Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Acting Secretary General Maulana ATM Masum issued the following statement on 23rd June 2022 protesting and condemning the latest move as the government has annulled religious education from curriculum outline of Pre-primary to higher secondary level.
Bangladeshi people are religious. They try to follow religious rules and regulations and own religious teaching sincerely. All religion has put emphasis on teaching religious education. Today’s kids are the future of the nation. So, to make these children physically, mentally, and ethically sound, childhood is the best time to acquire religious education.
The countrymen already understood that the incumbent government is anti-religion and they have plotted a conspiracy to cancel religious education from pre-primary to the higher secondary in order to produce an irreligious and atheist generation. In the name of secular education policy, the government is trying to initiate a religious-free education system. But education without religious touch is not an education at all. It is a bad lesson that will lead people toward unethical practices. As a result, the nation will experience vices and irregularities like bribery, addiction, adultery, extortion, tender terrorism, corruption, and other bad deeds at an unprecedented level. The peace and harmony of society will be ruined. This is why religious people will not accept such suicidal decisions. The government has to take responsibility. We are vehemently condemning this unjustified decision of the government.
He further said, to annul Islamic education from the national education policy is a clear violation of the policy itself. It is also a vindictive approach against a religion. On one side, the government has taken the initiative to cancel Islam, on the contrary, it instills music, dancing, and sex education instead. Such a step is also against the faith and religious spirit of the people. The majority of this country are Muslims and Islam is the state religion of Bangladesh. So, revoking Islamic subjects from the national textbook is completely illogical, opposite, and ridiculous. It is also against the spirit of the constitution.
Without religious education, people cannot nurture fear of Allah within. As a result, the irreligious people ruin others’ trust, interfere with people’s rights, misuse power, and get involved with various misdeeds. On the contrary, religious education ensures people’s balanced growth and turns a human beings into productive and skilled manpower, which is essential for the development of the nation. Religious education teaches mutual respect, tolerance, and brotherhood which facilitates communal harmony in the country. People can practice their religion and subsequently, the country moves towards gradual development.
All religion promotes religious education. Islam makes religious education compulsory. Our Prophet (pbuH) said, “Obtaining knowledge is mandatory for all men and women.” (Ibn Majah, Mishkat 34) Al Quran also encourages study and learning. (Sura Alaq) religious education may provide honest, qualified, talented, and trustworthy leadership. To alter our disturbed society we need such leadership and Prophet Muhammad (pbuH) is the personification of such leadership.
The youth of our time is severely affected by various crises like unemployment, nepotism, political instabilities, discrimination, and pornography. Under such circumstances, continuing religious education for the kids is necessary.
This is why we are urging the government to introduce Islamic education as obligatory from pre-primary to the higher secondary level. Besides, we are calling upon our fellow countrymen to raise their voices against the anti-religious educational procedures.
