Jamaat's logo changed

The Jamaat-e-Islami has changed its logo.

Half of the new logo is red while the other half is green. The world “Bangladesh” is written on the red portion while “Jamaat-e-Islami” on the green portion.

The previous logo had the party's electoral symbol -- scale -- and the Arabic word -- Aakimuddin (establish Islam) -- on it. These are absent in the new logo.

Jamaat yesterday sent statements to the media using the new logo. The party, however, did not make any official statement on the change.

 Asked, a district level Jamaat leader, wishing not to be named, said they could no longer use the previous logo after his party lost its registration with the Election Commission. “That's why we are using the new logo.”

No central leader of the party was available for comments.

The new logo has led to fresh discussions in the political arena about Jamaat's coming up with a new name.

Talking to The Daily Star recently, several leaders of the party said Jamaat had almost finalised its preparation to rebrand itself with a new name without words like “Islam or Muslim” if the party is banned for 1971 war crimes.

The party is looking for a modern name which will attract youths. “There will be no words like Islam or Muslim in the new name,” a Jamaat leader had told this correspondent adding that the party would also discard the word Jamaat.

Jamaat policymakers started preparing to have a new name after an investigation agency in August 2013 began probing the war crimes allegations against the party.

In yesterday's statement, Jamaat refuted Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal's allegation that former Shibir men were joining different militant organisation, including Ansarullah Bangla Team and Huji.