Tungipara Sheikh family

The Sheikh family (শেখ পরিবার) of Tungipara is one of the two most prominent Bangladeshi political families, other being the Zia family. The family primarily consists of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Sheikh Hasina, Sheikh Rehana and their relatives. Their political involvement has traditionally revolved around the Bangladesh Awami League.

Family origin
The first member of the Tungipara Sheikh family to come to Bengal was Sheikh Abdul Awal Darwish. Sheikh Abdul Awal was born in a suburb of Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. During the early eighteenth century, Sheikh Abdul Awal had travelled to Chittagong to pursue business and to promote Islam in the region of Bengal, similar to that of the founders of other Sheikh families of Bengal. Sheikh Abdul Awal had preached in Chittagong for many years, until he went to Sonargaon for business and started preaching there. He married into the Khandakar family of Kandirpar, Faridpur, later his son Sheikh Zahiruddin also married into this family. Many years later, Sheikh Zahiruddin moved to Kolkata with his son Sheikh Jan Mahmud, since their wholesale business was based there. Sheikh Jan Mahmud's son, Sheikh Borhanuddin, continued to run that wholesale business and eventually shifted back to East Bengal.

He married a girl from the Kazi family of Tungipara and permanently settled there. The Tungipara Sheikh family are related to a Sheikh family of Kolkata, a member of that family being Sheikh Assimuddin, the Kandirpar Sheikh family and a Sheikh family in Sonargaon as a result of these relocations. Sheikh Borhanuddin had a son named Sheikh Ekramullah, who in turn had two sons: Sheikh Wasimuddin and Sheikh Mohammad Zakir. Sheikh Mohammad Zakir had three sons: Sheikh Abdul Majid, Sheikh Abdul Hamid, and Sheikh Abdul Rashid. Sheikh Abdul Hamid was the father of Sheikh Lutfar Rahman while his wife, Sayera Khatun, was the daughter of his father's brother, Sheikh Abdul Majid. Their son was Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who married his third-cousin Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, great-granddaughter of Sheikh Wasimuddin (his great-grandfather Sheikh Zakir's brother). Sheikh Mujib and Begum Mujib's daughter, Sheikh Hasina, married M. A. Wazed in 1968.

