From social to news media: How false claims of Adviser Mahfuj Alam's extremist ties spread
Mahfuj Alam, a prominent leader of the anti-discrimination student movement, current adviser to the interim government, and former special assistant to the chief adviser, has recently been the target of misinformation on social media. This campaign has sometimes portrayed him as a leader of the religious organization Hezbut Tawheed and, at other times, as part of the banned organization Hizb-ut-Tahrir. In certain instances, he has also been accused of involvement with militant groups. At one point, these claims were used as tools to depict the rise of jihadism in Bangladesh and the interim government as a patron of Islamic fundamentalism. However, Mahfuj has personally rejected these allegations. Furthermore, verification by Dismislab found no evidence supporting these claims.
Dismislab sought to understand how these unsupported claims spread and who was primarily behind them. The investigation also explored whether misinformation was involved and how this process helped bolster a specific political narrative. For this, we analyzed at least 60 pieces of content published on various websites and social media from August to October.
The analysis revealed that this campaign, which began spreading roots in early August, evolved in different political contexts. In just three months, it expanded beyond social media, gaining traction in Indian media outlets and the websites of certain international think tanks. Various influential figures, who believed the narrative, also played a role in amplifying it further.
Is Mahfuj the son of a Hezbut Tawheed leader?
Mahfuj Alam (also known as Mahfuj Abdullah) was appointed as the Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser on August 28. Around this time, a campaign against him intensified. In the following days, various profiles, pages, and groups affiliated with Awami League supporters claimed he was the eldest son of a leader of the religious organization Hezbut Tawheed. The language of each post was nearly identical: “The coordinator Mahfuj, son of Bangladesh’s Hezbut Tawheed leader and former Shibir leader Md. Selim is Dr. Yunus’s Special Assistant.”
Posts were observed spreading across groups operated in the name of Bangladesh Awami League, Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Chattogram North District Chhatra League, and Awami League support groups (1, 2, 3). Pages like Mujib Amar Chetona, Dhaka Zilla Chhatra League, Banglar Mujib, Joy Bangla Joy Bangabandhu, Bangabandhur Adarsher Soinik, Nangalkot Upazila Jubo League, Probash Chhatra League, and Bangladesh Awami Leaguer Nibedito Kormi also shared the post.
Hezbut Tawheed describes itself as a religious organization, though reports indicated that the organization was blacklisted during a past Awami League government. The organization has consistently denied any involvement with militant activities and continues its operations. The organization’s leader, Hossain Mohammad Selim, is from Sonaimuri, Noakhali. Meanwhile, the biographical details on the flap of Mahfuj’s book state that his birthplace is Lakshmipur District. According to several online news sources (1, 2), Mahfuj Alam’s father’s name is Azizur Rahman Bacchu Molla.
When contacted, Hezbut Tawheed’s Central Women’s Secretary and wife of Hossain Mohammad Selim, Rufaydah Panni, told Dismislab, “A certain group is spreading misinformation by claiming that Mahfuj Alam is our Honorable Imam’s son. I want to make it very clear that there is no connection between the Honorable Imam and Mahfuj Alam.”
From Hezbut Tawheed to Hizb ut-Tahrir and Ansarullah Bangla Team
Within a day of being alleged to be the son of Hezbut Tawheed’s leader, Mahfuj was portrayed in social media posts as a leader of Hizb ut-Tahrir, an organization banned as a militant group by the previous Awami League government.
On the midnight of August 29, a page called Amra Ruhi Bhai-er Bhakta (Translated into: We’re the Fans of Brother Ruhi) claimed that Mahfuj Alam was linked to Hizb ut-Tahrir. Upon verification, this page was found to be run by supporters of Mustaque Ahmed Ruhi, a former Member of Parliament for Netrokona-1 constituency and an Awami League leader.
Around noon on August 29, another page, Kisti Baba, shared the news of Mahfuj Alam’s appointment as Special Assistant, with the assertion that “this militant leader of Hizb ut-Tahrir has become the Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser!” Here, rather than an allegation, he was directly labeled as a ‘militant.’ Content verification revealed that this page was also affiliated with Awami League supporters. On the same day, another page named Bangladesher Astittwa Raksha Mancha (Translated into: Platform for Defencing Bangladesh’s Existence) also claimed that Mahfuj Alam was a leader of Hizb ut-Tahrir, citing “multiple anonymous sources from Dhaka” for confirmation.
