“Jamaat does not believe in dividing the nation on the basis of religion; we want a united nation”: Ameer Shafiqur Rahman

Staff Reporter | PNN:

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman has said that his party is not in favor of dividing the nation based on religion. He stated that even though the majority of the country’s population is Muslim, he wants to see a united nation.

He made this remark on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. while speaking as the chief guest at the “Da’ee and Wa’ez Conference,” organized by the party’s Central Ulama Committee at the Al-Falah Auditorium in Moghbazar, Dhaka.

He said, “According to the latest census, 90.8 percent of the country’s people are Muslim. The rest are Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian. But we are not in favor of dividing the nation on the basis of religion. We want to see a united nation.”

Mentioning that people of different faiths and beliefs will continue to exist, he said people will accept religion based on their own judgment and conscience. In this regard, he noted, the responsibility of the da’ees is to follow Allah’s eternal guidance—the Qur’an and the message and actions of the Prophet (peace be upon him)—and invite people to the path of truth.

The Jamaat Ameer further said that when the nation falls into crisis, the scholars and educated people must show the way. They should become the nation’s “rahbar” or guides. Even after so many years of independence, a humane, responsible, and just society has not yet been established in the country—therefore, the nation is in crisis. He called upon the ulama to guide the nation in the light of the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah.

He remarked that the ulama should not only be imams of mosques but also imams of the nation. Criticizing a segment of the educated society, he said, “I have no hesitation in saying this: not all, but a section of the educated society causes such damage to the nation that millions of ordinary people could never cause. With just the stroke of a pen, an individual can bring down the fate of a nation in a way that millions united could not. In this matter, the ulama have a special responsibility to awaken and alert the nation.”

The conference was presided over by Jamaat’s Assistant Secretary General and President of the Central Ulama Division Committee Abdul Halim. Also present at the event were Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar, Assistant Secretary General Rafiqul Islam Khan, Head of Media and Publicity Division Ehsanul Mahbub Jubayer, along with other party leaders.