Extended family & in-laws

 * Qudratullah Sheikh: An early ancestor of the Sheikh family and Zamindar of Faridpur Mahakumar, he was a son of Sheikh Borhanuddin. His nickname was Kadu Sheikh.
 * Sheikh Abdul Jabbar: Son of Qudratullah Sheikh, father of Sheikh Nurul Haque, grandfather of Sheikh Selim and Sheikh Mani.
 * Sheikh Nurul Haque: Father of Sheikh Selim and Sheikh Mani. He was married to Sheikh Asia Begum, granddaughter of his second-cousin Sheikh Abdul Hamid and sister of Sheikh Mujib. His grandsons are Liton Chowdhury, Nixon Chowdhury, Andaleeve Rahman, Sheikh Taposh, Sheikh Fahim.
 * Sheikh Abdul Rashid: He was the son of Sheikh Mohammad Zakir, brother of both Sheikh Abdul Majid and Sheikh Abdul Hamid, paternal uncle of both Sheikh Lutfar Rahman and Sheikh Sayera Khatun, and paternal granduncle of both Sheikh Mujib and Begum Mujib. He was given the title of Khan Sahib by the erstwhile ruling British.
 * Sheikh Mosharraf Hossain (d. 1991): He was a son of Sheikh Abdul Rashid, a first-cousin of Sheikh Lutfar Rahman, and an uncle of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He was given the title of Khan Sahib by the British Raj. He was a member of the legislative assembly of Pakistan in 1965 and 1970. . During the Bangladesh Liberation War, he was accused of collaborating with the Pakistan Army. After independence he was arrested on charges of collaboration but later freed due to his nephew Sheikh Mujib's intervention. He died on 12 July 1991.
 * Sheikh Kabir Hossain: Son of Sheikh Mosharraf Hossain and second-cousin of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He founded the Fareast International University in Dhaka. His only daughter, Rumpa Kabir, is married to Anindya Bhuiyan, son of Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan (former BNP secretary-general).
 * Sheikh Kamrul Islam Bitu: Son of Sheikh Mosharraf Hossain, trustee of Khulna Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah University & former Bangladesh Chhatra League leader.
 * Sheikh Nadir Hossain: Son of Sheikh Mosharraf Hossain and chairman of Milkvita Bangladesh.
 * Sheikh Zinnatunnesa Begum: Daughter of Sheikh Zahurul Haque and Sheikh Husne Ara Begum. Her sister was Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib and her third-cousin was Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, making Sheikh Hasina her niece. She was married to her cousin Sheikh Mohammad Musa and had a son, Sheikh Shahidul Islam.
 * Sheikh Shahidul Islam: Son of Sheikh Mohammad Musa & Sheikh Zinnatunessa Begum, nephew of both Sheikh Mujib & Begum Mujib, and first-cousin of Sheikh Hasina. He served as the Minister for Education, Public Works, Youth and Sports from 1984 to 1990 and is a former member of parliament from Madaripur-3.
 * Sheikh Hafizur Rahman: Son of Sheikh Habibur Rahman, youngest brother of Sheikh Lutfar Rahman. He was a first-cousin of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and uncle of Sheikh Hasina. He served as a member of parliament from Narail-2 and is a member of the Workers Party of Bangladesh. His wife, Sheikh Anne Rahman, was a member of parliament from a women's reserved seat. Her father was politician Enayet Hossain Khan.
 * Khandaker Nurul Islam: He was also known as Nuru Mia. He was elected to the Pakistan parliament in the 1970 Pakistani general election. He was accused of being a collaborator of the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Later he was elected to the first Jatiya Sangsad in the 1973 Bangladeshi general election. One of the early ancestors of the Sheikh family, Sheikh Zahiruddin, married a woman from the Khandakar family of Kandirpar, Faridpur. He was a distant cousin of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and grandfather-in-law of Saima Wazed. His brother, Hiru Mia, was married to the sister of Syeda Iqbal Mand Banu, mother-in-law of Tarique Rahman (son of Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia).
 * Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain: Son of Nuru Mia, former minister and member of parliament from Faridpur. His son, Khandakar Masrur Hossain, was married to Saima Wazed, daughter of Sheikh Hasina.
 * Khandakar Masrur Hossain: Son of Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain. He married his cousin Saima Wazed, making Sheikh Hasina his mother-in-law and Sheikh Mujib his grandfather-in-law.
 * Md. Habibe Millat: Son-in-law of Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain and former member of parliament from Sirajganj-2.
 * Kazi Zafarullah: Senior Awami League politician and former member of parliament from Faridpur-4. One of the early ancestors of the Sheikh family, Sheikh Borhanuddin, married a woman from the Kazi family of Tungipara, making them cousins of the Sheikhs. His father, Kazi Mahbubullah, was a cousin and close friend of Sheikh Mujib, while Zafarullah himself was a cousin and close friend of Sheikh Kamal. He is married to Nilufer Zafarullah, chairman of Midland Bank Limited and former member of parliament from Faridpur-4.
