Bangladesh
Hefazat Arrests Only power-hungry clerics have been arrested: State Minister for Religion
Dhaka, June 16: State Minister for Religion Faridul Haque Khan said no real cleric had been arrested. Only those who are involved in criminal activities, anti-government and anti-social, conspiratorial activities have been brought under the law.
The state minister for religion was speaking in Parliament on Tuesday (June 15th) in response to a statement from lawmakers on a proposal to amend the Hajj and Umrah Management Bill.
Earlier, BNP MPs Harunur Rashid and Rumin Farhana, while referring to the bill sent to the verification committee and proposing amendments, sharply criticized the recent arrest of clerics. Their release was also demanded in Parliament.
"Everyone knows what Bangabandhu and his daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have done for Islam in this country. At no stage did any elderly person or real scholar come under arrest or prosecution. Only some money and power-hungry alems [religious scholars] who are involved in various criminal offenses; Those who are involved in conspiratorial activities against the state and society in the name of religion have come under the law. If someone is unjustly arrested, the Prime Minister immediately informs them to be released. And many scholars have already been released. But the legal action has been taken against those who are actually guilty," the minister said.
Adding that the law is equal for everyone, the minister said, "The law works equally for everyone. Sheikh Hasina's government respects people of all walks of life, including all elderly scholars. Since the various ministries have worked in unison under the direction of the Prime Minister, the country has come to a lot of transparency and rules from the incident of Hefazat-e-Islam. The Prime Minister has accepted what is needed to run the system."
Earlier, BNP's Harunur Rashid had said, "What are we seeing today in Bangladesh? Religious scholars - whom we call alems, are under deadly persecution. They face remand and arrest. Please release them. Otherwise the balance of the country will be lost."
