Preventing the escalation of any conflict that could result in violence is always the responsible thing to do.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to defend the right to publish cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has drawn widespread condemnation and protests from Muslims across the world with Bangladesh being no exception.
Last Tuesday, approximately 40,000 protesters gathered in Dhaka to march to the French Embassy in protest, completely ignoring all precautions and health directives with regards to the pandemic which had, only recently, closed down our entire nation.
And on Friday, a group of people in Lalmonirhat found it acceptable to take a 50-year-old man, beat him to death, and set fire to his body – an act as heinous as it is cruel – all based on a rumour which was later found to have been untrue.
However, in these situations, it is of the utmost importance that we do not put ourselves, our loved ones, and our fellow countrymen and women in danger by allowing our actions to be ruled by misinformation and ignorance.
In this regard, we commend the prime minister for understanding the sensitive nature of the issue and allowing her calm leadership to prevail. By prioritizing her people and their wellbeing, she has ensured that the situation does not take a turn for the worst.
Our country is currently doing its best to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. It is encouraging to see that the PM has continued to focus on ensuring that a second wave that does not take the lives of more Bangladeshis in the future.
This would be a good time to take a leaf out of the prime minister’s book and, as citizens, remain calm and act reasonably in order to ensure that such acts of violence or negligence are not allowed take place in the future.
Our foremost priority must remain our nation and its people.