Junaid Al Habib protests Shamim Kaisar’s appointment as religious affairs state minister

Maulana Junaid Al Habib, Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh’s central senior joint secretary general and Dhaka city president, has protested the appointment of MP Shamim Kaisar Lincoln as State Minister for Religious Affairs.

In a statement sent to the media late Friday, he said the appointment had deeply hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims and accused the government of failing to understand the views and aspirations of the people.

He said Bangladesh is a country of 92% Muslims, where scholars following the Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat and Hanafi school have long promoted Islamic teachings.

“Despite this large population, a promoter of a misguided ideology followed by a small group has been given an important responsibility in the Religious Affairs Ministry,” he said.

Junaid Al Habib warned that the government would face serious consequences for ignoring the views of religious scholars, saying their previous warnings and advice had been disregarded.

He demanded the immediate cancellation of Kaisar Lincoln’s appointment and called for a qualified and acceptable person to be given charge of the ministry.

He also warned that if the demands of religious scholars were not addressed, they would be forced to withdraw their cooperation with the government.