Climate of intolerance breeding fanatics

Fanatics are killing people branding them followers of atheism, a belief at present considered a serious offence which contradicts the constitution of 1972, which encompassed socialism, democracy and secularism at a time when people had religious freedom, said Prof Emeritus Anisuzzaman yesterday.

"This can not be the picture of Bangladesh," he said, adding that in a democracy, hurting religious beliefs and barring freedom of speech was an offence.

The government does not allow opposition parties freedom of expression and to hold rallies while the latter bars people's free movement and their means of making a living, he said, urging the government to be strict in dealing with fundamentalism and militancy.

Prof Anisuzzaman was addressing a discussion of Rukhe Darao Bangladesh, a platform against fundamentalism and militancy, in Dhaka University's RC Majumder Arts Auditorium marking Independence Day.

Ain o Salish Kendra Executive Director Sultana Kamal, one of the platform's conveners, condemned the Awami league for keeping Islam as state religion and the Arabic phrase -- BISMILLAH-AR-RAHMAN-AR-RAHIM -- above the constitution's preamble.

Militants will not spare anyone, even those who patronise them, she said.

Communalism has grown ten-fold compared to the time of East Pakistan, said another convener, cultural personality Ramendu Majumder, adding that the present education policy did not contain teachings on respecting differing beliefs while children addressed classmates as Hindus or Muslims.

Poet Syed Shamsul Huq as the keynote speaker urged BNP to sever ties with Jamaat-e-Islami and join hands with the Awami League and all secular parties to resist Jamaat, militancy and fundamentalism.

He also termed investigations in the recent murders of Avijit Roy and Oyasiqur Rahman "unsatisfactory".