 * Shahid Serniabat: He was the nephew of Abdur Rab Serniabat. He was killed along with his uncle and cousins in 1975.
 * General Mustafizur Rahman: He was married to a cousin of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He served as the Chief of Army Staff from December 1997 to December 2000. General Rahman was one of the people involved in the Mig-29 corruption scandal, which also included his niece Sheikh Hasina.
 * Jahangir Kabir Nanak: Former president of Jubo League, former secretary-general of Chhatra League, and senior Awami League politician. He is a nephew of Abdur Rab Serniabat (brother-in-law of Sheikh Mujib) and cousin of Abul Hasanat Abdullah.
 * Amir Hossain Amu: Senior Awami League politician and member of parliament from Jhalokati-2. He was married to Feroza Hossain (d. 2007), a cousin of Sheikh Mujib, making him an uncle to Sheikh Hasina and brother-in-law to Sheikh Mujib.
 * Sheikh Akram Hossain: Brother of Begum Mujib, cousin of Sheikh Mujib, and maternal uncle of Sheikh Hasina. He was the Acting President of Tungipara Upazila Awami League. In 2008’s election he submitted the nomination paper on behalf of Sheikh Hasina (Gopalganj-3). Akram and Sheikh Hasina were both arrested in Ershad’s regime at Sudha Sadan Dhanmondi. Akram died in 2009, leaving behind his children: Sheikh Milly, Sheikh Molly, Sheikh Hera, and Sheikh Shafin.
 * Mominul Haque Khoka: He was a first-cousin of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (his mother was the sister of Sheikh Lutfar Rahman) and a freedom fighter. Khoka died in 2014 at the age of 81 in Singapore, leaving behind a son and a daughter.
 * Farhana Haque: Daughter of Mominul Haque Khoka and a Bangladeshi businesswoman. She is a director of Bank Asia Limited and owner of DHS Motors (distributor of Honda vehicles in Bangladesh). She is married to businessman Romo Rouf Chowdhury (son of A. Rouf Chowdhury, the founder of Rangs Group).
 * Ivy Rahman: Maternal aunt of Shafique Ahmed Siddique (husband of Sheikh Rehana). She was the president of the Bangladesh Mohila Awami League. She was married to former president of Bangladesh Zillur Rahman with whom she had a son, Nazmul Hassan Papon. She died in the 2004 Dhaka grenade attack while protecting Sheikh Hasina.
 * Nazmul Hassan Papon: First-cousin of Shafique Ahmed Siddique and brother-in-law of Sheikh Rehana. He is a member of parliament from Kishoreganj-6 and president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board. He is married to the daughter of businessman Hashem Ali from the Ali family of Chittagong (founders of Hotel Agrabad).
 * AFM Bahauddin Nasim: He served as a member of parliament and APS to Sheikh Hasina. His paternal grandmother was a sister of Sheikh Lutfar Rahman, making Sheikh Mujib his uncle and Sheikh Hasina his second-cousin.
 * Abul Kalam Azad: Former information and cultural affairs minister of Bangladesh. His wife is the sister of Sheikh Selim's wife.
 * Moosa Bin Shamsher: Bangladeshi businessman and alleged arms dealer. His daughter, Nancy, is married to Sheikh Fazle Fahim, son of Sheikh Selim.
 * Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku: Former minister and BNP leader. His daughter, Sarah, is married to Sheikh Nayem, son of Sheikh Selim. His close friend was Sheikh Kamal.
 * Mahbubul Alam Hanif: Senior Awami League leader and former Special Assistant to Sheikh Hasina. His older brother was married to the sister of Abul Hasanat Abdullah (first-cousin of Sheikh Hasina).
 * Lal Mia and Mohan Mia: Zamindars of Faridpur and sons of Chowdhury Moyezuddin Biwshash. Lal Mia's eldest son, Raja Mia, was married to the daughter of Mosammat Begum (Sheikh Mujib's cousin). Their son, Golam Gafur Chowdhury, was an established lawyer from Faridpur. Mohan Mia's son was married to the sister of Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain.
 * Anwar Hossain Manju: Bangladeshi politician and president of the Jatiya Party (Manju), a close family friend and in-law of the Sheikh family. He served as a minister several times in Sheikh Hasina's different cabinets. His father was Tofazzal Hossain Manik Miah, a journalist and owner of The Daily Ittefaq. Manik Miah was a close associate and mentor to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, making the two families close friends. Sheikh Mujib named the street in front of the Jatiya Sangsad Manik Miah Avenue in his honor after independence. Manju's daughter, Tareen Hossain Manju, is married to Nixon Chowdhury, grandnephew of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.