolished after the July Uprising in August 2024.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's sculpture at the Mrityunjayee Prangan in Bijoy Sarani, Dhaka. This sculpture was demolished by the protesters after the July Uprising.

The cult of personality around Bangladesh's founding President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was started during the premiership of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government.[1][2][3] Mujibism or the political ideology of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was gradually converted into a cult of personality around him during the tenure of his daughter Sheikh Hasina, former Prime minister of Bangladesh.[4][5][6] After her fall following the July Uprising, his cult of personality was gradually dismantled.[7][8]

Overview

A cult of personality was created around Sheikh Mujibur Rahman during his tenure, where his supporters venerate him.[9] After being pushed to the sidelines by the successive military rulers Ziaur Rahman (who founded the Bangladesh Nationalist Party) and Hussain Muhammad Ershad (who founded the Jatiya Party), It came back to dominate public consciousness from 2008 under the Awami League government led by Hasina. Hasina was criticised for overemphasising the role of her father and the Awami League in securing Bangladeshi independence at the cost of sidelining other prominent contemporaries and political parties.

During her tenure, Hasina amended the constitution to make the presence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman portrait mandatory in every school, government office and diplomatic mission of the country and made it illegal to criticise, his ideals and his deeds, especially his one-party BAKSAL regime, through writing, speech or electronic media.[10][11] The Awami League government spent 40 billion to build around ten thousand sculptures and artistic depictions of him throughout the entire country. In 2021, more than 1,220 sculptures were made to celebrate his 100th birthday.[12][13][14] Many events commemorating the birth-centenary of Mujib in his lifetime were launched by the Hasina administration, including an official biopic in collaboration with the Indian government. The Hasina government expanded the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in the capital city of Dhaka, where he and his family was assassinated by military personnel in 1975. Hasina designated the day of Mujib's assassination as the National Day of Mourning.[15][16] The Hasina government also made the birthdays of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, his wife Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, eldest son Sheikh Kamal and youngest son Sheikh Russel as official government holidays, alongside March 7 (the anniversary of Mujib's declaration of Bangladesh's seccession at a speech in Dhaka). Under Hasina's rule, the country was dotted with numerous statues of him alongside several roads and prominent institutions named after him.[17] "Mujib Corners" were set up in various government offices, banks and educational institutions, which featured books, memoirs and images related to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Many institutional heada, taking this as an opportunity to flatter the authorities, placed some books and pictures of him in a corner of their offices and declared them Mujib Corners. During the period, many budding writers rushed to write books on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. These low-quality books, lacking readership, were published and sold to government libraries.[18]

Critics state that Hasina utilises the personality cult around her father to justify her own authoritarianism, crackdown on political dissent and democratic backsliding of the country.[19][20] Describing the naming of government projects after the members of the Sheikh family, Executive Director of the Institute for Inclusive Finance and Development Mostafa K Muzeri noted:[21]

The psychology behind this was, firstly, it would be easier to get the approval of projects containing Sheikh family's names. Apart from this, components [of those projects] weren't checked toughly. Besides, there were opportunities to get exemption doing irregularities and corruption at the implementation stage [of those projects]. Combinedly speaking, there were opportunities to steal [wealth from the projects] having Sheikh family's names.

Dismantlement

Further information: Sheikh Mujibur Rahman statue destruction and Demolition of Dhanmondi 32

Following the resignation of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, the cult of personality around Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is being systematically dismantled.[22][23] Just after the fall of Awami League government, protesters toppled the Golden statue of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Bijoy Sarani, Dhaka, which received live coverage around the world.[24]

Places and infrastructure named after him and his family members were gradually renamed, including hospitals,[25][26][27] public universities,[28][29] textile colleges,[30] schools,[31] military establishments,[32][33] transport infrastructure such as Jamuna Bridge and Karnaphuli Tunnel,[34][35] colleges[36][37] and sports infrastructure.[38][39] Biographies of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members were replaced by the biographies of Kazi Nazrul Islam, Rabindranath Tagore, Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani and four national leaders in elementary textbooks.[40] The Bangladeshi government also decided to remove the portrait of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from the banknotes of the Bangladeshi taka.[41]

