President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has called for a national committee to be formed to ensure equal civic rights for people of all religions.
He made the call in a message to Hindu community leaders and the country’s Hindus at a reception held at Bangabhaban on Wednesday morning (21 October) to mark Durga Puja and Bijoya Dashami.
“Religion is for each of us, the state is for all. The right to security and justice also belongs to everyone,” the president said. Noting that Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and Christians are all citizens of this country, he said: “The constitution has given everyone equal rights, dignity and freedom of religion.” He said the government was committed to achieving that goal.
“While war, violence and communal strife go on in many parts of the world, people of all faiths here are celebrating their festivals in peace. That is our greatest achievement. This harmony is our strength and our very existence, and it must be kept intact at any cost,” he said.
“At times there are attempts to sow division through rumours, propaganda and religious extremism. We must stand firm and uncompromising against them. The young generation in particular must speak up for truth, justice and humanity,” he said.
“This country belongs to all of us. We must build it together. No evil force can be allowed to sow division and destroy national unity and progress,” the president said.
He called for a safe, democratic, humane and welfare-oriented Bangladesh built on mutual respect, equality and social justice. Bangladesh is a land of communal harmony, he said; its people are non-communal, and people of all faiths have lived together on this land for a thousand years in mutual respect and brotherhood. The participation of people of every religion in the Liberation War and in every democratic struggle and fight against injustice is the foundation of national unity, he said.
Greeting the Hindu guests on Bijoya Dashami, he said: “I am delighted to welcome you to Bangabhaban on this joyful occasion.” The message of the festival is the destruction of evil and the victory of truth, beauty and goodness, he said. It is unacceptable for any citizen to face discrimination or persecution because of religion, caste or community.
The president said law enforcement agencies and the administration had been told to stay on the highest alert so that people of all faiths can practise their religion in a safe and joyful setting.
Earlier, when the president arrived at the Credentials Hall of Bangabhaban, leaders of the Hindu Religious Welfare Trust, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Kalyan Front, the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad and the Mahanagar Sarbojanin Puja Committee greeted him with flowers.
The president exchanged greetings with all the visitors and guests at Bangabhaban.
The president’s wife, Rahat Ara Begum, was present. Religious Affairs Minister Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain, State Minister Mohammad Shamim Kaiser, the prime minister’s special assistant on Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and ethnic minority affairs Bijon Kanti Sarkar (with the rank of state minister), and senior government officials also attended.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report