The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The ulema at a roundtable in the capital yesterday urged the government to amend the Women's Development Policy in the light of the recommendations put by the committee headed by the acting Khatib of the Baitul Muqarram National Mosque, or else they would have no option but to wage a strong movement to get the demand realised.

The roundtable was organised by the Islami Khalefat Majlis at the Jatiya Press Club VIP Lounge. Ameer of the Party Shaikhul Hadit Allama Azizul Huq was present at the roundtable which was addressed by Moulana Muhiuddin Khan, chief of Jamayat-e-Ulameye Islam, Moulana Zafarullah Khan, secretary general, Bangladesh Khelafat Andonal, Moulana Abdur Rab Yusufi and Moulana Ashraf Ali, Nayeb-e-Ameer of Khelafat Majlis, Principal Abul Kalam Azad, Moulana Mosaddeq Al-Madani of Islami Shashantantra Andolan, Shafiul Alam Prodhan, president, JAGPA, and Mostafa Kamal Majumder, editor, The New Nation.

They said that the Women's Development Policy was violative of some provisions of the holy Qur'an and the Khatib Committee had suggested suitable amendments to the same. But instead of following the suggestion wrong messages were being spread about the objectives and targets of the ulema.

They said that Islam granted more rights to property for woman than man, and compared to other religions it was the most progressive in this regard. But some quarters influenced by western propaganda were talking about equality of women.

This they termed as a conspiracy to disintegrate the Bangladesh society by turning it to the western norms. The West has lost the family norms and was looking to the east to restore those, they said adding that some half-educated people were painting a bleak picture of a progressive religion to the West to gain financially.

The ulema, however, also cautioned that as a bad social practice sisters were in many families being deprived of their right to property of their parents, while the practice of dowry amounted to dishonouring women. These practices should be changed and the Islamic shariah in these respects followed to right the wrongs.