Hefazat holds prayers for prime minister

Islamist group Hefazat-e-Islam on Friday expressed its joy at the removal of the Lady Justice statue from the Supreme Court premises in Dhaka before demanding the dismantling of all “idols” from Bangladesh. The blind-folded, sari-clad stone figure of a woman was considered symbolic of justice, holding a sword in one hand and a scale in the other. But Hefazat had targeted the monument since it was erected in December, saying it did not “reflect the Islamic culture of the Muslim people of Bangladesh”. Two leading figures from Hefazat’s Dhaka Committee extended the demand on Friday to include the eventual removal of all idols from public places in Bangladesh. “We will not tolerate any idols on roadsides in the country,” said Dhaka Committee chief Nur Hossain Kashemi, who also thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for fulfilling her pledge to remove the statue. He made the statement in front of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque after the Jumma prayers. Prior to that, supporters of the Islamist group staged what they called a “thanksgiving procession” and a prayer session seeking a long life for the prime minister. At the programme, Hefazat’s Dhaka City Vice-Chairman Mojibur Rahman Hamidi also vowed to ensure that no idols remain in the country in the future. “If anyone tries to build them, the Islamic people will give them a proper reply,” he said. Asked for clarification of both comments by the Dhaka Tribune, a Hefazat representative could not specify which statues would be counted as idols. Meanwhile in Chittagong, Hefazat Secretary General Junayed Babunagari said they would not allow the statue to be set up again anywhere in the country, our Chittagong correspondent reports. “We have come to know that the dislodged idol is going to be reinstalled before the annex building of the court. We want to make it clear that the idol is tantamount to garbage which must be overthrown for good. People will not allow any initiative to install the idol again. We urge the authorities concerned not to take that step,” he said in a press statement. Earlier in February, during a protest, the group’s Narayanganj district unit President Mawlana Abdul Awwal said: “You can have however many idols at temples in Bangladesh, but we will not tolerate the presence of an idol in front of the highest court in the country.” Islami Andolan Bangladesh chief Rezaul Karim told the Dhaka Tribune in February: “If the sculpture is not removed, the public will create a river of blood in protest.” Islami Andolon Bangladesh had on Friday threatened to blockade the Supreme Court if the sculpture was not removed by the end of Ramadan.