ABSTRACT
Jamaat-e-Islami, one of the oldest and largest transnational Islamic movements, introduced a modern political revivalist reading of Islam to the Southeast Asian region. Social welfare activities have emerged as one of the core activities of Islamic political parties worldwide, especially in various Muslim-majority countries over the last half-century. This chapter explores this claim in relation to Jamaat-e-Islami in the Bangladesh context. It examines the place of social welfare activities in the politics of Jamaat in Bangladesh with an in-depth look into its organisational structure. Schools and medical centres in the non-commercial category are run by assigned Jamaat leaders and activists who work there as part of their organisational commitment. One of the major characteristics of the Jamaat is its organisational structure and working procedures. The chapter describes the social welfare activities of the Jamaat, as revealed through the interviews and party reports.
