Bangladesh pro-liberation group to sue Islamists as govt calls for calm over statue issue

Muktijuddho Mancha plans to file a sedition case against Islamist leaders Mamunul Haque and Sayed Faizul Karim on charges of defaming Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the name of opposing his statue.

The Mancha will start the case in a court on Sunday, General Secretary Md Al Mamun said at a press conference in Dhaka on Saturday amid calls for calm from the government.

Obaidul Quader, general secretary of the ruling Awami League, said at a separate programme that the government does not want confrontation and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was looking after the statue issue.

Al Mamun said Mamunul, joint secretary general of Hifazat-e Islam, and Faizul, Nayeb-e-Ameer of Islami Andolan Bangladesh, threatened to tear down Bangabandhu’s statue and dump the debris into the Buriganga river.

“The Muktijuddho Mancha strongly condemns aspersions on the Liberation War and the constitution,” he said.

The situation will devolve into a “catastrophe” if legal action is not taken against these Islamist leaders, he said.

“They must be arrested and given exemplary punishment immediately,” Al Mamun said.

He also demanded death penalty for the sexual assaults of students in madrasas, claiming that 35 such incidents occurred in Bangladesh in the past one month.

“The leaders of Hifazat, which claims to be an Islamic party, have been silent over these incidents. It is clear that the Mamunul Haque and Co are involved with or supporting sexual abuse of boys.”

The Muktijuddho Mancha announced a campaign to raise awareness against sexual abuse in religious schools. It will distribute leaflets at mosques after Friday prayers on Dec 11 as part of the campaign.

While paying respect to noted Bengali politician Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy at his grave in the capital, Awami League leader Quader said: “We should not be angry at all the issues.”

“The prime minister is dealing with the matter, just like the way she has overcome every situation, including the coronavirus crisis, with courage. She knows well how to handle which situation,” he said.

“We will not go into a confrontation. We will make [Islamists] understand that idols and sculpture are not the same through arguments,” said Quader, who is also the road transport minister.

“They are speaking against sculpture today. Don’t they know that Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries have sculpture? If sculpture is not against Islam there, how can it be in Bangladesh?”