PM urges unity for a peaceful Bangladesh

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman yesterday pledged to build a peaceful and secure Bangladesh through the united efforts of people of all religions and warned against any attempt to create division among them.

“Today, people of all religions are sitting together in one row here. This has long been a tradition of Bangladesh. No one should be allowed to create division among us. Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians -- we will all work together, In Sha Allah, to build a peaceful Bangladesh.”

People of all religions in Bangladesh have always lived together in peace, the PM said at the inauguration of a government pilot programme to provide monthly honorariums to imams, muezzins, and other religious leaders.

“We want to build a safe state and a secure society for everyone -- something that people from all classes and professions desire,” he told the event at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the presence of leaders of all faiths.

Tarique said he believes every religion carries positive messages for building a morally enriched human society and stressed that people with religious knowledge have a crucial role in promoting religious, social, and moral values in society.

“Once again, through today’s [Saturday] programme, we take an oath to build our beloved Bangladesh into a country where people of every religion and profession can live in peace. Together, we will build this country. Let this be our oath and our expectation.”

The PM said the government’s programme to provide honorariums to khatibs, imams, and muezzins has reached its first phase under a pilot scheme.

A total of 4,908 mosques, 990 temples, and 144 Buddhist monasteries are covered, benefiting 16,992 religious leaders with monthly honorariums.

Tarique also promised that everyone will gradually be included under this programme, adding that the main goal of such economic initiatives for people of all professions is to help citizens become financially self-reliant.

At the same time, he made a humble appeal to religious leaders, saying that if they wish to participate in other economic or social activities alongside their duties at mosques or places of worship, the government is ready to support those initiatives as well.

The PM said his government will make its best efforts, within the capacity of the state, to ensure financial and social security for every citizen regardless of religion or background.

He, however, said citizens also have responsibilities towards the state and society. “If each of us performs our duties properly from our respective positions, I hope that within the next 10 years we will see a politically and economically self-reliant Bangladesh.”