Jamaat offers unconditional apology for misdeeds from 1947 till date
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman has unconditionally apologised for all the suffering that has been caused by Jamaat on whomever, wherever, since 1947 till date.
"Today, I publicly declare once again that—from 1947 until this moment of October 22, 2025…it is now 8:11pm in New York—for all the suffering caused by us, on whomever, wherever—we apologise unconditionally," said Shafiqur at an event in New York.
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Head of the Jamaat-e-Islami said, "Some people say, even if you haven't committed any specific crime, your political decision was not acceptable. You could at least offer an apology."
"We have offered our apology at least three times. Professor Ghulam Azam apologised, Maulana Motiur Rahman apologised and I myself offer an apology," he said.
He added, "Recently, when ATM Azharul Islam was released from jail, I said that not only for 1971 but since 1947, if anyone has suffered or has been harmed by Jamaat-e-Islami, I, on behalf of every individual and the organisation, offer an unconditional apology. Please forgive us."
"How can I say that we never made any mistakes till today? We are humans. Our organisation is a human organisation. Out of 100 decisions, 99 might have been right, but one could be wrong. That one wrong decision might have harmed the nation. So, if any of my decisions caused harm to the nation, what's the problem in asking forgiveness for that?" he said.
The Jamaat chief said, "After seeking forgiveness, some say it should not be in this language, or it should be in that language. I sought unconditional forgiveness, without any condition. What else is left?"
"I have never said this before, nor have any of my colleagues. Our seniors also never said that we are above mistakes. If any party claims to be above mistakes, the nation will surely reject that. Why should our claim be accepted?" he added.
He said, "For all the mistakes we have made, knowingly or unknowingly, we are grateful to those who corrected us. And to those who were harmed by our mistakes, we seek forgiveness from them. Is there anything more to say? This is very clear and loud.
He said, later, some will say Shafiqur Rahman sought forgiveness in New York, not inside the country.
"I have sought it in the country too, my seniors also did, and now I am doing it here again. Whenever I get the opportunity, I will do so."
At that point, someone from the audience said that some people ask for an apology only for 1971.
In reply, Shafiqur said, "Brother, have we made mistakes only in 1971? Not at other times? And those who tell us to apologise — are they angels? We don't raise these questions about others because the more we raise issues from the past, the more the nation will be divided."
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