Conviction Islamic institutions and contexts Quranic-school and daara systems Taraganj, Rangpur, Bangladesh · 2022

Bangladesh: mosque imam sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a ten-year-old child during Arabic lessons

Record class

Core record

Evidence status

Convicted

Authority role

imam, Jhakuapara New Mosque

Organization

Jhakuapara New Mosque, Taraganj upazila, Rangpur

Spiritual nexus

A child attending the imam's religious-instruction class at the mosque, isolated from other students under his instructional authority.

Evidence structure

Proceedings

2022-05-26 · trial judgment

Women and Child Repression Prevention Tribunal-3, Rangpur. The tribunal convicted imam Atiqul Islam (also known as Atik) of raping a ten-year-old child and sentenced him to life imprisonment with hard labour and a fine of 10,000 taka. On 4 November 2020 the child had gone with other children to the Jhakuapara New Mosque to study Arabic under the imam; he dismissed the other children and raped the victim, then threatened the child not to disclose it. The child later required medical treatment and disclosed the assault to family, leading to the imam's arrest by local residents and a case filed under the Women and Child Repression Prevention Act.

imam's instructional authority over children attending Arabic/Quran lessons at the mosque
isolating the victim by dismissing other children
threats against disclosure

Primary record

national press trial verdict report 'রংপুরে শিশু ধর্ষণ মামলায় ইমামের যাবজ্জীবন' ["Life sentence for imam in Rangpur child rape case"], The Daily Star Bangla, 26 May 2022.: Bangla-language report of the tribunal verdict naming the imam, the mosque, the judge, sentence terms, and the underlying facts including the date of the assault and the child's Arabic-lesson attendance.

Related record