Staff Reporter :BNP, Hefazat-e-Islam and some other organizations have called for an investigation into the circumstances which encouraged Abdul Gaffer Chowdhury to make disparaging and offensive remarks concerning Allah, His Prophet and Islam demanding his punishment. They also wanted investigation to be instituted whether Foreign Ministry had any role in this sordid affair. Hefazat-e-Islam said Mr. Choudhury has turned himself an atheist joining the ranks of other atheist like Abdul Latif Siddique. BNP’s current spokesman and the party’s International Affairs Secretary Dr Asaduzzaman Ripon at a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan central office in the city on Sunday demanded punishment to Gaffar Chowdhury for his remarks.He suspected the government might have instigated Gaffar Chowdhury to make such disparaging remarks. He said, “We demand investigation as to how he delivered the speech at the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh at United Nations function. He also demanded punishment to Dr. AK Abdul Momen, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN.Gaffar Chowdhury in a discussion at the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the UN in New York on July 3 reportedly made certain comments on Islam. He alleged, certain words used and promoted in our madrassah relating to 99 names of Allah were used for the gods of the infidels.The Secretary General of Hefazat-e-Islam Allama Zunaid Babunagari in a statement said, “Gaffar Chowdhury has turned out to be an atheist. He can’t bear the identity of Muslim anymore if he does not repent and accept Islam again.” He also demanded capital punishment of the expatriate Bangladeshi writer. He warned that a tougher movement would be launched against the government if it does not take punitive action against the atheists like Ex-Minister Abdul Latif Siddique and columnist Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury. Islami Oikya Jote also demanded capital punishment to Gaffar Chowdhury. The party secretary general Mufti Faizullah said that new atheists are coming up as Latif Siddique got scot free.Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan and some other parties also protested the remarks of Gaffar Chowdhury and demanded his punishment.
