Arrest of Amini demanded
Leaders of different political parties yesterday demanded immediate arrest of Islamic Oikya Jote (IOJ) leader Maulana Fazlul Haque Amini for his “audacious” remarks threatening to paralyse the country using 20,000 madrasas across the country.
“I wonder why Amini is not arrested yet for using religion for his vested interests and madrasas,” Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon said.
He said 20,000 madrasas are not Amini's personal property or institutions under him and rather belong to the state and the people.
Menon said he believed the students of these religious seminaries themselves will prevent the abuse of the religion by rejecting Amini's call considering the present grand alliance government's initiatives to promote madrasa education.
“Amini is misguiding the young madrasa students in the name of holy Islam which eventually may affect the entire madrasa education system,” he said.
Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) General Secretary Mujahidul Islam Selim said, “He (Amini) leads a party which is constitutionally illegal” as the Article 38 of the constitution did not permit the use of religion in politics.
“It appears to be a big question to the people why Amini's office is yet not kept under lock and key and the man is not arrested for activities which are contrary to the constitution,” Selim said.
Selim said the madrasa students also joined the 1971 Liberation War defying attempts to mislead them in the name of Islam and the attempts by such elements to misguide the youths of the religious schools would be frustrated this time also.
“Mere 'audacity' is not the appropriate word to describe (Amini's) comments . . . we demand his immediate arrest,” Selim said.
Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal President Hasanul Haque Inu said elements like Amini should be kept in jail for their communal and undemocratic remarks and activities and the man should be stripped off his title of “maulana” for abusing religion.
“The madrassas belong to people, not to religion trader like Amini,” Inu said.
The left-leaning leaders' comments came a day after Amini-led IOJ faction warned of announcing tougher programmes to paralyse the country if the Women Development Policy is not scrapped at a rally at Jatiya Press Club auditorium.
“We can create an impasse in the country by a one-hour notice as there are 20,000 madrassas in Bangladesh which will respond to our call immediately,” he claimed.
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