Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday urged all, including the religious scholars, to face those hurting the religious sentiment of the country’s people resorting to terrorism and militancy though Islam is a religion of peace.
“Islam is a religion of peace, but it’s very unfortunate a vested quarter is out to undermine the religion and hurt the religious sentiment of the country’s people. You’ll have to get united to face them so that the sanctity of this religion is protected,” she said.
The Prime Minister was speaking at a function when a delegation of Bangladesh Jamiatul Modaresin met her at her official residence Ganobhaban in the afternoon.
Mentioning that Islam is moderate religion and no religion has given such dignity to women that Islam did, Hasina called upon all so that no one can confuse people through misinterpretation of this religion. “It’s the duty of all to protect the sanctity of Islam and its dignity.”
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid, AL Religious Affairs Secretary Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, Bangladesh Jamiatul Modaresin president Alhaj AMM Bahauddin and Secretary General Sabbir Ahmed Momtazi spoke on the occasion.
If voted to power again, the Prime Minister said, her government would gradually do everything for further development of the country’s madrasah education, including raising the salaries and retirement of age of the madrasah teachers.
Turning to the heinous incident of burning the copies of holy Quran and setting fire to the Baitul Mukarram Mosque during the Dhaka siege programme by the Hefajat-e-Islam in association with BNP-Jamaat-Shibir cadres on May 5, she said that nothing could be more regrettable than this.
“We want such incident not to happen again. The holy Quran is the symbol of Islam and it’s our duty to protect its dignity. No one can see the holy Quran being maligned, and I seek your support to deal with such things,” Hasina added.
The Prime Minister reiterated that her government, if voted to power again, would construct a nice central mosque in each district and in each upazila for the spread and flourishing of Islam.
She said the process of forming Islamic Arabic University would go on as a bill to this end has already been passed in parliament last month while it is under process for appointing a Project Director and then the Vice Chancellor and for building its infrastructures.
Emphasising the continuity of the government, Hasina alleged that whatever development initiatives she had taken in her previous term was halted by the successive BNP-Jamaat alliance government.
“It’s the Almighty Allah who is all in all to give someone power and also to snatch it from him or her, and I believe it always. If people vote for us, we’ll assume office again,” she hoped.
Recalling the contributions of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman towards the spread of Islam, the Prime Minister mentioned that Bangabandhu established the Islamic Foundation in the country, banned gambling, race course and liquor and provided land for holding Biswa Ijtema at Tongi. “And Bangladesh also got the OIC membership during his time.”
Listing various steps of her government for the welfare of Islam, she said that her government has made mandatory the religious education in the education policy, gave recognition and put due importance to madrasah education, formed a commission for finalizing the curricula for the Qoumi madrasahs, introduced Digital Quran Sharif to enable Bangladeshis living across the world to recite holy Quran wherever they stay, introduction of Imam-Muajjin Welfare Trust and ensuring training of imams and introduction of mosque-based education.
Mentioning that her government is also very sincere in ensuring that that there is no indiscipline in hajj management, Hasina said that due to proactive steps of her government, the number of hajj pilgrims during her tenure has increased to 1,12,958 in 2012 from 47,983 in 2006.
Besides, the government is doing all necessary things for ensuring safe travel to and from Saudi Arabia alongside transferring the hajj mission to Makka from Jeddah to facilitate the service to hajj pilgrims.
“We’ve been able to assume office by the grace of the Almighty Allah….our aim is to establish Bangladesh as a dignified nation on the global stage,” she said.
Source: UNB Connect