Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Secretary General and former lawmaker Professor Mia Golam Porwar has issued the following statement on 19 August 2020 protesting a legal notice which has been served recently to annul Islam from the status of ‘State Religion’ and also to launch a secular state.

“According to the constitution, Islam is the state religion of Bangladesh. People of all faiths and religions have been living in this country for years with due harmony and mutual compassion. Nobody was barred to practice his/her religion. Rather, people of one faith in Bangladesh are generally used to cooperate the people of other faiths in arranging different rituals and religious festivals. Constitutionally, the issue of state religion is a settled issue. The Apex court of the country rejected a petition brought by secular activists challenging Islam's status as the country's official religion on 28th March of 2016 and kept Islam as the state religion. So, serving such legal notice once again about a legally settled issue is unconstitutional. It is similar to hurting the religious sentiment of the people.

Historically, people of all faiths are living in Bangladesh peacefully. People of all faiths, irrespective of their caste, creed and color are living with religious harmony. But we are observing with great concern that a vested quarter has served a legal notice seeking cancellation of Islam as the state religion in a bid to tarnish the good image and existing harmony of the country. This is a severe conspiracy against Bangladeshi people. We are drawing the kind attention of the concerned authorities, whether this group is mulling to create religious anarchy and chaos or not.

Besides, we are urging the fellow countrymen to remain vigilant and alert about the conspiracy of annulling Islam from its current status of state religion.