Hefazat regrets offensive language at May 3 rally

Hefazat-e-Islam has expressed regret over the use of unexpected and offensive language by two speakers at its May 3 grand rally at Suhrawardy Udyan.

In an official statement to the media yesterday, Hefazat's Joint Secretary General, Azizul Haque Islamabadi, said the two speakers in question unexpectedly used offensive rhetoric, which Hefazat finds undesirable and does not approve of.

"We do not endorse the use of inappropriate language at the grand rally. We offer our sincere regret to those who were hurt.

"At the same time, we call upon those from the so-called 'secular-progressive camp' who constantly mock Islamic scholars and clerics with hateful labels like 'Jongi' [terrorist or militant], 'Moulobadi' [fundamentalist], 'religious exploiters', and 'communal' to refrain from such offensive terms."

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Disband women’s reform commission

Azizul said, "The very notion that we harbour hatred towards women is absurd. Portraying an ideological battle as 'hatred towards women' is sheer ignorance."

He added that Hefazat is willing to engage in reform efforts to protect women's legitimate rights in accordance with their respective religious laws.

"However, from the outset, a women's affairs reform commission was formed by sidelining Islamic clerics and other religious scholars and instead including a group of NGO-fuelled feminists."

He said that Hefazat's role in expanding female literacy through free education and accommodation at Qawmi madrasas is often overlooked.

"Our work benefits thousands of underprivileged girls every year without any government funding."

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Hefazat seeks withdrawal of all 322 cases against it

Azizul alleged that the portrayal of religious scholars as misogynists is part of a long-running political campaign.

"We believe imperialist forces are using radical feminist groups to discredit us, as our religious stance is seen as an obstacle to their agenda of commodifying women under modern systems."

He warned that Hefazat would not tolerate any excesses regarding religious issues.