Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali said on Friday the government has taken major steps to eradicate fanaticism and religious intolerance from society, report agencies.
"After the terrorist attack in the Holey Artisan Bakery in 2016, the government of Prime Minister Sheikh has taken extensive counter and preventive measures against terrorism and violent extremism," he said.
Foreign Minister Ali made the comments while speaking at the opening ceremony of the workshop on "Fostering Peaceful and Inclusive Communities in Bangladesh: The Role of Religious Leaders and Actors" at a city hotel as the chief guest.
Office of the Special Adviser of the UN Secretary-General for the Prevention of Genocide, UNDP in Bangladesh and "Save and Serve," an international human rights, jointly organised the workshop.
Special Adviser of the UN Secretary-General for the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng and Resident Coordinator of the UN in Bangladesh Mia Seppo were also present.
Mahmood Ali said the government has undertaken massive awareness programmes to encourage the practice of tolerance, inclusiveness and cultural activism in society involving women, youths and community leaders.
He said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has particularly called the teachers and imams to play the lead role in preventing religious extremism.
"Recognising the role of women in peace building, we're currently in the process of developing national action plan on women, peace and security," the minister said.
"The programmes will further consolidate women's role in preventing violence and building peaceful communities," he added.
Ali said Bangladesh too has seen; briefly though, the rise of extremism in its society.
"Primarily motivated by some anti-liberation political elements, those acts of terror and targeted killings have only strengthened our resolve to eradicate fanaticism and religious intolerance from our society," he said.
The Foreign Minister said the people of Bangladesh typically use religious norms to guide their day-to-day action and as such religious leaders are highly respected and influential members of a community.
Recognising their role, Ali said, the government has long been promoting the engagement of religious leaders and actors in preventing violence.
"We've welcomed the Fatwa of Peace for Humanity published by the Bangladesh Jamaiatul Ulama and endorsed by hundred thousand Islamic jurists, scholars and clerics, which preach on the peaceful and non-violent nature of Islam."
He mentioned that the government has also taken an initiative to build 560 mosque-based Islamic cultural centres at district and upazila levels to promote Islamic values of peace and tolerance among the mass people.
Foreign Minister Ali encouraged the religious leaders and actors of Bangladesh to project their leadership roles to the new generation and encourage them to join the path of peace and harmony.
"I am happy to see that the international community now recognises the role of religious leaders in establishing peaceful communities and the UN is now guiding the national efforts to achieve those goals," he said.
UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng called on religious leaders and other actors to support the peaceful coexistence of Rohingyas and host communities.
"Building a peaceful and inclusive society and preventing atrocity crimes and their incitement is a multilayered endeavour that is most likely to succeed when different actors are working collaboratively with the same objective," he said.
In this context, Dieng said, he firmly believes that religious leaders and actors in Bangladesh and the region can play a fundamental role in this regard.
"I'm also of the opinion that political support for their work, at regional, national and local levels, is essential. Without this support, they can face many challenges and implementation will be much harder to achieve."
Dieng thanked the government of Bangladesh for the remarkable work done in responding to the arrival of almost 700,000 Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar.
Later, in his concluding remark, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan peace and development go hand in hand. "There can be no peace without development, and no development without peace."
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