Hefazat-e-Islam chief dumbfounded by reinstallation of Lady Justice

Dhaka Tribune report,May 29, 2017
by Anwar Hussain in Chittagong & Manik Miazee in Dhaka
Terming the re-installation of the statue of Lady Justice a matter of grave concern and disappointment, Hefazat-e-Islam chief Shah Ahmed Shafi has said they along with the masses were taken aback by the move.
“Despite my long illness, I became happy and expressed gratitude when the statue of the Greek goddess was removed [from the Supreme Court premises]. However, only two days after we have now regrettably come to know that the idol was reinstalled in front of the Supreme Court’s annex building. We are flabbergasted by the re-erection of it,” the chief of the radical Islamist platform said in a press statement on Sunday.
He also said: “Earlier, we placed our demand for removing the idol forever. But, it was reinstalled against the people’s will.
“The re-installation has made it sufficiently clear that the government is not paying attention to our calls and peaceful movement. Installing the idol or cloaking it in black during the time of prayers was never an issue. In fact, the issue was whether it will exist or not, and there was no middle way.”
Shafi added: “We have repeatedly said that justice is a fundamental concept in Islam. Even, establishing justice in the society was a goal of our Liberation War in 1971. So, when we borrow any symbol of justice from the Greek tradition, it means that we have no concept of justice in our history, tradition and religion.”
He urged the government to remove the statute for good, saying: “Do not play with our religious beliefs, national spirit and heritage. Do not push the country towards the curse of Allah through such anti-Islamic activities.”
Meanwhile, describing the reinstallation as a hide and seek game of the government, Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Shafiqur Rahman in a separate press statement said they were enraged by the move. He also demanded the statute be permanently removed from the court area.
Islami Andolon Bangladesh’s Ameer and Charmonai Pir Mufti Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim said the reinstallation slandered Islam as a religion and the Muslims as a population.
Alleging that the government is showing disregard for feelings of the Muslims, who constitute 92% of the country’s total population, he said: “In the next general election, people will boycott the ruling party as it is siding with idols.”
Mufti Faizullah, secretary general of a faction of Islami Oikya Jote, too demanded removal of the statue.http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2017/05/29/shafi-dumbfounded-reinstallation-lady-justice/