Throughout the historical chronicles of Bangladesh, few women figures are as emblematic of sacrifice, resilience, and unwavering commitment as Jahanara Imam (1929–94). She is a widely celebrated figure in the context of women in the liberation war movement, the most paramount historical event for the people of Bangladesh. The liberation war happened in 1971 as a result of the longstanding grievances of Bangladeshi people, who were then part of East Pakistan, against the political, economic and cultural dominance of Pakistan (then West Pakistan).[1] The human toll of the war was immense, and its effects are still felt today. Approximately three million people died, around two hundred thousand women went through extreme sexual violence, and religious and other minority communities experienced unprecedented brutality.[2]This blog addresses the stories surrounding Jahanara Imam's life and legacy, situating its arguments within the framework of the liberation war and post-liberation civil political movements in Bangladesh. It illustrates how the narrative of "sacrificing mother" creates a space for mothers in the nationalist project, acknowledging their agency and broadening the historical accounts to recognise women's contributions.

Imam’s Role During and After the Liberation War

Jahanara Imam was not a direct combatant in the liberation war movement. Many would argue that the work she did would still count as “participation” in the movement (even if it was not as a combatant). During the war, she protected and sheltered freedom fights, strategised with her other (male) comrades on how to mobilise the freedom fighters, collected and subsequently disseminated information across her networks and hid rifles and machine guns in the backyard of her home.[3] Imam's legacy, nonetheless, extends beyond her immediate contribution during the war. She is hugely celebrated for her memoir Ekattorer Dinguli (Memoirs of the Days of Bangladesh Liberation War 1971), one of the most well-regarded historical documents written in the context of the Bangladesh Liberation War.[4] Imam's memoir is regarded as a "unique gift to Bengalis who are indifferent about documents," as it remains the sole account detailing the conditions in Dhaka during the war.[5] Imam is respected and celebrated not only for her vital contribution to the liberation struggle but also for her relentless efforts against war criminals in the years that followed, which established her as one of Bangladesh's most important political figures.

Imam was the frontrunner who started a nationwide movement against those who collaborated with the Pakistani Army in carrying out their unforgettable brutality against Bangladeshi people during the war. On the 19th of January, 1992, she established the Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee (The Committee for Combating the Killers and Collaborators of 1971) to bring war collaborators to justice. The Committee, led by her, set up mock trials, known as Gono Adalat(People's Court) in Dhaka. They symbolically hanged the people who are popularly known as war criminals. The event is still remembered as pioneering because it prepared the stage for the Bangladesh government's initiatives to prosecute war criminals in 2013, a long-overdue historical justice.[6]

Imam as "Sacrificing" Mother

Imam had a multifaceted contribution to the national life of Bangladesh. However, Imam's profound decision to send her son to war truly defines her life journey — as a "sacrificing" mother. Shafi Imam Rumi (1951-1971), the oldest son of Imam, was only twenty when Imam decided to send him to war. Because of her selfless "sacrifice" for the nation, she is revered as a symbol of courage and dedication, inspiring generation after generation. People honour her with the title of Shaheed Janani (Mother of Martyrs), which highlights her image as a "sacrificing" mother. The fact that she is often identified as Ammajan (Mother) in popular accounts underscores the profound impact of her sacrifice in the narratives surrounding the liberation war in Bangladesh. 

Imam decided to allow Rumi to go to war on the 21st of April, 1971, a memorable day of her life and for historians, researchers, admirers of her contributions, and those interested in the history of the Bangladesh liberation war. This date's significance is underscored by the fact that it was when  she made one of the most consequential decisions of her life. However, the context of this pivotal moment began twelve days earlier, on the 9th of April, 1971, when Rumi first expressed his wish to join the war telling his mother that, "I want to go to war, Amma."[7] Days of heated discussion and persuasion between Rumi and Imam followed this.[8] The day Imam consented, she and Rumi again had the same conversation. At some point, Imam told Rumi, "I will send you to America (where he was supposed to start his engineering study) before starting the class."[9] Rumi immediately replied, 

Imam closed her eyes tightly as if to shut out the outside world and catch her breath. In seconds, Imam replied, "No, I don't want that. All right. I "sacrifice" you to the country. Go, join the war."[11]

