Islamic scholars from South and Southeast Asia yesterday said Bangladesh can take the leadership role of the Muslim countries for being a model state of the Islamic world and a moderate nation with functional democracy.

They said Bangladesh is also a model of communal harmony as its constitution recognises all citizens as equal and there is no hatred among its people.

The people of Bangladesh are moving ahead by upholding Islamic values and this country certainly does not suffer from the image of having kept women indoors, they told a seminar.

Women are being treated as equal partners of development, a rare case in most of the Muslim countries, they added.

The Islamic scholars and thinkers were speaking on the concluding day of the three-day regional seminar styled "Islam: Religion of Peace, Progress and Harmony; Bangladesh: Model of a Moderate Muslim Nation."

Organised by Dhaka-based Centre for National and Regional Studies (CNRS), the seminar was attended by scholars from Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and host Bangladesh.

The speakers said Bangladesh has set an example by establishing parliamentary democracy, ensuring equal rights of men and women, and empowerment of women.

Condemning the August 17 serial blasts across Bangladesh, they said it is now the prime task of the government to identify the criminals and eliminate their roots. The perpetrators hit at the core spirit of independence and sovereignty, and sentiment of the people of Bangladesh, they reasoned.

The seminar adopted the Dhaka Declaration calling upon Asian Muslim nations to take the lead in upholding the spirit of Islam.

The declaration said Bangladesh has been a moderate Muslim country, and it could take the leadership for waging a campaign to uphold the Islam's spirit.

"Bangladesh is a unique example of communal harmony which can be replicated in many countries, especially the Muslim states," it added.

The Dhaka Declaration in unequivocal terms said there is no room for militancy or terrorism in Islam, which preaches peace and harmony for mankind. "Islam disapproves of attacks on innocent people to pursue any political, social or religious objectives or goals," it said.

The declaration condemned the August 17 blasts in Bangladesh, 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US and the July 7 bomb attacks in London. It said rights of the oppressed Muslims cannot be realised by any act of terrorism, it will rather severely frustrate their just causes.

Taking part in the discussion, Sri Lankan Dr MA Cader said Muslim countries need an ideal state, and Bangladesh can be a model by building future leadership. He urged the Muslims around the globe to update their knowledge about Islam through "Ijtehad".

He said commitment of a Muslim towards Islam is the religion's greatest strength, divisions and internal factions are its worst weakness and western media and intellectual campaigns its greatest threat.

Dr Soherin Saleheen from Indonesia said Bangladesh is far ahead among the Muslim countries, and expressed the hope the people of this country would continue upholding its moderate image by maintaining Islamic values.

Singaporean risk management expert and leading Islamic thinker Dr Shamsul Anuar Mohammad Halip said, "We the Muslims have to change our mindset and move for knowledge-based power and invest more for human resources development."

He said the Muslim countries should take steps to develop their nations in the fields of economics, sciences and technology, and provide modern education to their people to establish peace, progress and harmony so that they can compete with the people of Germany, the US and Japan.

Prof M Shamsher Ali of Southeast University strongly supported reforms in madrasa education in Bangladesh. He suggested subjects related to mathematics, sciences, sociology, economics for at least up to Dakhil (SSC) level and specialisation on Islamic subjects at higher level.

"I don't want to discredit madrasa education, but I don't see the future of Islamic Ummah until the madrasas produce physicians, economists, engineers and students that take civil service examinations."

Prof Ali opposed identifying extremist militants as "fundamentalists" saying it is "a wrong adjective for wrong persons". "A person who believes in the fundamental principles of universal peace and brotherhood is actually a fundamentalist."

Khatib of Dhanmondi Taqwa Mosque Syed Zulfikar Zahur said the Islamic religious leaders including those in Bangladesh had committed two major mistakes that affected the image of Islam.

The first one was done during the World War II by not protesting against the genocide of thousands of Jews in gas chambers, he said.

The Muslim leaders of Bangladesh made the same mistake in 1971 by not raising their voice or taking any stand against the atrocities on the Bengalis by the Pakistani occupation forces during the Liberation War.

Rather a section of the Ulema [Islamic scholars] sided with the occupation forces. "Their mistake in 1971 keeps the nation divided still now. They should apologise for their mistake and join the mainstream."

Turning to the move of a section of Muslims in Bangladesh, he said chanting slogans in the name of Jihad is suicidal, and urged them to leave this path.

"We are far behind everything; we are poor in knowledge and finance and not able do any major things for us. They [non-Muslim powerful states] are launching missiles using satellite technology, while we are chanting slogans for Jihad in the streets or staying in caves; we must come back from such paths of Jihad.

"Let's be enlightened Alem [scholar], develop our Bangladesh and stand as a moderate, democratic and prosperous nation.

"Muslims in the world must be enlightened through knowledge, education and technology to get rid of current disastrous condition."

Former director general of Islamic Foundation Syed Ashraf Ali said there is a huge number of issues, which are strikingly similar in all the major scriptures of different faiths.

"The representatives from different faiths should sit together to weed out the man-made differences and antagonism among the followers of different faiths."

Dr Hasan Mohammad, chairman of political science department of Chittagong University, said democracy must be introduced in all Muslim countries. He also called for establishing Bangladesh as an ideal country in the world.

Terming the 1971 Liberation War a fight against injustice, he asked madrasa teachers to be rational and logical and come forward to bring reforms in their education system to survive in the current global trend.

"Madrasa students will realise which path brings peace and welfare if general education is introduced in their institutions. If there is modern education, madrasa students will be able to choose their way whether they should go for militancy or move for peace and welfare," Dr Hasan added.

He said everything should not be 'Islamised' in the name of 'Islamisation' of knowledge. "Science or other knowledge of one particular time may be proved wrong at another point of time. But Islamic values and spirit are universal and unchangeable," he said.

He urged the Islamic world to strengthen the policy of co-existence with the followers of other faiths and opinions. He said Bangladesh has set an example in terms of its political and democratic practices and other Muslim countries can follow its footsteps.

Prof Mostafizur Rahman of Arabic department at Dhaka University observed there must be a role of a big country behind the recent occurrence in Bangladesh to weaken the country and destroy its image.

He however contradicted introducing Bangladesh as a moderate Muslim country saying others had given this title. "We are not a moderate Muslim country...we are truly an ideal Muslim country," he added.

Prof Mostafizur termed the current practice of Islam as "Muslims' Islam, and not

Islam's Islam that is based on the Qur'an and Hadith", which preach peace, fraternity and progress.