Visiting Secretary General of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Dr Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen on Thursday suggested holding an interfaith dialogue between Bangladesh’s Muslim religious leaders and Myanmar’s Buddhist religious leaders to resolve the Rohingya problem.
“The dialogue will help develop a better understanding among them (leaders) and resolve the Rohingya problem,” Dr Yousef said when he met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office in the morning.
After the meeting, PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters.
The OIC Secretary General thanked Bangladesh for giving shelter to Rohingya refugees and told the Prime Minister, ‘You’re very generous’.
Sheikh Hasina said, the problem, in fact, started in 1991 and now there are some four lakh undocumented Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. “We’re pursuing Myanmar to take back their nationals as I can’t throw them out,” she added. Hasina said her government has already earmarked an island to give temporary shelter to the Rohingya refugees so that they could live in a better condition. In response, the OIC Secretary General appreciated the move saying, “It’s a brilliant idea.” The Prime Minister said the border guards of both Bangladesh and Myanmar are also having talks between them and they have developed good relations. Dr Yousef also strongly denounced the twin menace of terrorism and extremism, and said Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance.
Hasina said her government has adopted a ‘zero-tolerance’ stance to this end and involved cross-section of people to neutralise it. She mentioned that people from all strata like imams, teachers and guardians are also participating in combating terrorism and militancy, and it has yielded a positive result.
The Prime Minister alleged some political parties have been patronising terrorism in the country saying there is no room for terrorism in Islam. Noting that communal harmony exits in the country, she said that country’s people are now leaving in peace and harmony.
Echoing the OIC Secretary General, Hasina said, “Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance.”
She said, her government’s aim is to establish Bangladesh as a peaceful country to ensure peace and basic needs of all people for which Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had struggled and devoted his entire life. The OIC Secretary General appreciated Bangladesh’s tremendous socioeconomic development under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s leadership. “I always say you’re a successful leader and a shining example of Muslim women in the world,” he told Sheikh Hasina.
About Bangladeshi workers, Dr Yousef said they are resilient, hardworking and professional ones.
He noted with happiness that Bangladesh is hosting two important events-OIC Foreign Ministers’ Conference and OIC Tourism Ministers’ Conference-next year. Dr Yousef said the OIC will be happy to participate in any women development programme in Bangladesh. The OIC secretary general said his organisation is likely to introduce scholarship programmes for the students of its member states in the fields of science, technology and medicine. Mentioning the ongoing government stride towards setting up some 100 economic zones across the country, Hasina welcomed investments from OIC members countries in these EZs.
Extending her thanks to the OIC Secretary General for his huge appreciation over the country’s massive socio-economic uplift, Hasina said the aim of her government is to free the country from poverty alongside creating jobs in rural areas. The Prime Minister congratulated the OIC Secretary General on his election to the new position. PM’s International Affairs Adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi, PMO Senior Secretary Suraiya Begum, were, among others, present on the occasion. The OIC secretary general arrived here on Wednesday night on a four-day official maiden visit to Bangladesh since his assumption of office of the Jeddah-based organisation.
Dr Othaimeen, the former social affairs minister of Saudi Arabia, was elected as the new secretary-general of the OIC on November 17 last year. Founded in 1969, the OIC consists of 57-member states.
