Ahmed Shafi has spent half of his 100 years of life at Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Uloom Moinul Islam Madrasa in Hathazari, Chittagong. Locals know this Qaumi Madrasa, one of the oldest in the country run by Deoband, as the 'big madrasa' of Hathazari. And Shafi, who has been the director general (muhtamim) of the madrasa since 1986, was a 'great master' to his followers.
In the words of Salauddin Nanupuri, a member of the Shura Committee of the Madrasa and Director General of Nanupur Madrasa, “Allama Ahmad Shafi was a great mentor and scholar of South East Asia. There is no other person like him in the Qawmi Madrasa gharana. ”
Due to his religious erudition, Ahmad Shafi was highly respected by the like-minded scholars and students of Qawmi Madrasa. However, his great achievement was to be able to bring the Qaumi streams of divided Bangladesh under one umbrella. Through this he became the top leader of the Qaumi scholars of the country.

Shah Ahmad Shafi, the supreme leader of Hefazat-e-Islam, was the longtime director general of Hathazari Bara Madrasa in Chittagong.
Of course, the end was not happy. He stepped down as director general on Thursday due to a leadership dispute at his madrassa. He was admitted to the hospital soon after. He could not be saved even after being brought to Dhaka for better treatment.
Amir Shah Ahmad Shafi of Hefazat-e-Islam died at 7.40 pm on Friday while undergoing treatment at Azgar Ali Hospital in Old Dhaka.
Azizul Haque, his student and central organizing secretary of Hefazat-e-Islam, told Islamabadi bdnews24.com, “The great master was the highest teacher of Qawmi madrasas across the country. He is the forerunner of the Islamic movement against various injustices including the atheist movement.
“He has played a leading role in the creation of Islamic society and cultural consciousness. He has made many contributions in various fields of Islam. ”
The reasons for the controversy surrounding this ‘spiritual leader’ of the Qaumi sect are clear from the statement of Azizul Haque Islamabadi.
She has been repeatedly criticized over the past decade for opposing women's education, making controversial remarks, calling bloggers 'atheists', demanding punishment and curriculum change, and taking a stand against various aspects and progress of Bengali culture.
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Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh started its journey in Chittagong on January 19, 2010 under the leadership of Shah Ahmad Shafi
Shah Ahmad Shafi, who was born in Pakhiartila village of Rangunia upazila in Chittagong, is also divided among his followers over his age. However, according to Mufti Faizullah, secretary general of the Islamic Unity Alliance and joint secretary general of Hefazat-e-Islam, the "great lord" was 103 years old.
His father's name was Barkam Ali and his mother was Moshammat Meherunnesa Begum. Ahmed Shafi is the father of two sons and three daughters.
Among his two sons, Anas Madani is the publicity secretary of Hefazat-e-Islam. Another is Maulana Mohammad Yusuf, the director of Pakhiartila Qawmi Madrasa.
Shafi's education began at Sarafvata Madrasa in Rangunia. He then studied at Patiyar Al Jamiatul Arabia Madrasa (Jiri Madrasa). In 1940 he was admitted to Darul Uloom Moinul Islam Madrasa in Hathazari. In 1950 he went to Darul Uloom Deoband Madrasa in India, where he studied for four years.
Ahmed Shafi joined Hathazari Madrasa as the Director General in 1986. After that he was the author of 13 books in Bengal and nine books in that period for 34 consecutive years.
Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, a Qawmi Madrasa-based 'non-political' organization, started its journey in Chittagong on January 19, 2010 under the leadership of Shah Ahmad Shafi, with the participation of various political parties based on religion. It is said that the goal of Hefazat movement is to establish 'Islamic rule' in Bangladesh.

Shah Ahmad Shafi has been controversial in various anti-woman speeches
Hefazat-e-Islam took to the field against the government's announcement of 'Women's Development Policy' in 2011 to ensure equal rights for men and women. Shafi's name has been spreading all over the country since then.
When the Ganajagaran Mancha movement started in 2013 demanding the maximum punishment for war crimes, the Qaumi Madrasa-based organization became active in demanding the punishment of those protesters by calling them 'atheist bloggers'.
With that demand in mind, they started a movement demanding 13 points at that time, some of which were described by the then Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir as 'conflicting with the Constitution'.
There was also a demand to make Islamic religious education compulsory from primary level to higher secondary level by abolishing 'anti-Islamic' women's policy and 'secular' education policy.
Syed Ashraful Islam, the then general secretary of the Awami League, called Hefazat a "ghost of the defeated forces of 1971" for opposing the protesters demanding punishment for war criminals. He also called this organization the successor of Al-Badr and Razakars.

