Still in his first week as State Minister for Religious Affairs, Md Faridul Haque Khan on Tuesday reiterated the point he pushed on his very first day: idols and sculptures are two different things, and focusing a discussion on the topic can resolve the misunderstandings that have come to the fore on this.

 

“We should refrain from delivering provocative comments and statements over the matter,”he said.

 

The State Minister came up with the remarks while talking to leaders of the Religious Reporters Forum at the Secretariat.

 

Inter-faith discussions will be arranged with representatives from different religious groups to support communal harmony, he said after an agitation occurred after some religious organisations opposed the establishment of Bangabandhu’s sculpture in the capital.

 

On November 13, senior Naeb-e-Amir Mufti Syed Mohammad Faizul Karim of the Islami Andolon Bangladesh and Mamunul Haque, acting secretary-general of the Bangladesh Khilafat Majlish, opposed setting up of a sculpture of the country’s founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the capital.

 

On Umrah from Bangladesh, Khan said no decision has been taken over Umrah this year due to the pandemic, yet smho yet it can be arranged on limited scale.

 

The government has taken steps for harassment-free digital Hajj management will, he said.

 

Islamic Foundation will establish 560 model mosques and Islamic Culture centers at district and upazila levels, he added.

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