BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has questioned why, despite the presence of a large number of Muslims, mosques, madrasas, imams and Islamic scholars in the country, there is still widespread injustice, corruption, theft and money laundering. He said, “People show great enthusiasm when it comes to building a mosque, but where does that enthusiasm disappear when it comes to building good human beings, I fail to understand.”
He made these remarks on Saturday (22 November) at a discussion meeting of the caretakers of mosque-based mass education under the Islamic Foundation, held at the auditorium of the Institution of Diploma Engineers in the capital.
Fakhrul added that deeper discussions and effective measures are urgently needed on how religion and morality can be applied in society. Citing the example of Indonesia, he said, “There, no matter which party is in power—communist or Islamic—no major decision is taken without the powerful religious body, the Democratic Association of Ulama.” According to him, Bangladesh lacks such a strong institutional structure.
Describing the BNP as a ‘liberal democratic party’, he said that without democracy, the rights of any class or religious group cannot be ensured. He alleged that over the past 15–16 years, under the Sheikh Hasina government, people have been deprived of their voting rights as well as the right to practise their religion.
In a tone of criticism, he added that some Islamic scholars have conferred the title ‘Mother of Qawmi’ upon Sheikh Hasina—which raises many questions. He claimed that various state institutions have been destroyed due to politicisation. He said that if the BNP comes to power, the Islamic Foundation will be restructured as a full-fledged state institution and initiatives will be taken to include it in the revenue sector.
Fakhrul said that every day numerous reports of wrongdoing appear in newspapers. But if moral education could be firmly established, killings, robbery and crime would decline significantly. He emphasised that the sources of morality—family, teachers, schools and madrasas—must be strengthened as a priority.
He urged everyone at the meeting to unite in order to hold a proper, fair and acceptable election. According to him, only through such an election can a democratic government and parliament be formed, where national issues can be raised and resolved—and that would truly reflect the will of the people.
SS