Those who are killing people in the name of Jihad are the enemies of Islam as this religion has no place for militancy.
This was the message of a special anti-terror sermon [khutba] delivered at the Juma prayers at a number of mosques of Dhaka and different other district towns.
On Thursday, the Islamic Foundation authorities urged mosques across the country to follow the sermon to be delivered at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque during yesterday’s Juma prayers.
However, imams of various mosques said they could not deliver the prescribed sermon as they did not get its copy, reports our correspondents from different districts.
In Sylhet, imams at most of the mosques read out the anti-terror sermon formulated by the Islamic Foundation but did not explain the issue in the speech.
Hafiz Moulana Asjod Ahmed, imam of Hazrat Shahjalal (R) Shrine Mosque told The Daily Star that he had not received any copy from Islamic Foundation. But he spoke against militancy in his speech before the prayer.
Contacted, Farid Uddin Ahmed, divisional director of Islamic Foundation in Sylhet, said they could not circulate the copies of the sermon among all the mosques. But, in a workshop arranged by the foundation on Thursday, around a thousand imams were informed about it, he said.
Imams of major mosques of Nilphamari district and its upazilas read out the common sermon and explained the issue as well.
But in distant areas, some imams just read out the written text without explaining anything, reports our Nilphamari correspondent.
Imams of mosques in Barisal, Benapole, Patuakhali and Manikganj told our local correspondents that they were not given any copies.
Hafez Harun, imam of a Chittagong mosque under Kotwali Police Station, said he too did not receive any copy of the sermon.
The idea of the common sermon (khutba) came in efforts to create awareness against terrorism and militancy following recent Holey Artisan siege on July 1 and Sholakia attack on Eid day. The incidents left more than two dozen people killed.
Source: The Daily Star