On August 30, indicating the new terminologies used during the student movement a Facebook user named Fazlul Bari posted: “People grew disillusioned hearing repeated calls for hartals, non-cooperation movements, and government ouster. When they see vehicles operating normally during hartals and offices open during non-cooperation movements, new terminology is introduced. It’s said these terms and ideas are Mahfuj Alam’s brainchild. Now, Mahfuj Abdullah, a leader of the banned militant group Hizb ut-Tahrir, is Dr. Yunus’s Special Assistant!” This post was shared at least 69 times.
That same day, a YouTube channel named Shompaddok Bhai published a video titled “Yunus’s Special Assistant Militant Leader Mahfuj Alam.” The video stated, “Remember, the banned militant organizations played a primary role in this student movement, especially the banned militant group Hizb ut-Tahrir. We will see how Hizb ut-Tahrir took a leading role in this movement.” The video highlighted statements from Fazlul Bari’s post.
On the same day, Kabir Chowdhury Tanmoy, founder of the Online Activist Forum (BOAF), posted on his verified Facebook account, “Today, we should thank Muhammad Yunus for publicly appointing Mahfuj Alam, a key leader of the banned militant group Ansarullah Bangla Team, as the Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser.” Many others shared the same claim in their posts (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). Tanmoy recently posted a doctored fake video of Tariqul Islam, the central coordinator of the anti-discrimination movement, which also circulated widely on social media.
From social media to mainstream media
On August 29, The Economic Times published a report by journalist Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury titled “Jamaat’s attempts to repair ties with India met with skepticism” where he raised allegations of Mahfuj Alam’s association with Hizb ut-Tahrir. He wrote, “…the growing network of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Bangladesh is under the scanner of the security establishments globally. Mahfuj Alam, a student with alleged allegiance to Hizbut Tahrir, was appointed as special secretary of Yunus.” However, he did not provide any sources to support this claim.
Notably, in 2012, Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury had claimed in reports in India Today and Daily Mail that Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI had financially supported the BNP in Bangladesh’s 1991 national elections. The former ISI chief, Asad Durrani, denied this claim in an interview with the BBC.
In a report in The Economic Times on September 11 titled “Outlawed radical outfit Hizb ut Tahrir pressurises Bangladesh interim government to lift ban”, Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury once again raised allegations of Hizb ut-Tahrir’s involvement with Mahfuj.
Citing The Economic Times, the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) also mentioned the allegation of Mahfuj’s connection to Hizb ut-Tahrir on its website. According to its information, the Delhi-based portal serves as a research and analysis database on terrorism activities in South Asia.
In response, on September 14, Mahfuj Alam posted a lengthy statement on Facebook, saying, “A journalist from The Economic Times has written about my ‘alleged loyalty’ to Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is a completely false and intentionally framed narrative serving and aligning with the Indian state’s perspective. I have always been, and remain, opposed to the ideologies of Hizb ut-Tahrir and other undemocratic groups.”
Despite this clarification, the campaign continued. On September 23, Indian writer Shantanu Mukherjee repeated the allegations of Mahfuj’s association with Hizb ut-Tahrir in an opinion column in Millennium Post.
How tweets from an author and an analyst became news sources
On September 24, at an event organized by the Clinton Global Initiative in New York, Chief Adviser Dr. Yunus mentioned his then special assistant, Mahfuj Abdullah, as the “brain” behind the student-led anti-government movement. Following this, renewed allegations surfaced on social media about Mahfuj’s alleged ties to Hizb ut-Tahrir and extremist groups.
On September 25, exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen posted on X (formerly Twitter) that “In the USA Mr Yunus introduced Mahfuj Alam the leader of Hizbut Tahrir the banned Islamic terrorist organization, as the “brain of the whole revolution” to out Hasina. Bill Clinton clapped. Is it the same USA who promote democracy and fight Islamic terrorists?” The Voice of Bangladeshi Hindus also tweeted a similar statement from their official account.
On September 26, New Delhi-based geopolitical analyst and columnist Brahma Chellaney claimed on his X handle that Mahfuj was a leader of Hizb ut-Tahrir. Chellaney has previously faced allegations of presenting false and misleading information on Bangladesh, highlighted in Dhaka Tribune’s report titled “Fact or Chellaney?”. Indian journalist Smita Prakash also raised questions about Mahfuj’s alleged loyalty to Hizb ut-Tahrir.