On 5 February 2025, protesters demolished the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, following a speech of Sheikh Hasina perceived as provocative by many.[42]

In October 2024 the Yunus ministry announced the cancellation of several national observances that had commemorated events associated with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, including the anniversary of his 7 March 1971 speech and 15 August (National Mourning Day), a move that commentators described as a deliberate rolling back of state-sanctioned rituals that had reinforced his near-sacred status in public life.[43][44][45]

Following the political changes of 2024–2025, Bangladeshi media outlets were allowed to report more critically on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, including analyses of his policies and the BAKSAL era, reversing years of self-censorship and restrictions under Awami League rule.[46][47]

Analysis

Most analysts think that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman historical legacy was affected due to the authoritarian rule of Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League, which elevated him to an cult-like figure above criticism and narrowed his status from a national founding father into a one-sided Awami League partisan figure.

  • According to Dhaka University professor Shamim Reza,

    The Hasina government was motivated to create a "one-sided political character" around Sheikh Mujib that sidelined other figures important to Bangladesh's struggle for independence.

Hasina is creating a "fabricated narrative" around Sheikh Mujib that ultimately contributed to turning him into a controversial party figure rather than a national leader.

It is divided the post-resignation attacks on Sheikh Mujib's legacy into two phases: the spontaneous phase — which occurred immediately after the resignation of Hasina due to public sentiment against her. and the political phase — which occurred later due to ideological politics and that even affected the legacy of the Bangladesh Liberation War, as groups opposed to the Liberation War took advantage of the situation.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Ode to the father: Bangladesh's political personality cult". France 24. 4 January 2024. Archived from the original on August 5, 2024.
  2. ^ "Bangladesh Unrest: Mujibur's Statues Demolished, What Happens To Founding Father's Legacy With Hasina's Exit?". News18. 6 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Bangladesh Renames Six Medical Colleges, Dropping Honors to Sheikh Mujib and Hasina". Sentinel Assam. 1 November 2024.
  4. ^ "Bangladesh's growing political personality cult around 'Father of the Nation'". The Hindu. 5 January 2024. Archived from the original on May 18, 2024.
  5. ^ Bay, Badiuzzaman (15 August 2024). "The new age demands a re-reading of Bangabandhu". The Daily Star.
  6. ^ BALACHANDRAN, P. K. (16 August 2024). "Rise And Fall Of Dictators".
  7. ^ "1,500 sculptures and murals vandalised all over country". Prothom Alo. 21 August 2024.
  8. ^ "She Thought Her Grip Was Unbreakable. Bangladeshis Would Prove Otherwise". The New York Times. 5 August 2024.
  9. ^ "Bangladesh's power vacuum". Financial Times. 6 August 2024.
  10. ^ "Sheik Mujib Gets Total Authority Over Bangladesh". The New York Times. 26 January 1975. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Transition from autocracy". New Age. 10 October 2024.
  12. ^ "১০ হাজারের বেশি ম্যুরাল-ভাস্কর্যে ব্যয় প্রায় চার হাজার কোটি টাকা". The Daily Ittefaq (in Bengali). Retrieved 2025-05-09.
  13. ^ "মুজিববর্ষ উদযাপন ও মুজিবের ভাস্কর্য নির্মাণে ৪ হাজার কোটি টাকা ব্যয়ের তদন্ত শুরু করল দুদক". The Daily Star Bangla. 2025-04-09. Archived from the original on 2025-04-09. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
  14. ^ "১৫ বছরে তৈরি হয়েছে শেখ মুজিবের ১০ হাজারের বেশি ম্যুরাল-ভাস্কর্য". www.kalerkantho.com. 2024-11-07. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
  15. ^ "Lessons from the fall of Bangladeshi icons Hasina and Mujib". Daily Mirror. 20 August 2024. Archived from the original on September 22, 2024.
  16. ^ "By Revoking Some National Holidays, Bangladesh Signals Shift Away from Cult Worship of Sheikh Mujib". The Wire. 20 October 2024.
  17. ^ "Bangabandhu to toppled statue: Mujibur Rahman's contested legacy post Bangladesh upheaval". The Economic Times. 26 August 2024.
  18. ^ a b ইতিহাসে শেখ মুজিবের অবস্থান নিয়ে বিতর্ক কেন. BBC Bangla (in Bengali). 15 August 2025.
