Bangladesh cancels music teacher plan after Islamist anger

Bangladesh has cancelled plans to hire music teachers for primary schools, a government official told AFP on Monday, after the move faced fierce opposition from Islamist groups in the Muslim-majority country.

In August, the ministry overseeing primary education issued a circular announcing the recruitment of music teachers — a decision that the interim government has now reversed.

"The government has scrapped the decision and issued an order," a senior ministry official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Both the music and physical education posts have now been dropped," said the official.

The government has not commented publicly on the decision.

The reversal follows strong protests from Bangladesh's largest Islamist political party, Jamaat-e-Islami, and other Islamist organisations that oppose the inclusion of music in school curricula.

Mia Golam Parwar, a senior Jamaat leader, said it was unacceptable to appoint music and dance teachers without also hiring religious instructors.

"Imposing music and dance is a conspiratorial move and goes against Islam," said Sajidur Rahman, a senior leader of Hefazat-e-Islam, an influential pressure group made up of multiple political parties, organisations and religious schools.

A.F.M. Khalid Hossain, who holds the religious affairs portfolio in the interim cabinet, met last week with education ministry officials to discuss the issue.

"The government will not make any decision that goes against public sentiment," Khalid told reporters after the meeting.

The South Asian nation of 170 million people has been in political turmoil since Sheikh Hasina was toppled in August 2024.

Hasina, who was blamed for extensive human rights abuses, took a tough stand against Islamist movements during her autocratic 15-year rule.

Since she fled to India — where she has defied extradition orders to face charges of crimes against humanity —  Islamist groups have grown increasingly assertive.

They have demanded restrictions on cultural activities they consider "anti-Islamic," including music and theatre festivals, women's football matches, and kite-flying celebrations.

Rasheda K. Chowdhury, a prominent education expert, criticised the government's reversal on teaching music.

"What kind of nation are we trying to create?" she told AFP. "The government should have convinced them that religious studies and music can go hand in hand; there is no conflict between them."

Agence France-Presse