He made the remarks as the chief guest at a Seerat-un-Nabi (PBUH) seminar and essay competition award ceremony held at the auditorium of the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB), in Kakrail, Dhaka, on Sunday (August 23).
Dr. Shafiqur Rahman said those who rose during the 2024 movement have neither died nor gone to sleep; they are closely monitoring everything with vigilance. He explained that forces are usually trained and given rehearsals before a major battle. Therefore, he said, the 2024 movement should not be viewed as the final battle but as a rehearsal for it.
He said there had been expectations that the “filth, dirt and garbage” of fascism that had accumulated over a long period would be cleared after 2024. However, he claimed that this did not happen; rather, the “garbage” has increased further.
Comparing fascism to a contagious disease, the Jamaat Ameer said whoever becomes infected with this “virus” will eventually become a fascist. He alleged that the current government is following the same path taken by the fascist government over the past 15 years. He also called for a change in this approach.
Referring to allegations that various important elements of history had been removed from the July Museum, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman urged every conscious citizen to visit the museum. He alleged that many exhibits had been removed from the museum to please a particular country and state.
He further said that almost every government that has come to power has faced allegations of distorting history. However, he added that Bangladesh’s history shows that those in power have never been able to completely break away from such tendencies.
The opposition leader also spoke about Bangladesh’s international image and the strength of its passport. He said that despite more than five decades of independence, Bangladesh has failed to progress as expected. He noted that passport strength is one measure of the respect enjoyed by a country’s citizens globally and described Bangladesh’s passport ranking as disappointing.
The event was chaired by Professor Dr. ANM Rafiquur Rahman Madani, Chairman of the Department of Islamic Studies at Bangladesh Islami University. Former Religious Affairs Adviser to the interim government Dr. AFM Khalid Hossain, Opposition Whip Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan, Md. Nurul Islam Bulbul, Dr. Shafiqul Islam Masud and other leaders also spoke at the programme.
