Muhammad Jasimuddin Rahmani () is a Deobandi jihadist

islamic scholar In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam. "Ulama ...

and

Mufti A mufti (; , ) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ('' fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatāwa'' have played an important role thro ...

from Bangladesh. He was the imam of Hatembagh Jame Masjid in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Jasimusdun Rahmani, a

Jihadist Jihadism is a neologism for modern, armed militant Political aspects of Islam, Islamic movements that seek to Islamic state, establish states based on Islamic principles. In a narrower sense, it refers to the belief that armed confrontation ...

, is the chief of an

Al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

affiliated militant organisation,

Ansarullah Bangla Team The Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) (), also known as Ansar-al Islam Bangladesh or Ansar Bangla is a militant organization in Bangladesh, implicated in many terrorist activities including attacks and murders of atheist bloggers from 2013 to 2015. B ...

. He was in custody in

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

, charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act. He supported the murder of atheist bloggers.

Early life

Rahmani was the Imam of Hatembagh Jame Masjid in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He studied in madrasas in Bangladesh and outside the country. He was inspired by Al-Qaeda leader

Anwar al-Awlaki Anwar Nasser Abdulla al-Awlaki (; April 21 or 22, 1971September 30, 2011) was an American-Yemeni lecturer assassinated Drone strikes in Yemen, in Yemen in 2011 by a U.S. government drone strike ordered by President Barack Obama. Al-Awlaki was th ...

Career

Rahmani used to operate a website called "Ansarullah Bangla Team". The site and the militant group he headed were held responsible for the murder of several secular activists in Bangladesh. In one of his speeches, he stated "''I was sent to jail for writing a book where I said, if you (

Sheikh Hasina Sheikh Hasina (''née'' Wazed; born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Bangladesh from June 1996 to July 2001 and again from January 2009 to August 2024. Premiership of Sheikh Hasina, Her ...

) can make rules for insulting your father, then why can't you make rules against those who mock Prophet

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

?''" He had convinced three undercover law enforcement officers to desert and join his cause. Bangladeshi law enforcement investigation placed Jasimuddin as the leader of

. Rahmani was arrested on 12 August 2013 from

Barguna Barguna () is a town in Barguna district in southern Bangladesh. It is the administrative headquarters and the largest town of Barguna district and a part of Barisal Division. Located on the bank of Khakdon river, the town covers an area of wit ...

along with 30 members of his organisation for inciting people to commit violent jihad. He was sentenced to a five-year prison sentence. The Bangladesh Interim government, led by

Muhammad Yunus Muhammad Yunus (born 28 June 1940) is a Bangladeshi economist, entrepreneur, and civil society leader who has been serving as the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh, Chief Adviser of the Interim government of Muhammad Yunus, interim Yunus ministry, g ...

, granted bail in all terrorism related cases, and released Rahmani in August 2024. He had been in jail over the murder of

Ahmed Rajib Haider Ahmed Rajib Haider (died 15 February 2013) was a Bangladeshi atheist blogger. He used to blog in the blogging communities namely somewhereinblog.net, amarblog.com and nagorikblog.com and used the pseudonym Thaba Baba. On 15 February 2013, after ...

. He attended and spoke at the rally in May 2025, calling for a ban on the Awami League.

Ali Riaz Ali Riaz is a Bangladeshi American political scientist and writer, currently serving as the Vice Chairman of National Consensus Commission and head of the Bangladesh Constitutional Reform Commission. He is a Distinguished Professor at Illinoi ...

called him part of the “fourth generation” of Islamist militants and follower of Anwar al-Awlaki in an academic paper.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rahmani, Jasimuddin Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Bangladeshi imams Bangladeshi Islamists