Dhaka Bureau: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called for ending the ongoing wars in the world, including in Palestine, and establishing peace. At the same time, he asked Imams for prayers to build the smart Bangladesh of the future. He said these things at the National Imam Conference at the Bangabandhu Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center conference room in the east of the capital on Monday (October 30).
Calling upon the imams, he said everyone should be able to practice their own religion while maintaining peace at the grassroots, and they should be careful not to question Islam, the religion of peace.
The Islamic Foundation and the Ministry of Religion organized the National Imam Conference at the Bangabandhu Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center in Purbachal, Narayanganj. About one lakh imams were present in it. The chief guest, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, before entering the main stage, congratulated the imams present in the two other auditoriums and asked for prayers to continue the development journey of the country. At the beginning of the speech, the Chief Minister expressed his gratitude to the special guest. At the same time, he highlighted the contribution of the father of the nation to spreading Islam in the country.
The Prime Minister said that we have already built 250 model mosques and Islamic centers at different levels in the country, following in those footsteps. The head of government called on Imams to play a leading role in suppressing militancy and to be careful about trying to divert Islam, the religion of peace, to different sectors.
Islam is the religion of peace, so the Prime Minister called on people of other religions to be sympathetic and said that the cooperation of imams is necessary to maintain the environment of free practice of all religions and to continue the process of development.
Sheikh Hasina said that after independence, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu established the Islamic Foundation for the propagation of Islam. The father of the nation started reciting the Quran on television and radio. Following in their footsteps, we built 546 model mosques across the country to establish Islamic practice and Islamic cultural centers.
The prime minister requested everyone, including the imam-moezzin of all mosques, and said that Islam is a religion of peace. We will follow the words of Farewell, Hajj. I will avoid involvement in militancy, terrorism, and drugs. We must be careful that our religion of peace is not questioned globally for the sake of a handful of people.
He said that the current government has formulated the Zakat Fund Management Act of 2023. People of all religions live in Bangladesh. Everyone should practice their religion properly.
Appealing that innocent people should not be killed and that Trinamool should maintain peace, the Prime Minister said that the development of the people of Bangladesh is my only goal. I want your prayers. We don’t want the wars going on all over the world, the attacks on Palestinians, or the killing of little children. Bangladesh has sent aid to Palestine. I have requested all the heads of state of the world to stop the war; we want peace, not war.
In the speech of the special guest, Imam Shaikh Dr. Abdullah Bin Abdur Rahman Al Buaizan called upon the Imams to be devoted to the country and people by knowing the true meaning of the Qur’an and holding that ideal.
At the end of the program, the head of government announced the inauguration of 50 model mosques and Islamic cultural centers in the sixth phase. After the inauguration of 50 new mosques today, 300 model mosques and Islamic culture centers will be opened out of 564 so far across the country.
Already, in the first phase on December 7, 2021, January 16 this year, the second phase on March 16, the third phase, the fourth phase on April 17, and the fifth phase on July 30, 50 each, a total of 250 model mosques and Islamic cultural centers have been inaugurated.
After the Prime Minister’s election promise in 2014, the government took up the (second revised) project entitled to establish 564 model mosques and Islamic cultural centers in each district and upazila at a cost of Tk 9,435 crore in 2017.
