Minister for amending religious laws

Law Minister Shafique Ahmed yesterday stressed the need for amending the existing religious laws to establish the rights of women as well as real religious rules.
“Religious laws have been sometimes denying the religious rules in many ways. In real sense, many laws could not support the holy Quran and Islami sharia,” he said.
As per advises and recommendations from the religious leaders, the new laws could be announced to eliminate discrimination against women, said the minister.
“Society, religions, and laws aim the welfare of people. Half the society's population is women. I never think the people will oppose the announcement of new laws for their welfare.”
Shafique Ahmed said the government will consider all logical recommendations to reduce violence against women.
He said if the women can attain economic self-sufficiency through proper education, the violence against women would be reduced a great deal.
The law minister was addressing a workshop titled “Implementation of 'CEDAW' for reducing violence against women (ICRVAW) project.”
Legislative and parliamentary affairs division of the ministry and the UN Women jointly organised it at Cirdap auditorium in the city yesterday.
Prof Dr Shawkat Ara Hossain, chairperson of political science department of Dhaka University, read out the keynote paper.
Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Secretary Mohammad Shahidul Haque chaired the workshop addressed also by State Minister for Law Qamrul Islam and UN Women's national programme manager Naheed M Ahmed.
Shafique also said, “The state-religion Islam and secularism is not contradictory in the constitution. As per the verdict of court, the constitution is being reprinted.”
He told reporters that the constitution will be placed in parliament as per the recommendations by the special committee formed to install the 1972 constitution.
State Minister for Law Qamrul Islam stressed the need for changing the Muslim Inheritance Law to establish equal rights of Muslim women on father's property.