‘State belongs to all regardless of religion’

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday said every citizen enjoys equal rights in the state regardless of religious identity, stressing that the Constitution guarantees these rights and they must be protected.

“Your slogan here is ‘Religion is individual, festivals are for all’. We would like to add to it: ‘Religion is individual, the state belongs to all’,” he said during an exchange of views after visiting Dhakeshwari Temple in the capital on Saturday afternoon on the occasion of Durga Puja.

Describing Bangladesh as an example of communal harmony, the President said people of different faiths had lived together in the region for centuries.

“This remarkable unity and harmony can always be found in our literature, culture and arts,” he said.

He urged citizens to remain alert to attempts by vested groups to create divisions and exploit them for their own interests, warning that such efforts could undermine the country’s longstanding communal harmony.

People of different faiths had lived and grown up together in Bangladesh even before independence and fought side by side during the 1971 Liberation War with the shared vision of building a non-communal country, he said.

“We remain committed to that vision and are prepared to pay any price to protect it,” he added.

The President described Bangladeshis as generally moderate and opposed to extremism, saying this tradition must be preserved.

He regretted repeated attempts to undermine communal harmony and said claims that religious harmony was deteriorating in Bangladesh were being widely publicised at home and abroad.

However, people from all communities had demonstrated that they could practise their respective religions peacefully and with dignity, he said.

Mirza Fakhrul said Bangladesh was going through a transition from a deeply undemocratic situation towards the establishment of a democratic state.

He called on everyone to exercise patience and help move the process forward.

The President expressed hope that Durga Puja would be celebrated peacefully and safely under all circumstances.

He also assured members of the Hindu community of appropriate cooperation in addressing their demands.

Extending his greetings, he said, “I wish you all a happy Sharadiya Durga Puja.”

Bijon Kanti Sarkar, the Prime Minister’s special assistant with the rank of state minister for Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and ethnic minority affairs, also spoke at the event.

The presidents and general secretary of the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad and the president of the Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee also addressed the gathering.

Leaders of the Hindu community and various Puja celebration committees attended the event.

Earlier, the President visited the temple’s Puja mandap after arriving at the premises and watched a cultural programme.