TDS Desk:

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman said on Saturday that the roots of Islam run deep within the people of Bangladesh, and no malevolent force can uproot it at will.

“It is not easy to make the people of this country forget the thoughts of Islamic faith….Islam stands tall like a banyan tree on the green soil of Bangladesh.

No malevolent force can uproot it at will,” said Dr Shafiqur at a gathering of poets, writers, and artists organised by the Cultural Unity Front on Saturday at the central Kochi Kanchar Mela auditorium in the capital.

Shafiqur Rahman said, “Culture is an expression of faith. Therefore, faith cannot be separated from culture, and culture cannot be embraced without faith. Those who forget their own beliefs and culture to follow others can never advance, nor can they become a nation with self-respect, and they fail to lead the country and nation. Thus, we must cling to our own beliefs, culture, and roots to lead the nation and stand tall on the global stage.”

Shafiqur Rahman added that poets, writers, artists, and journalists are considered the awakened conscience of the nation, and that there are high expectations from them. He lamented that for a long time, there has been a conspiracy to make people forget their own beliefs and culture. However, the majority of people in every village across Bangladesh uphold Islamic ideals and Muslim consciousness in their daily lives.

The Jamaat Ameer also mentioned that in Bangladesh, our culture revolves around our faith. This beloved homeland of ours, Bangladesh, is an open abode for people of various religions and ethnicities. There exists a diverse harmony in this country, where we are all bound together by communal harmony.

The gathering was presided over by poet Mosharraf Hossain Khan and moderated by the secretary of the Cultural Unity Front, Mahbub Mukul. Among those present were Jamaat’s Dhaka Metropolitan South Ameer Nurul Islam Bulbul, Dhaka Metropolitan South Ameer Advocate Dr Helal Uddin, and Dhaka Metropolitan South Secretary Shafiqul Islam Masud, among others.`