At this point, various Indian media outlets cited the tweets from Taslima Nasreen and Brahma Chellaney, identifying Mahfuj as a leader of Hizb ut-Tahrir. Raisina Hills referenced Chellaney, while Anandabazar, Hindustan Times Bangla, R Plus News, and TV9 Bangla cited Nasreen’s post as evidence of Mahfuj’s affiliation with Hizb ut-Tahrir.
Later, on October 6, Taslima Nasreen shared an old news report from The Business Standard dated 2019, which reported the arrest of a Hizb ut-Tahrir leader named Mahfuj. She captioned it, “Mahfuj Abdullah is with Hizb ut-Tahrir – media reports confirm this. I even saw this old news today.” However, The Business Standard report, published in 2019, actually referred to an individual named Abdullah Al Mahfuj, a Hizb ut-Tahrir leader.
Details about Abdullah Al Mahfuj’s background were found in multiple 2019 media reports. According to Bangla News 24, Abdullah Al Mahfuj, who was 30 years old at the time, was the son of Nazrul Islam from Char Khagria in Satkania. In contrast, according to Mahfuj’s bio-data, he was born in Lakshmipur in 1995. Following this clarification, Taslima Nasreen edited her post to remove The Business Standard link. Recently, however, the screenshot she shared has been recirculated, prompting the press wing of the Chief Adviser to label the claims as false.
Using Mahfuj to illustrate the rise of fundamentalism in Bangladesh
In early October, Prothom Alo published a widely-discussed two-part interview with Mahfuj Alam. This prompted a more intensified campaign attempting to link him to extremist groups. Various social media pages and profiles began sharing graphics claiming that Mahfuj Alam was a leader of Hizb ut-Tahrir, with some posts citing Anandabazar as their source. The peak of these posts was on October 6 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) and October 12 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11).
Around this time, India’s BJP-aligned magazine Swarajya released a special report claiming a plan to turn Bangladesh into an Islamist state with support from the United States and Pakistan, mentioning Mahfuj Alam’s alleged involvement with extremist groups. According to a research chapter from the book ‘Indian Journalism in a New Era’ (published by Oxford University Press), Swarajya is described as a right-wing, BJP-supporting magazine known for promoting narratives favorable to Narendra Modi.
Additionally, a New York-based think tank, Gatestone Institute, published an article titled “Talibanization of Bangladesh: Biden-Harris Administration, ‘Human Rights’ Groups Silent”. The article labeled Mahfuj as a leader of Hizb ut-Tahrir. Media Bias/Fact Check, an independent platform that assesses media outlets for bias, factual accuracy, and credibility to help users navigate misinformation, has flagged Gatestone as a source of propaganda, conspiracy theories, falsehoods, and hateful content. The Intercept, in a report, mentions Gatestone’s chair, John Bolton, as “an actual ‘fake news’ publisher infamous for spreading anti-Muslim hate.”
On September 2, Delhi-based journalist Chandan Nandy reported in The Northeast News that American and Pakistani intelligence agencies, alongside Qatari officials, were allegedly coordinating with students—including Mahfuj Alam—since 2023 to overthrow the Hasina government. Nandy wrote, “The Indian national security bureaucracy now believes that it has sufficient information to establish the direct role of the Hizbut Tehrir which was banned in Bangladesh in 2009. Indeed, Indian security officials suspect that the roots of the students’ anti-discrimination movement are in a lesson called ‘Gurubar Adda’ which was started by an on-campus group of Dhaka University students in 2021. Mahfuj Alam, now on Yunus’ staff, led this secretive group which had members drawn from not only the Hizbut Tehrir but also the Islami Chhatra Shibir, the students’ wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami.” This report later circulated widely through social media posts (1, 2, 3).
In an interview with Prothom Alo, Mahfuj mentioned ‘Gurubar Adda’ and explained that these programs were organized in a low-key manner to avoid the attention of the Chhatra League, the student organization of the then-ruling party, on campus. He explains, “Our gatherings took place on Gurubar, which means Thursday. We engaged in discussions on the state, society, philosophy, history, and theology—topics that are often overlooked. As we explored works by Kamruddin Ahmed, we also discussed the practicalities of the thoughts of Lenin or Islam about statehood. We also discussed Rabindranath, Vivekananda, and Iqbal.” On November 10, Mahfuj Alam was appointed as an adviser to the Interim Government of Bangladesh.