This "sacrifice" became the primary lens of studying and debating Imam's contribution to the liberation war and post-liberation war movements in Bangladesh by both nationalist and feminist scholars from diverse standpoints. This debate is not unique to Imam's case but rather echoes a recurring theme in all nationalist movements across the world, where "sacrificing" or "patriotic" motherhood is deployed to understand women's dedication and commitment to the nation's cause.[12] In the nationalist narratives in Bangladesh, Imam's sacrifice, grief, and loss are being used to portray Imam as a "radical nationalist mother"—a "conscientious" mother who believed that her son's life was expendable for the cause of the nation.[13] Other scholars criticise the mainstream historical and popular narratives, arguing they have reduced Imam's entire life and dedication to her role as a "sacrificing" and "grieving" mother despite her multifaceted contribution to Bangladesh.[14] They also debate how the narrative— "sacrificing" mother reinforces the idea that women's primary role is in the domestic sphere, supporting and sustaining the nation through maternal duties.[15]

Both narratives, however, downplay and overshadow Imam's personal struggles, emotions, aspirations, and, most importantly, her agency, regardless of whether they are presented by feminists or nationalists. Nationalist narratives subsume Imam's sacrifices within the broader context of national heroism, simplifying her personal experience and overlooking the complexities of her agency, emotions, and aspirations during and after the turbulent liberation war period. In contrast, feminist critiques challenge the portrayal of Imam as a "sacrificing" mother figure from two perspectives: first, it romanticises and glorifies her involvement in the militaristic aspects of the nationalist struggle, prompting debates on whether wars are inherently patriarchal;[16] and second, it implicitly raises questions about her autonomy and agency in defining herself within the "sacrificing" mother narrative framework.[17]

Women are involved in the liberation war movements for their own reasons, obviously in different ways—"sacrifice" is one of them. Here, it is not to say that "sacrificing mothers" offer their sons for personal gain or for the benefit of nation-states. Instead, in the context of liberation war, mothers' "sacrifice" refers to the most complex and painful decisions they make to support the broader struggle for freedom and liberation.[18] Therefore, it is questionable to suggest that mothers are forced only by external forces, such as nationalism, patriarchalism or culturalism, to contribute to the national cause through sacrifice. This narrative denies women's agency, and it problematically depoliticises women and their "sacrifices."[19] In many of her writings, Imam has reflected on the potential liberation movements for progressive social and political changes, especially in women's lives.[20] According to her, the freedom movement has the "transformative power" that enables women to claim their rights and take control of their lives without being constrained by social norms.[21]

The reality is that women's contributions to the liberation war of Bangladesh, in general, are ignored and silenced because the war historiography concentrates mainly on external military conflicts between the Pakistani Army and the (male) fighters of Bangladesh liberation movement.[22] Narrating it merely as a national-level political conflict, physical combat or exchanging gunshots between two of these sides, the official narrative overlooks and silences women's aspirations for freedom and their experience and contributions.[23] In countless cases, women made the most difficult choices, such as risking their lives, enduring social stigmas, losing children, sacrificing sons, all in their efforts to achieve national liberation. However, the biggest irony is that the sacrifices women made or how they fought are deemed less significant than that of fighters on the battlefield.[24] This disparity arises largely from the way historical narratives are constructed. Official records tend to depict women's "sacrifices" merely as personal sufferings, rather than as valuable contributions. This tendency is compounded by how nationalist leaders who every now and then use the notion of women's "sacrifice" to evoke sympathy for their own causes or perpetuate national enmity rather than recognising the agency and roles women played during the liberation war movement.

What is significant is that Jahanara Imam's "sacrifice" and associated grief did not end her life but rather provided her with a new language of communication. The narrative of "sacrificing" mother gave her widespread support and authority for the movement. Along with her dedication, it made her the most influential leader in the movement against war criminals. This portrayal elevated her status as a revered figure, inspiring others to follow her lead.[25] This leads me to conclude that the sacrifices made by women throughout Bangladesh's independence movement are historical facts, as are their struggles. Despite being the most frequently mentioned aspect of war, women's sacrifices are nevertheless shrouded in mystery, having no subjectivity, no agency. In this context, this paper has tried to argue that the "sacrificing" narrative creates scope for women in the nationalist project, shaping the dominant patriarchal narrative that excludes women from it. Jahanara Imam stands as the best example of how women's experiences and perspectives within the "sacrifice" narrative may build a more inclusive and equitable vision of nationalism.

Footnotes