"Breeding Jihadists with promise of 72-virgins"
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
April 02, 2009
Law and Parliamentary Affairs minister in Bangladesh, Barrister Shafiq Ahmed on April 1, 2009 said Qaumi [Koranic] Madrassas in the country have turned into breeding ground of Jihadists. Students are given the motivation of religious hatred.
He said, clergies in mosques only preach the easiest way of entering heaven and getting 72-virgins. They never tell the truth. Such educations are given in all the mosques and Madrassas.
The minister made these comments during a discussion on Anti-Terrorism Act 2009, which has been recently passed in the parliament.
Barrister Shafiq said, militancy is spreading in Bangladesh mainly from these Koranic Madrassas.
"You will find a Madrassa in every one kilometer. There aren´t only Madrassas for male students but female students too. Large number of Madrassas is running with foreign funding."
The Law minister said, declaring Islam as the state religion of Bangladesh was the key reason behind rise of militancy and Jihadists tendency in the country.
"No religion endorses terrorism. Terrorism in the name of religion is absolutely anti-religious acts" he said.
The minister asked the clergies and religious teachers to refrain from giving criminal interpretation or false interpretation of Islam so that people won´t get mislead towards terrorist activities.
This is for the first time; Bangladesh government openly admitted the fact that Madrassas in the country are virtually breeding ground of Jihadists. And, with this statement, what I have been saying since 2001 has got official endorsement. But, despite such open admission of fact by the law minister of Bangladesh, a false sedition, treason and blasphemy charge is hanging on me till date which was created by the BNP-Islamist government with the ulterior motive of suffocating the voice of moderate Muslims.
I am sure the present government in Bangladesh will also realize the fact that, any sort of Jihadists activities in the country should be banned. There should also be ban on hate speech in the mosques, Madrassas and Islamic congregations. It is time for the Bangladesh government to say NO to jihad, no to Holocaust denial and extend hands of cooperation towards Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East by abandoning the old habits of undue support towards terrorist organizations like Hamas. The government should declare Hamas, Hezbollah etc as notorious terror groups, by joining the mainstream voices in the world.
In Bangladesh, for decades, Madrassas are mostly run by half educated teachers, who understand the theme of giving instigation of religious hatred amongst the students. Same notion also exists in the mind of clergies in the mosques. Friday sermons in the mosques are nothing but filled with hate speech and provocation towards killing Jews and Christians.
Clergies or religious teachers continue to describe by referring to Koran, how the 72-virgins will be ready to serve the each of the person in the heaven "with anything they want, from serving liquor to sexual company."
"These females are as beautiful as pearl and gems. No one ever touched them before."
The clergies and teachers in mosques and Madrassas project Osama Bin Laden and other terrorists as ´heroes´. Al Qaida is projected as a ´holy institution´. Terrorism of Hamas is seen as "divine task".
And, interestingly, a number of large Madrassas in Bangladesh are continuing to be the undeclared head quarters of some fanatic Islamist political parties. Intelligence agencies in the country are well aware of such facts. Shrewd Islamist politicians use the under-privileged students in the Madrassas virtually as pawn of their political and otherwise desires. In most cases, students are forced in joining anti-West rallies and ´demonstrations´ of the streets thus burning flags of different nations and chanting Jihadist slogans.
For the sake of combating militant Islam, Bangladesh government certainly needs to put focus on these points, forthwith!
He said, clergies in mosques only preach the easiest way of entering heaven and getting 72-virgins. They never tell the truth. Such educations are given in all the mosques and Madrassas.
The minister made these comments during a discussion on Anti-Terrorism Act 2009, which has been recently passed in the parliament.
Barrister Shafiq said, militancy is spreading in Bangladesh mainly from these Koranic Madrassas.
"You will find a Madrassa in every one kilometer. There aren´t only Madrassas for male students but female students too. Large number of Madrassas is running with foreign funding."
The Law minister said, declaring Islam as the state religion of Bangladesh was the key reason behind rise of militancy and Jihadists tendency in the country.
"No religion endorses terrorism. Terrorism in the name of religion is absolutely anti-religious acts" he said.
The minister asked the clergies and religious teachers to refrain from giving criminal interpretation or false interpretation of Islam so that people won´t get mislead towards terrorist activities.
This is for the first time; Bangladesh government openly admitted the fact that Madrassas in the country are virtually breeding ground of Jihadists. And, with this statement, what I have been saying since 2001 has got official endorsement. But, despite such open admission of fact by the law minister of Bangladesh, a false sedition, treason and blasphemy charge is hanging on me till date which was created by the BNP-Islamist government with the ulterior motive of suffocating the voice of moderate Muslims.
I am sure the present government in Bangladesh will also realize the fact that, any sort of Jihadists activities in the country should be banned. There should also be ban on hate speech in the mosques, Madrassas and Islamic congregations. It is time for the Bangladesh government to say NO to jihad, no to Holocaust denial and extend hands of cooperation towards Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East by abandoning the old habits of undue support towards terrorist organizations like Hamas. The government should declare Hamas, Hezbollah etc as notorious terror groups, by joining the mainstream voices in the world.
In Bangladesh, for decades, Madrassas are mostly run by half educated teachers, who understand the theme of giving instigation of religious hatred amongst the students. Same notion also exists in the mind of clergies in the mosques. Friday sermons in the mosques are nothing but filled with hate speech and provocation towards killing Jews and Christians.
Clergies or religious teachers continue to describe by referring to Koran, how the 72-virgins will be ready to serve the each of the person in the heaven "with anything they want, from serving liquor to sexual company."
"These females are as beautiful as pearl and gems. No one ever touched them before."
The clergies and teachers in mosques and Madrassas project Osama Bin Laden and other terrorists as ´heroes´. Al Qaida is projected as a ´holy institution´. Terrorism of Hamas is seen as "divine task".
And, interestingly, a number of large Madrassas in Bangladesh are continuing to be the undeclared head quarters of some fanatic Islamist political parties. Intelligence agencies in the country are well aware of such facts. Shrewd Islamist politicians use the under-privileged students in the Madrassas virtually as pawn of their political and otherwise desires. In most cases, students are forced in joining anti-West rallies and ´demonstrations´ of the streets thus burning flags of different nations and chanting Jihadist slogans.
For the sake of combating militant Islam, Bangladesh government certainly needs to put focus on these points, forthwith!
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