Speaking to EU Today exclusively after the event, German MEP Maximillian Krah, when asked about his impressions of the European Parliament resolution stated: “I was against it, because in general I’m really sceptical against these resolutions because first of all they come very urgently and presently from the NGO bubble.

Maximilian Krah MEP

Fake NGOs, which frequently issue human rights reports, are often commissioned by dubious actors seeking to subvert the legislative process.

When asked if he thought the European Parliament’s resolution would have a negative impact on trade relations with Bangladesh, – the EU is now Bangladesh’s main trading partner – he said “We are doing everything we can to bring trade relations to the next higher level. In the case of Bangladesh, I consider the case for this so clear that at the very end this resolution, which has no legislative power whatsoever, will not be a threat we cannot overcome.”

Also addressing the European Parliament conference was Dr. Rayhan Rashid (DPhil, Oxford University) Legal Consultant at Oxford Matrix.

Dr. Rayhan Rashid

We asked Dr. Rashid if Odhikar made any particular demands on the government?

When asked if there is any evidence linking Odhikar to the Taliban, Dr. Rashid replied:

We asked Dr. Rashid to elucidate what Hefazat’s goal was back in 2013?

They raised 13 demands, he explained:

• Reinstate the phrase “Absolute trust and faith in the Almighty Allah” in the Constitution as one of the fundamental principles of state policy.
• Pass a law providing for capital punishment for maligning Allah, Islam, and the Prophet Muhammad and for starting smear campaigns against Muslims.
• Stop all propaganda and “derogatory comments” about the Prophet Muhammad by “atheist leaders” of the Shahbagh movement, atheist bloggers and other anti-Islamists; arrest them and ensure stern punishment to them.
• Stop attacking, shooting, killing, and persecuting the Prophet-loving Islamic scholars, madrassa students and people united by belief in Allah.
• Release all the arrested Islamic scholars and madrassa students.
• Lift restrictions on mosques and remove obstacles for the holding of religious programmes.
• Declare Qadianis (Ahmadiyyas) non-Muslim and stop their publicity and conspiracies.
• Stop foreign cultural intrusions, including free-mixing of men and women and candle-light vigils, and put an end to adultery, injustice, and shamelessness, among other things, committed in the name of freedom of expression and the individual.
• Stop turning Dhaka, the city of mosques, into a city of idols, and stop installing sculptures at road intersections, colleges, and universities.
• Scrap anti-Islam women policy and education policy and make Islamic education mandatory from primary to higher secondary levels.
• Stop threatening and intimidating teachers and students of the Qawmi madrassas, Islamic scholars, imams and khatib s.
• Stop creating hatred among the younger generation against Muslims by misrepresentation of Islamic culture in the media.
• Stop anti-Islam activities by non-governmental organisations, evil attempts by Qadianis and conversion by Christian missionaries in Chittagong Hill Tracts and elsewhere in the country.

Read also: Bangladesh Government disagrees with a resolution of the European Parliament

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