Claim– Bangladesh has banned women from going to markets.
Fact– The instructions were given only for a certain time within the Gauhardanga Madrassa as a ‘mahfil’ was going on.
Recently, Indian media outlets have widely circulated a claim that a fatwa has been issued prohibiting women from entering markets in Gopalganj, Bangladesh. Many individuals, including BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul (on Facebook and X) and exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin (in a post), have made this claim on social media. Check out the viral videos here, here, and here.
Indian media outlets have also joined in on this. Check out these platforms: Republic Bangla, Calcutta News, Aaj Tak Bangla, and Zee24 Ghanta. In the viral posts, using a specific video clip, a claim is being made that a fatwa has been issued in Bangladesh, prohibiting women from going to markets. In its report, Calcutta News goes as far as saying, “Is Bangladesh on the path to Afghanistan? Taliban rule in Bangladesh!”
Newschecker has verified this claim and found it to be false.
Fact check/ Verification
We conducted several keyword searches to verify the viral claim that revealed a post on a Facebook page called Gauhardanga Madrassa. The post had an explanation with a news clip from Jamuna Television titled ‘Fake News In Indian Media.’ See the post here.
A statement from Mufti Usama Ameen, the Nayeb-e Muhatamim of the Gauhardanga Madrassah, clarified that a video circulating in Indian media had been edited and misinterpreted. He emphasized that measures taken at the 89th annual congregation, including restricting women’s access to the temporary market, were intended to ensure the safety and order of the event, particularly for female attendees. The congregation provided separate transportation and seating for women to facilitate their participation in the religious discourse.
The statement was posted on the official page of Gauhardanga Madrassa on December 8, 2024.
Further reverse image searches revealed the original full-length video on the same Gauhardanga Madrassa page. The video was uploaded on the 27th of November with the caption, ‘special announcement for the existing temporary shops in the 89th Mahfil’
The video depicted announcements outlining new regulations for a market area within a religious gathering. These regulations prohibit women from entering, ban the sale of living creatures and toys like dolls, and mandate shop closures during prayer times. The announcements stressed the gathering’s religious nature and the necessity of upholding a pure environment centred on the afterlife. Shopkeepers are tasked with enforcing these rules and preventing gambling or sinful activities.
The announcement was made only for those existing temporary shops within the Mahfil area for 27, 28 and 29th of November till the Mahfil ends.
Scrutinizing the original video it was found that the claim of banning women in Bangladesh from going to markets is false. A certain part of the whole video was used in the viral claims that misinterpreted the whole incident.
Conclusion:
Hence, the original video depicts that the ban on women from going to markets did not apply for the whole of Bangladesh, rather it was instructed for a certain time within the Mahfil area of Gauhardanga Madrassah, Tungipara, Goaplganj. Therefore the claim that the new shariah law imposed bans women from going to market in Bangladesh is false.
Result: False
Our Sources:
statement from Mufti Usama Ameen
Jamuna Television report ‘Fake News In Indian Media
