Ruling alliance MPs trade barbs over Islamic banking

Two lawmakers from the ruling alliance confronted each
other in parliament yesterday, triggering an unscheduled debate over
Bangladesh’s Islamic banking system.
Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) lawmaker Andaleeve
Rahman argued that the country must actively promote the Islamic banking
sector, noting its emergence as a global trend.
Taking part in the discussion on the proposed budget
for 2026-27 fiscal year, Andaleeve said, “Society has become so deeply
entrenched in the conventional, Shylock-style banking system that it cannot be
changed overnight.”
Yet, the reality is that Islamic banking has become a
“global trend”, he argued.
He pointed to several institutions in England, and
Malaysia that are promoting Islamic banking system.
“We must promote Islamic banking,” he proposed.
In response, BNP lawmaker Goyeshwar Chandra Roy
alleged that non-Muslims are excluded from employment in Islamic banks,
questioning whether such practices align with the party’s ideals. “Was the
country liberated only for Muslims?” he asked.
Goyeshwar recounted a personal incident where he had
requested a job placement from a director of Islami Bank, who is now active in
Jamaat politics. “The director told me, ‘Send the name.’ After I sent it, he
replied, ‘Sorry, he is Hindu. I cannot give him the job…’,” he added.
Roy questioned whether a bank should operate this way.
“Just because a bank carries the name ‘Islamic’, can it exclude non-Muslims
from employment? Is that lawful? One may say a Hindu cannot enter a mosque or
madrasa, but a bank is neither a mosque nor a madrasa.”
He argued that the ideals of an independent Bangladesh
and the BNP’s vision are rooted in religious values, but not confined to any
single faith. “All religions must be respected,” he stressed.
He also demanded an explanation from Andaleeve.
In response, Andaleeve said, “I am not aware of any
restriction barring non-Muslims from working in Islamic banks. My understanding
is that anyone can be employed there.”
At this point, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad intervened,
noting that many remarks in the House were based on assumptions. He said if any
director of Islami Bank were present, they could clarify the matter, adding
that the issue was “sensitive and communal in nature”.
Jamaat-e-Islami MP Shahjahan Chowdhury then took the
floor, asserting that people of all faiths can work at Islami Bank, adding that
in his own constituency, many members of the Hindu community are employed
there.
















