Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh has demanded the immediate removal of sculptures, including figures depicting its leaders and activists, from the July Museum. The organisation’s amir, Allama Shah Muhibbullah Babunagari, and secretary general, Allama Sheikh Sajidur Rahman, made the demand in a joint statement sent to the media on Monday. They expressed strong anger and protest over the installations and called for their eviction and removal from the museum without delay.

In the statement, the Hefazat leaders described the installation of sculptures as a grave violation of Sharia and said it was contradictory to, and mocking of, the sacrifices of religious scholars. They said the construction of sculptures of any person is completely forbidden and unlawful from the perspective of Islam and Sharia. They added that no one has the scope to disregard Sharia rules, regardless of a person’s stature, political identity or contribution.

The leaders said the nation would remember with respect the historic July uprising of 2024, its martyrs and the sacrifices of protesters. However, they argued that preserving those memories should not be placed in opposition to the religious sentiments and Islamic values of the country’s majority population. Their stated demand is the removal of all sculptures from the July Museum.