Members of several intelligence agencies have kept under constant close surveillance the writers and publishers of books providing wrong information on religions and history of the country in Qawmi madrasas.
Such writers and publishers were placed under surveillance on the instruction of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The ministry has asked the Islamic Foundation to send information on these writers and publishers so that the government can take action against them.
A high official of an intelligence agency yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune that the instruction had also been sent to different ministries and departments on April 20.
Besides, the Home Ministry has asked the National Board of Revenue to work with the Bangladesh Bank to trace the funding of militant groups.
A special committee formed by the Home Ministry to resist militancy will hold its second special meeting shortly.
The ministry has asked the NBR chairman, deputy governor of the Financial Intelligence Unit of Bangladesh Bank, and the chairperson of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission to be present at the meeting.
Asaduzzaman Khan, state minister for home, told the Dhaka Tribune that the intelligence agencies had been asked to closely monitor the activities of Qawmi and Alia madrasas.
“The director general of the Islamic Foundation gave me some textbooks of Qawmi and Alia madrasa which included Jihadi statements,” the state minister said.
He said the steps had not been taken all on a sudden. “It is a continuous process.”
In the instruction issued on April 20, the Home Ministry asked the Education Ministry to create awareness among students about militancy by holding discussions highlighting the negative impacts of Islamist militancy.
It told the education ministry secretary to submit the monthly report of the monitoring committee focusing if the national anthem is sung in the assembly and anti-militancy speech delivered at Qawmi and Alia madrasas as instructed.
The Education Ministry was suggested modernising the madrasa education with real history of the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh.
The Religious Affairs Ministry was also instructed to train Imams encouraging them to deliver anti-militancy speech and arrange sermons about the evils of militancy before Juma prayers at mosques.
The Islamic Foundation DG was advised to hold anti-militancy rally in districts in coordination with teachers and students of schools, colleges and madrasas, and Imams of mosques.
The district administration and upazila nirbahi officers will time to time monitor if anti-militancy sermon is delivered at mosques across the country.
They will send a monthly report to the Home Ministry.
The Information Ministry was too asked to make documentaries, short films, advertisements and video clippings on the issue and send them to different electronic media for screening.
