City Desk :
An Islamist group has called for a mass rally in Dhaka in November to press its demand that the Ahmadiyya minority community, referred to by opponents as “Qadianis”, be declared non-Muslim by the state.
The International Majlis Tahaffuz Khatme Nabuwat Bangladesh (IMTKNB) announced the gathering will begin at 10am at Suhrawardy Udyan on Nov 15, reports bdnews24.com.
The group’s Secretary General Mohiuddin Rabbani said on Thursday that the rally would push political parties to include the demand in their manifestos for the next general election.
“The Qadiani community is destroying the faith and creed of this country’s Muslims. Scholars and believers have long demanded that they be declared non-Muslim by the state,” Rabbani said.
“If the government ignores this peaceful demand, we will launch a powerful movement to enforce it. Declaring Qadianis as kafir is the common demand of all Muslims.”
The announcement followed a meeting on Wednesday at Jamia Nuria Madrasa in Kamrangirchar, Dhaka, organised by the group’s local Zone-4 branch.
The International Majlis Tahaffuz Khatme Nabuwat Bangladesh is closely tied to the Hifazat-e Islam movement. Its President is Sajidur Rahman, the current secretary general of Hifazat, while Executive President Junaid Al Habib also heads Dhaka city unit of Hifazat. Secretary General Rabbani himself is a deputy chief (Nayeb-e-Amir) of Hifazat.
The group’s late former president Shah Ataullah Hafizzi was a senior leader of Hifazat. Its headquarters are at Jamia Islamia Makhzanul Ulum Madrasa in Khilgaon, Dhaka.
Wednesday’s preparatory meeting was chaired by Joint Secretary General Habibullah Miaji, with central leader Sultana Mohiuddin moderating.
Among those present were senior clerics and activists including Abdul Qayum Subhani, Mujibur Rahman Hamidi, Jubair Ahmed, Rashed bin Nur, Abdul Qayum of Islamia Islam Bagh Madrasa, Sanaullah Hafizzi, Sanaullah Khan, Mufti Habibur Rahman, Shamsuddin Baraili, Yamin Hussain Azmi, and Mizanur Rahman.
