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Opposition Leader and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqul Rahman has urged the government to officially honour Bangladeshi Quran hafizs who have brought glory to the country by achieving success in international Quran competitions.
“Those who achieve success in various fields, including sports and culture, are given state receptions and honours. But despite the repeated success of Quran hafizs in bringing honour to Bangladesh on the world stage, no significant initiative has so far been taken by the state,” he said.
He made the remarks during a briefing at the opposition leader’s official residence on Minto Road in Dhaka on Thursday afternoon.
Earlier, Shafiqul Rahman hosted a reception for Bangladeshi hafizs who won prizes at the 46th King Abdul Aziz International Quran Competition.
He said the government has no commitment or concrete initiative for those involved in Qawmi and Hifz education.
“There is no commitment or delivery from the government for those who have preserved the Qawmi education system and Hifz education. This is clear discrimination,” he said.
Shafiqul Rahman said four Bangladeshi participants took part in this year’s international Tahfizul Quran competition in Makkah, and all four emerged as winners. One secured first place, while the other three finished third.
Calling on the government to honour the winning hafizs, he said there were opportunities to recognise them in various ways, not merely through receptions, and urged the authorities to take such initiatives.
Asked about ruling party lawmakers’ comments that the opposition’s long march was being organised at a “premature” time, Shafiqul Rahman said the society envisioned after August 2024 had not materialised.
He said the opposition was organising the programme as part of its moral responsibility to speak on behalf of the people.
Responding to the use of the word “prematurity,” he said, “I pray to Allah that He grants him maturity first. We have seen a lot of maturity in this society. People are now fed up with this maturity. We seek refuge in Allah from such maturity.”
At the programme, Mufti Abdul Qayyum Molla, principal of Rayhan International Madrasa, said one of the four Bangladeshi contestants secured first place while the other three finished third, returning home with prize money of around Tk 2.5 crore in total.
However, he said, they had received no recognition or assistance from the state.
He demanded that the government provide official recognition and receptions to winners of international Quran competitions in the future.