  19. ^ AFP (5 January 2024). "Bangladesh's growing political personality cult around 'Father of the Nation'". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 5 January 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  20. ^ "An Old Bangladeshi Reflex Threatens Its Revolution". The New York Times. 24 August 2024.
  21. ^ Hamid-Uz-Zaman (3 May 2025). বাদ যাচ্ছে শেখ হাসিনার পরিবার ও আওয়ামী লীগ নেতা. Jugantor (in Bengali).
  22. ^ "Bangladesh government cancels national holidays introduced by Hasina regime". The Hindu. 16 October 2024. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  23. ^ Campbell, Charlie (25 July 2024). "How Mass Protests Challenge Bangladesh's Past—and Threaten to Rewrite Its Future". Time. Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2024. In lieu of a true popular mandate—the U.S. deemed January's election, which returned the Awami League for a fourth straight term but was boycotted by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), as neither free nor fair—Hasina increasingly leans upon the cult of personality she's constructed around her father.
  24. ^ "Bangladesh unrest: Protestors bring down iconic statue of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Dhaka". The Economic Times. 2024-08-06. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  25. ^ "14 govt hospitals renamed by removing names of Sheikh Mujib, Hasina, family". The Business Standard. 4 November 2024.
  26. ^ "Bangladesh has ousted an autocrat. Now for the hard part". The Economist. 8 August 2024.
  27. ^ "Govt renames 13 universities, removes Sheikh family honorifics". The Business Standard. 16 January 2025.
  28. ^ "Interim govt renames 13 public universities, says Asif Mahmud". The Daily Star. 16 January 2025. Archived from the original on 16 January 2025.
  29. ^ "13 univs renamed, dropping names of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Sheikh Hasina". The Daily Observer. 16 January 2025.
  30. ^ "Sheikh family names removed from 11 more educational institutions". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
  31. ^ "27 govt primary schools drop Sheikh family's name". Bangladesh Pratidin (in Bengali). 3 March 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  32. ^ "8 military establishments renamed". The Daily Observer. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  33. ^ "Renaming 16 establishments under army proposed". New Age. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
  34. ^ "Bangabandhu Bridge, Karnaphuli Tunnel renamed". The Financial Express. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
  35. ^ "Name of Bangabandhu rail bridge changed to Jamuna Railway Bridge". Bdnews24.com. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
  36. ^ "শিক্ষা প্রতিষ্ঠানসমূহের নাম পরিবর্তন" [The names of educational institutions have been changed.] (PDF). shed.portal.gov.bd. Ministry of Education. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 May 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  37. ^ "Names of 68 government colleges changed". bdnews24.com. 29 May 2025. Archived from the original on 30 May 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  38. ^ "১৯৫টি স্টেডিয়াম-স্থাপনার নাম পরিবর্তন". Bangla Tribune (in Bengali). 29 May 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  39. ^ "বদলে গেল ১৯৫টি স্টেডিয়াম-স্থাপনার নাম". bdnews24.com. 29 May 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  40. ^ প্রাথমিকের পাঠ্যবইয়ে যা বাদ পড়ছে, যা যুক্ত হচ্ছে. The Daily Ittefaq. 6 December 2024.
  41. ^ "Govt approves new banknote designs, featuring heritage monuments". The Business Standard. 8 November 2024.
  42. ^ Tribune desk (6 February 2025). "Timeline: The demolition of Sheikh Mujib's Dhanmondi 32 residence". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
  43. ^ "7 March, 15 August, among 8 national days, cancelled". The Business Standard. 16 October 2024.
  44. ^ "By Revoking Some National Holidays, Bangladesh Signals Shift Away From Cult Worship Of Sheikh Mujib". The Wire. 19 October 2024.
  45. ^ "Government cancels eight national days". Dhaka Tribune. 16 October 2024.
  46. ^ "Bangladesh student protests turn into 'mass movement against a dictator'". The Guardian. 26 July 2024.
  47. ^ "Bangladesh media shifts coverage after political change". Al Jazeera. 6 August 2024.
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