Hifazat became active in demanding punishment for 'atheist bloggers' when the Ganajagaran Mancha movement started in 2013.
Hefazat-e-Islam laid siege to Dhaka on April 5, 2013 and then on May 5 at six entrances to Dhaka with those 13-point demands. After the blockade, the leaders and activists of Hefazat took position at Shapla Chattar in Motijheel.
The BNP-led alliance and HM Ershad's party Jatiya Party also supported Hefazat's program at that time.
Hefazat activists clashed with the police at Shapla Chattar all day. Qaumi students vandalized and set fire to hundreds of sidewalk shops in Motijheel, Paltan and surrounding areas. Many government and non-government establishments in the area were the victims of the violence.
Hefazat Amir Ahmad Shafi was also scheduled to attend the rally at Shapla Chattar. But in the end he stayed in a madrasa in Lalbagh.
Hefazat activists were released from Motijheel in a joint operation by police, RAB and BGB that night. Later, the police said that 39 people, including members of law enforcement agencies, were killed in different places including Dhaka on that day.
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On May 5, 2013, the Hefazat activists carried out a day-long riot at Shapla Chattar in Dhaka.
Shafi, a 'non-political religious figure', also became politically important after the incident at Shapla Chattar. People from different walks of life including government officials, politicians, foreign diplomats went to Hathazari Madrasa and started meeting Ahmad Shafi.
In the middle of 2013, Ahmed Shafi's statement about Ek Waz women spread through social media. The country's women activists and rights activists called for a movement against Ahmed Shafi later that year for making "insulting" remarks.
Later, in a meeting on November 2 of that year, Ahmed Shafi said that he compared women to 'queens' and 'flowers'.
"I did not understand that. The government did not understand. Even the government ministers did not understand me. I told the woman like tamarind, not tamarind. They don't understand anything. ”
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In April 2013, various organizations formed a human chain in front of the National Press Club to protest the attack on journalist Nadia Sharmin by Hefazat-e-Islam activists.
Ganajagaran Mancha, one of the main organizers and professional leader in Chittagong. AQM Sirajul Islam told bdnews24.com, “The Shapla Chattar incident is a reprehensible incident in the history of Bangladesh. Hefazat Amir's statement about women was not acceptable in any way. ”
But even then, in a gathering of Hathazari Madrasa in 2019, Ahmad Shafi promised not to send girls to school-college and even if he did, he promised to teach them up to the fourth or fifth grade, according to media reports.
Sending a press release amid criticism across the country, Ahmed Shafi said his statement was "distorted" and caused confusion among the general public. She is not against women's education, she has objected to boys and girls going to school and college together.
Earlier in 2016, Shah Ahmad Shafi called mobile phones a "Jew-killing weapon" and advised children to stay away from it. The following year, authorities seized a large quantity of mobile sets from students at his madrassa and destroyed them.
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Before the 2014 elections, Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad prayed for Ahmed Shafi
After the new book went into the hands of the students in January 2016, it was learned that in addition to various mistakes, several writers and poets were left out. Criticism of various social media for errors as well as allegations of omission of writings have led to allegations of communal attitudes.
At the time, Hefazat Amir Ahmad Shafi, in a statement, praised the government for removing "atheism and the subject matter of Hindu theories" from school textbooks in line with their demands.
Hefazat-e-Islam, led by Shafi, was also vocal against the celebration of Bengali New Year and Pahela Baishakh. Following their demand, the government removed a sculpture in the form of Lady Justice, a symbol of Roman justice, from the Supreme Court premises in 2016.
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The Prime Minister announced the recognition of the charter of Qawmi Madrasa at a function at Ganobhaban in 2016
On April 11 of that year, in a ceremony at Ganobhaban in the presence of hundreds of scholars, including Shah Ahmad Shafi, chairman of the Qaumi Madrasa Education Board, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced the recognition of a master's degree in general education. Later on 19 September 2016, a law was passed in the National Assembly in this regard.
That is why Al-Hayatul Ulaya Lil Jamiatil Qawmiyah Bangladesh, a coalition of six boards of Qaumi, gathered in Suhrawardy Udyan, Dhaka in November 2016 in the presence of thousands of Madrasa students and scholars to welcome the Prime Minister. Ahmed Shafi, chairman of the organization, handed over a 'thank you memorandum' to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the occasion.
Ahmad Shafi's followers also see the recognition of the Qawmi Madrasa as a great achievement.
Salauddin Nanupuri said, “No one has contributed to the establishment of Islamic religion in the last 50 years. The service rendered by him to Hathazari Madrasa is undeniable. ”
However, at the very last stage of his life, Shafi had to watch the protests of the students in that madrasa.
Due to his age, there was a recent controversy in Hathazari Madrasa over the selection of Shafi's successor. Junaid Babungari, the central secretary general of Hifazat-e-Islam, who was the naib muhtamim or assistant director of the madrasa, was one of the top contenders for the top post, but was removed on June 16 in a clash with Shafi supporters.
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Hundreds of students protested at Hathazari Madrasa on Wednesday demanding the release of Shafi and the expulsion of his son Anas Madani.
Hundreds of students suddenly started protesting on Wednesday when the madrassa reopened after being closed for about six months amid the coronavirus epidemic. They also vandalized several rooms demanding the release of Shafi and the expulsion of his son Anas Madani, the assistant director of the madrassa.
Their other demands were the reinstatement of the three teachers fired by Anas Madani, the retrenchment of all the 'incompetent and immoral' teachers and staff appointed by Anas and the cessation of all forms of oppression and harassment against the students of the madrasa.
In this situation, the government on Thursday ordered the closure of Hathazari Madrasa. The Technical and Madrasa Education Department sent a letter to the director general and principal of the madrasa on Thursday. After receiving the letter, the Shura Committee of the Madrasa met at night under the chairmanship of Ahmed Shafi to discuss the overall situation.
Shafi, the 'big lord', voluntarily resigned from the post of director general citing illness. During the meeting, two teachers including Shafi's son were released. This marked the end of Ahmad Shafi's long rule in the Hathazari Bara Madrasa.
Ahmed Shafi also left the madrasa that night and was admitted to the hospital. Later he was brought to Dhaka by helicopter.
Although he has been ill several times in the last few years, each time Shafi has recovered and returned to his half-century workplace Hathazari Madrasa. He will return there in a coffin on Saturday.
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