Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has made it known that no one can defy the religion of Islam in Bangladesh. We agree with her that Islam in its very essence symbolizes peace and those who misuse or abuse it have been doing grave damage to it.
If there are elements in Bangladesh --- and there are plenty --- who have been misinterpreting Islam and giving people a wrong idea about its tenets, they need to be put on the leash and prevented from carrying on with their nefarious activities.
We would also like to note that there are people in Bangladesh who, in the name of Islam and especially through encouragement from the communal politics practiced by successive military regimes and their political followers, have been spreading the notion that ours is no more a secular country. Nothing can be so removed from the truth.
Despite all the upheavals which the country has gone through, the secular Bengali spirit endures. It is this notion which must be upheld and disseminated by the government as well as society throughout the country and around the globe.
What should, indeed must, be emphasized is that Bangladesh is a country born of the united struggle of all its people and of all the followers of its various religious denominations.
While we will not accept any denigration of Islam in any manner, it also becomes our moral and constitutional duty to ensure that the sanctity of other faiths --- Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, et cetera --- is not violated or de-emphasized. There have been instances of temples being destroyed in parts of the country. We still remember Ramu. Such acts go against Bengali tradition and must with severity be suppressed.
Bangladesh has historically been home to all religions. Let us all take a vow to keep it that way. The mosque, the church, the temple, the synagogue elicit our deep respect and veneration. That is our heritage.
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