By NNN-BSS,
Dhaka : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday called upon the imams and other religious leaders to remain alert so that none can mislead the innocent people through misinterpretation of Islam, the religion of peace.
“You will have to remain vigil against misinterpretation of Islam and any trade in religion as people want from you the actual interpretation of Islam,” she said while addressing the
National Conference of Trained Imams at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) here.
Describing Islam as the religion of peace and harmony, she said there is no room for terrorism and militancy in Islam as it does not allow any militancy, killing people and suicide that are considered as great sin in Islam.
The Prime Minister regretted that militant activities are being carried out in the name of Islam although it does not support such activities, which is undermining the image and
dignity of the religion of peace across the world.
“The militants have no identity and religion and they are the enemy of human being,” Sheikh Hasina said.
The Prime Minister said the anti-liberation forces, who have killed the freedom loving people and perpetrated atrocities on women during the country’s War of Liberation in 1971, are
creating militancy and terrorism in the country.
She called the imams to unmask the faces of the anti-liberation forces, who still can not accept our victory in 1971 and build strong resistance against the culprits.
R ring to secularism, she said a section of people have been trying to mislead pead people by misinterpreting secularism.
“Secularism means that people belonging to different religion will perform their religious rituals independently which is the main message of Islam,” she added.
The Prime Minister urged the imams to teach the children that Islam is the religion of peace and harmony and there is no room for militancy and terrorism in Islam.
She said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman established the Islamic Foundation in 1975 to spread the message of Islam, allocated huge land on the bank of river Turag for the “Bishwa Ijtema” and banned all anti-Islamic activities including import of wine and horse race in the city’s Suhrawardy Udayan through promulgating laws.
But, she said that after the assassination of Bangabandhu, President Ziaur Rahman provided license for importing wine.
Besides, she said Bangabandhu also created an environment in the country where people belonging to all religion can perform their religious rituals independently as he believed that
secularism does not mean devoid of religion.
She said Bangabandhu also sent a number of delegations comprising Alims and Olema abroad to project the actual picture of Islamic values in the independent Bangladesh.
“But the successive governments who are now misleading the innocent people in the name of Islam suspended all laws promulgated by the then Bangabandhu government to uphold the values of Islam,” she added.
The Prime Minister listed various development programmes implemented by her government for the cause of Islam and welfare of the Alim and Olemas (religious leaders) including allocation of land for Islamic Foundation head office, formation of “Imam-Moazzin” Welfare Trust, setting up Hajj camp, introduction of vocational training course in 100 madrasas, making madrasa education time befitting, promulgation of National Hajj Policy-2010 and implementation of extension works of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque.
Sheikh Hasina said her government has a plan to build a mosque in the “Bishwa Ijtema” site in Tungi so that the devotees could offer prayers round the year.
She directed the Islamic Foundation to up load the holy Quaran with Bangla translation and interpretation on the website so that Muslims around the world could read it through computer.
State Minister for Religious Affairs Mohammad Shahjahan Mia, secretary to the ministry Qazi Habibul Awal, Director General of Islamic Foundation Samim Mohammad Afjal, UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh Carel de Rooy, among others, spoke on the occasion.
Around 25,00 imams from across the country joined the conference.