19 hurt as new Islamist group holds protest in Chittagong
February 25th, 2010 - 12:44 pm ICT by IANS
Chittagong, Feb 25 (IANS) Nineteen people were injured in a violent clash after thousands converged in this Bangladesh port town under the banner of a little-known Islamist group to protest the Sheikh Hasina government’s policy against religion-based politics.
Six policemen were injured, one of them critically, as the group called Hefazate Islam Bangladesh, Wednesday insisted on holding a rally that the police said was without prior permission. The group was formed a month ago.
The protesters were teachers and students of the madrassas, the Islamic seminaries in and outside the port town that has been known to be a stronghold of religion-based politics.
Several thousand students on around 40 vehicles headed towards Laldighi Maidan, a public park, and sought to erect a podium, The Daily Star said Thursday.
Police fired blank shots and baton-charged to disperse them and picked up around 40 from the spot.
The group said it wanted to protest against the government’s move to slap a ban on religion-based politics and the proposed education policy.
The measures are perceived as efforts to move back to a constitution and a polity that emerged immediately after the independence in 1971 in which the Islamist groups and political parties were banned.
The day-long stand-off continued till late Wednesday night, The Daily Star said.
Director of the city’s Hathazari Boro Madrasa Ahmad Shafi, popularly known as Boro Huzur, and chairman of a faction of Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ) Mufti Izharul Islam are the main founders of Hefazate Islam.
The IOJ shared power during 2001-06 with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party of current opposition leader Begum Khaleda Zia.
Wednesday’s rally was the first showdown of Hefazate Islam.
Izharul said they formed the platform to raise a movement against the government’s “anti-Islam activities” like attempt to ban religion-based politics and formulating secular education draft policy.
He also warned of tougher movement against “foreign conspiracy” to separate Chittagong Hill Tracts from Bangladesh.
“It is foreign conspiracy to make a separate Christian state there,” he said.
He vowed to form a greater platform in cooperation with different political parties to protest against the government’s “anti-Islam” activities.
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Tags: bangladesh nationalist party, boro, chittagong, daily star, draft policy, education policy, huzur, ioj, islamist group, islamist groups, khaleda zia, madrasa, madrassas, mufti, opposition leader, polity, secular education, seminaries, sheikh hasina, violent clash