Another arrest warrant for Latif

A still image from a video shows Minister Abdul Latif Siddique addressing a discussion at Jackson Heights in New York.

A Chittagong court today issued an arrest warrant against sacked minister Abdul Latif Siddique as he did not appear before it in four cases filed for his comments on hajj and Prophet Muhammad (SM).
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Moshiur Rahman Chowdhury passed the order, reports our Chittagong correspondent.
On October 1, advocates Abdus Sattar, Iftekhar Mohsin and Kawsar Parvin lodged three cases with the CMM Court while another case was filed by Abdul Kaiyum against Latif with the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Ahmed Saeed.    
Taking the cases into cognisance, the court summoned the former minister to appear before the court today, said court sources.
On September 28 at a programme in New York, terming hajj as unproductive activity, Latif said it is waste of manpower.
After the comments were published in the media, it created widespread protest in home and abroad leading the Awami League leader’s termination from the position of Posts, Telecommunication and ICT Minister on October 12.
WHAT THE MINISTER SAID
At the programme organised by the Tangail Samity at a New York hotel, Latif said he was against hajj and Tabligh Jamaat more than he was against the Jamaat-e-Islami.
"Hajj is a waste of manpower. Those who perform hajj do not have any productivity. They deduct from the economy, spend a lot of money abroad.
"If 1,00,000 people perform hajj every year on an average and spend Tk 5 lakh each, then the total cost stands at Tk 500 crore," he said.
Speaking about the history of hajj, he said Prophet Muhammad was worried about the people of Arab as they were robbers. The prophet then made an arrangement that his followers meet at a place every year, which will generate income.