Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged the nation to thwart militancy and terrorism being spread ‘in the name of Islam’.
“It hurts me when I see militancy and terrorism being encouraged in the name of Islam to defame the religion of peace,” she said while inaugurating this year’s Hajj camp at Dhaka’s Ashkona on Friday.
She hoped those involved in acts of violence would mend their ways.
Hasina said no education is complete without religious teachings. “We have designed our education policy with that in mind,” she said.
“The government has taken steps to ensure that students receive both religious and materialistic education,” the Prime Minister said.
She thanked the Saudi Arabian government for giving the Bangladesh’s national mosque, Baitul Mukarram, a facelift.
Hasina said well-equipped mosques would be built in all Upazilas, and added the work would become easier if Saudi Arabia were to further extend its assistance.
In this regard, she drew the attention of the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Bangladesh, Abdullah Bin Nasser Al- Busairi, who was present at the function.
With the national election around the bend, she reflected on her government’s various steps taken to spread and promote the message of Islam.
The number of Hajj pilgrims stood at 47,983 in 2006, the last year of the BNP-Jamaat coalition government, but the number rose to 109,952 last year, she said.
A total of 88,911 Bangladeshis are going to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj this year.
This year, the Saudis are not allowing anyone who had performed Hajj in the past five years, to reduce human pressure in order to facilitate ongoing repair works.
Moreover, Bangladesh’s quota for Hajj pilgrims, like those of other countries, has been slashed by 20 percent, Hasina said.
All preparations for Hajj have been completed. Pilgrims started reporting to the Hajj camp from Friday morning. They will go through medical tests first.
This year’s maiden Hajj flight is scheduled for Saturday. A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight will start for Jeddah with 582 passengers at 1:40pm from the Shahjalal International Airport.
Biman will operate 92 dedicated flights and 22 regular scheduled flights for the pilgrims’ benefit. It will carry pilgrims from Chittagong and Sylhet like it did last year.
As per an agreement between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia, Biman will carry half the pilgrims, while the rest would be flown by the Saudi Arabian Airlines and Nas Airways.
The return Hajj flight will end on Nov 18.
Each pilgrim is being provided with a SIM card of a Saudi mobile operator to keep in touch with their families back home.
Hasina mentioned the formulation of the National Hajj Policy 2010-14 to ensure proper management.
“This has resulted in better facilities for performing Hajj and the whole thing has been brought under a well-controlled system. Accountability, transparency and obligation have got an institutional shape,” she said.
The Prime Minister said Bangladesh had been recognised by the Saudi Hajj Ministry as the best South Asian country for its developed Hajj management for four consecutive years from 2009. – bdnews24.com
