The diplomat, whose identity was not disclosed, said the US wanted Jamaat leaders to be “friends” and encouraged journalists to invite members of the party’s student wing. (Photo: X/@BJI_Official)
The United States is signalling a willingness to engage with Bangladesh’s Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami as it prepares for a strong showing in February’s national elections, a move that could further complicate Washington’s relations with India, The Washington Post reported.
The newspaper claimed that the outreach was revealed during a closed-door interaction between a US diplomat based in Dhaka and Bangladeshi journalists in December. Audio recordings of the meeting, reviewed by The Washington Post, show the diplomat acknowledging what he described as Bangladesh’s “Islamic shift” and indicating that Washington expected Jamaat to perform better than in past elections.
The diplomat, whose identity was not disclosed, said the US wanted Jamaat leaders to be “friends” and encouraged journalists to invite members of the party’s student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, onto television programmes.
Bangladesh is due to hold elections on February 12 under an interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. Surveys cited by the Post suggest Jamaat could emerge close behind the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which is seen as the frontrunner.
The US Embassy in Dhaka later said the discussion was a “routine, off-the-record” exchange with journalists and stressed that Washington did not support any political party.
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Jamaat-e-Islami re-entered political mainstream after Hasina’s outser
Jamaat-e-Islami, which opposed Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence from Pakistan and was barred from politics for years, has re-entered the political mainstream following the removal of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. The party has sought to broaden its appeal by focusing on governance and corruption.
During the meeting, the US diplomat played down concerns that Jamaat would impose Islamic law if it came to power, arguing that Washington retained strong economic leverage. Any move to restrict women’s rights or impose sharia law would trigger immediate consequences, including tariffs on Bangladesh’s garment exports, he warned.
“We would have 100% tariffs put on them the next day,” the diplomat was quoted as saying, adding that such steps would leave Bangladesh without a functioning export economy.
Worry for India?
Analysts told The Washington Post that closer US engagement with Jamaat could worry New Delhi, which has long viewed the party with suspicion due to its pro-Pakistan leanings and its stance during the 1971 liberation war.
“India’s biggest fear in Bangladesh for many years has been Jamaat,” Michael Kugelman, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told the newspaper. He warned that US outreach to the party could “potentially drive another wedge” between Washington and New Delhi.
With Jamaat poised to gain ground in the coming election, the US decision to open channels with the Islamist party adds a new layer of uncertainty to regional politics and to already strained ties between Washington and New Delhi.
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The diplomat, whose identity was not disclosed, said the US wanted Jamaat leaders to be “friends” and encouraged journalists to invite members of the party’s student wing. (Photo: X/@BJI_Official) 
