Plea for Human rights, freedom of speech based on unity of God

Mr. Hossain Mohammd Selim, Imam of Hizbut Tawhid addressing a roundtable at a Dhaka Hotel on Saturday 25 April 2026.

Speakers at a roundtable in Dhaka City on Saturday underlined the need for making Bangladesh a state based on the oncept of oneness of Allah (God).

Mr. Hossain Mohammd Selim, Imam of Hizbut Tawhid that organised the roundtable, said such a state will will rely on the ordains prescribed in the holy Quran. His organisation is run only on the subscriptions made by his members, he said.

Making his keynote statement at the roundtable on human rights and freedom of speech at a hotel he said they propagated an eonomic system free from interest-based capital formation and social justice citing Switzerland and Japan as examples. 

The judicial system should be based on Islamic prescription of punishment of crimes relying on the nature of man. Too much purdah is not compatible with Islam he said to emphasise the freedom of women who were were taken to wars and mosques during the time of the Prophet (pbuh).

Cultural activities should be free from obscenity to unfurl the creative potentials of man. He said one may think that this might lead to the creation of theological state and stop the path of criticism and improvement of governance. But there is no scope for kingship, dictatorship or inheritance in a state based on the tenets of Islam. 

People will elect Parliament which will make laws in keeping with the holy Quran. His organisation opposes militancy and wants to face the menace with superior ideas.

Replying to a question as to how his organisation protect the rights of religious minorities, he said, state would not meddle in private religious activities of citizens.  

He said members of his organisation faced various types of repressions because of false and baseless allegations. We want to convey our views to the government and the people. We are open to better ideas for inclusive decisions, he said.

Journalists, Ashraf Ali, former joint secretary, Jatiya Press Club,

Md. Kabir Hossain, Head of News, Kal Bela, Shahidul Islam, president, Dhaka Union of Journalists, SM Abbas, special  correspondent, Bangla Tribune, Mr. Huda, Bangladesh representative of world human rights organization, and GreenWatch Dahka Editor, Mostafa Kamal Majumder among others. At the start of the roundtable a video on the activities of the organisation was screened.