Located on a small street in Dhaka, the headquarters of Jamaat-e-Islami, the most prominent Muslim party in Bangladesh, have been busier than ever. Having fallen into disrepair from years of closure, the building recently underwent a modest renovation. Party officials have been holding back-to-back meetings with political parties and the highest echelons of power, from the interim government and foreign diplomats to editors of major newspapers. "Since [August 5, 2024], we have never been so busy," said party deputy secretary-general Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair, before getting into a car to head to his next meeting.

Banned for more than a decade, the party has stepped back into the light. On August 5, 2024, a student movement triggered the spectacular fall of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina − who had ruled the country with an iron fist for 15 years − thus ushering Bangladesh into a new era. A transitional government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus took over almost immediately and has since promised to organize elections by June 26, 2026, at the latest.

Under the "reign" of the "Iron Lady," Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) was a favored target of repression. Five of its leaders were hanged following controversial trials, and grassroots activists were thrown into prison en masse. "Our human rights, our constitutional rights were violated very roughly," said Mia Golam Porwar, a former JI MP who himself spent more than seven years in prison over the past 15 years.

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