Mahfuj Alam () also known as Mahfuj Abdullah, is a

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( ) are the citizens and nationals of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centred on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the Bay of Bengal, eponymous bay. Bangladeshi nationality law, Bangladeshi citizenship was fo ...

activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

and was a coordinator of the liaison committee of

Anti-discrimination Students Movement Students Against Discrimination () is a platform of student activists in Bangladesh formed in 2024 during the nationwide student-led quota reform movement. The group was involved in the ousting of the country's former prime minister Sheikh H ...

which led the

Student–People's uprising The July Revolution, also known as the Student–People's uprising, was a pro-democracy mass uprising in Bangladesh in 2024. It began as a quota reform movement in early June 2024, led by the Students Against Discrimination, after the Bang ...

. He currently holds the position of the Adviser for Information and Broadcasting.

Early life and education

Alam was born in 1998 in Narayanpur village, located in the

Ramganj Upazila Ramganj () is an upazila of Lakshmipur District in the Division of Chittagong, Bangladesh. The seat lies at Ramganj town, which is by road southeast of Dhaka. History This area was home to an influential Hindu religious leader by the name of Ram ...

Lakshmipur district Lakshmipur District (; ) is a district in Bangladesh with an area of 1,440 km2. It is bordered by Chandpur to the north, Bhola and Noakhali districts to the south, Noakhali to the east, and Barisal and Bhola districts to the west. Lakshmi ...

. He completed his SSC (Dakhil) from Gallak Darussunnat Alim

Madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...

in Chandpur, and later passed his HSC (Alim) from Tamirul Millat Kamil Madrasa. In the academic year 2015-16, he was a student in the Department of Law at the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public university, public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka w ...

Career

On 28 August 2024, He was appointed as Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser of the

Interim government of Bangladesh An interim government led by Muhammad Yunus was formed on 8 August 2024 in Bangladesh, following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 5 August 2024 amid nationwide student and public protests against the government. Following the ...

. On 26 february 2025, He was appointed as the adviser to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Activism

He was the coordinator of the liaison committee of Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. On 25 September 2024, while speaking at the

Clinton Global Initiative The Clinton Foundation (founded in 2001 as the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation, and renamed in 2013 as the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation) is a nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code. It was e ...

on the sidelines of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly,

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 ...

, Chief Advisor to Bangladesh's interim government, referred to Mahfuj as "the brain" of the

Student-People's uprising The July Revolution, also known as the Student–People's uprising, was a pro-democracy mass uprising in Bangladesh in 2024. It began as a quota reform movement in early June 2024, led by the Students Against Discrimination, after the Bang ...

, which culminated in the fall of Sheikh Hasina's administration.

Personal life

Alam is son-in-law of Museh Uddin Madani, lecturer in Peace TV Bangla. He is a translator of Islamic books and co-translated some Islamic books with Abubakar Muhammad Zakaria, waiting to be published. He got married on 18 October 2024.

Controversies

Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury, an editor of the Indian newspaper ''

The Economic Times ''The Economic Times'' is an Indian English-language business-focused daily newspaper. Owned by The Times Group, ''The Economic Times'' began publication in 1961 and it is sold in all major cities in India. As of 2012, it is the world's secon ...

'', claimed that Alam is a former member of the Islamist fundamentalist organization

Hizb ut-Tahrir Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT; ) is an international pan-Islamist and Islamic fundamentalist political organization whose stated aim is the re-establishment of the Islamic caliphate to unite the Muslim community (called ''ummah'') and implement sharia glo ...

based on fake social media posts. Alam later refuted the claim on Facebook. On 16 December 2024, he has showed

Northeast India Northeast India, officially the North Eastern Region (NER), is the easternmost region of India representing both a geographic and political Administrative divisions of India, administrative division of the country. It comprises eight States and ...

and parts of the Indian state of

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

as part of Bangladesh in an image shared on a Facebook post that was later deleted and faced a statement of protest by the Ministry of External Affairs, while declaring the need for "a new geography and system". Alam also claimed that the cultures of Northeast India and Bangladesh have been suppressed by "Hindu extremists" and "anti-Bengal attitude" of the upper-caste Hindus. Indian commentators saw it as a part of the Greater Bangladesh concept, Harshil Mehta, an editor of the Indian newsportal ''

News18 Network18 Media & Investments Limited, ( d/b/a Network18 Group) is an Indian media conglomerate owned by the Reliance Industries, headed by Mukesh Ambani. Rahul Joshi is the managing director, chief executive officer and group editor-in-chief ...

'', commented that Alam's 'statement represents a direct threat to India’s sovereignty and hints at demographic changes through the persecution of Hindus.'

References

External links

* {{Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (Bangladesh) Bangladeshi civil servants Yunus interim government People from Lakshmipur District University of Dhaka alumni Living people Coordinators of Anti-discrimination Students Movement Bangladeshi activists Yunus interim government advisors 1995 births