Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh chief Shah Ahmed Shafi has strongly condemned and objected to newspaper reports quoting the remarks of UN Special Rapporteur Rashida Manjoo.
In a statement released Thursday, the top leader of the Islamist group said: “Rashida Manjoo should give an explanation mentioning which part of Hefazat-e-Islam’s 13-point demands includes statements opposing rights and interests of women.”
“She will have to explain how she showed such courage by giving statement against the demands of crores of Islamists. We also need answers whether she has any right to comment on such issues or not,” the statement reads.
The 4th demand of Hefazat, according to the statement, says: “End all alien cultural practices like immodesty, lewdness, misconduct, culture of free mixing of the sexes, candle lighting in the name of personal freedom and free speech.”
Shafi termed the statement a “vicious move” to ruin the peaceful state of the country.