Speakers at an international conference in Dhaka emphasised the importance of political will in tackling religious extremism and terrorism, which are a threat to all nations in South Asia.
“The governments in South Asia need to sit together and find out a common strategy to fight religious extremism which is set to destabilise the region,” Indian lawmaker Mani Shanker Aiyar said. He was speaking at the valedictory session of the two-day international conference titled “Religion and Politics: South Asia” at the Cirdap auditorium in the capital on Saturday.
Aiyar said it was silly to bring religion into administration and politics. The South Asian governments should also recognise the religious minorities, he added.
Prof Rohan Gunaratna from Sri Lanka suggested that education can be a tool to fight terrorism. There must be an operational approach under which different forces, including police, would work to counter terrorism, he added.
Rohan also mentioned that extremists in Bangladesh use around 100 internet websites.
Shahriar Kabir, human rights activist and organiser of the Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, said the dominance of religion in the name of politics existed in all nations of South Asia.
He said: “All democratic forces need to be united to fight the menace of religious extremism which opposes the communal harmony.”
Prof Syed Anwar Hossain said religion was a powerful element in human life and that those who mix religion with politics have other purposes to serve.
In replying to queries from the audience, Syed Haider Farooq Maudoodi, son of the Jamaat-e-Islami founder, said: “I have right to give an opinion as my father does.”
Comparing Jamaat with an illegitimate son, he said as an illegitimate son has no rights to property, similarly Jamaat has no rights to do politics in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Itihas Sammilani [Bangladesh History Congress], a civil society platform based in Dhaka, organised the conference, which was attended by lawmakers and academics from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, among others.
