Vested quarters trying to divide nation in name of religion
Speakers tell roundtable
Staff Correspondent
The national identity of the country has been at stake as some vested quarters are trying to divide the nation in the name of religion, speakers at a roundtable said yesterday.The national identity of Bangladesh is based on Bengali nationalism, not on religion, they said. The Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs (Bilia) organised the roundtable at its auditorium in the city, with its Director Waliur Rahman in the chair. Presenting a keynote paper, Dr Smruti S Pattanaik, a research fellow of the Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis of India, said, "Islamic parties are now emerging as the third force that will in the long run be a problem for Bangladesh." The minority groups in Bangladesh are considered vote banks of the Awami League and they face problems when other parties come to power, she said. Dhaka University teachers Dr Imtiaz Ahmed and Dr Sonia Nishat Amin and cultural personality Aly Zaker also spoke. Dr Imtiaz said the Bengali nation loves peace and prefers democracy but hates religious fanaticism. The Islamist extremists do not represent the face of real Islam, said Waliur Rahman.
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