Liberal MP Salma Zahid has recently introduced a petition in the House of Commons, calling on the federal government to allow members of Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh’s largest Islamist party, to enter Canada. The petition highlights that some Jamaat-e-Islami members have previously been denied entry on security grounds. However, it argues that the group has participated in democratic processes in Bangladesh and that those seeking asylum are "law-abiding citizens who uphold democratic values." The petition urges the government to provide them with "fair and just treatment."

Critics of the petition point out that Jamaat-e-Islami has a controversial history linked to Islamist extremism and violence. The group was involved in significant atrocities during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, leading to its designation as a political organization facing war crimes charges, second only to the Nazi party. Although Jamaat-e-Islami was banned in Bangladesh in 2013, the ban was lifted after the recent removal of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Currently, Russia is the only country to have banned the group entirely, while India has only prohibited its activities in Kashmir.

Founded in 1941 by Maulana Syed Abul Ala Maududi, Jamaat-e-Islami has ideological ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Maududi opposed the creation of Pakistan, arguing that it would divide Muslims, and instead advocated for a unified Islamic state across the Indian subcontinent. Following the partition of India in 1947, the movement fractured into national branches, with the East Pakistan faction becoming Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh after the region's independence in 1971.

During the 1971 war, Jamaat-e-Islami formed militias that collaborated with the Pakistani military to suppress the independence movement. These militias were responsible for widespread violence, including the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians and a large-scale campaign of sexual violence against women. Estimates suggest that between 200,000 and 400,000 women were assaulted during the conflict, with many being held as sex slaves.

The group's history of extremism did not end with the war. Jamaat-e-Islami and its affiliates have been linked to several violent terrorist organizations, such as Jaish-e-Mohammed and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan. Its militant wing in Pakistan, Hizbul Mujahideen, is classified as a terrorist organization in both Canada and the United States. Recently, Indian authorities targeted alleged terror cells connected to Jamaat-e-Islami and Jaish-e-Mohammed in relation to a deadly car bombing in Delhi that resulted in 13 fatalities and over two dozen injuries. The attack is noted as the deadliest in the Indian capital in more than a decade, with the suspects reportedly being radicalized medical professionals.