Supreme Court lawyer and chairperson of Transparency International Bangladesh Sultana Kamal besieged by media representatives as she leaves the chief advisor's house in Dhaka after a meeting, in this file photo. (Photo by Farjana K. Godhuly/AFP)
A Catholic Church official has joined the public condemnation of Islamist death threats against a prominent rights advocate who defended the installation of the statue of Lady Justice in front of the Bangladesh Supreme Court in Dhaka.
Sultana Kamal, a Supreme Court lawyer and chairperson of Transparency International Bangladesh, came under fire from hard-line Islamist group Hefazat-e-Islam over her remarks in a TV interview last month.
Father Albert Rozario, convener of the Justice and Peace Commission in Dhaka Archdiocese, told ucanews.com it is disgraceful to see the government remain silent while a prominent rights activist is being hounded by radicals.
"I suspect it is electoral politics ahead of national polls as the ruling Awami League try to consolidate their voter base among conservative Muslims," the priest said.
"The government is playing a risky game and its result will be ominous for the country," he said.
The lawyer was served a legal notice June 18, seeking her arrest within a week of her "derogatory and irresponsible comments."
Petitioner Zulfikar Ali said he was acting "on behalf of the millions of Muslims whose religious sentiment was hurt by Kamal," according to a Dhaka Tribune report on June 19.
Islamist groups, including Hefazat, campaigned for removal of the statue, which they deemed "un-Islamic" alleging its presence amounted to idol worship, forbidden in Islam.
The government removed the statue from the Supreme Court premises amid street protests, May 26, but reinstalled it in front of the court's annex building two days later.
During the debate over the statue Kamal was invited to a television talk show along with a ruling party lawmaker, a liberal activist and a Hefazat leader.
The Islamist leader argued the statue was a religious object and it should be removed as it goes against the secular and non-communal spirit of Bangladesh.
Kamal responded by saying, "I agree with you. There should be no religious structures on the court premises, not even mosques."
Leaders and activists associated with Hefazat perceived the remark as a call to "remove all mosques from the country" and demanded the arrest of Kamal within 24 hours with some leaders vowing to "break every bone" in her body, June 2.
Mufti Faizullah, joint secretary of Hefazat, said while some leaders might have expressed their grievances personally, targeting Kamal was not a stance backed by the organization.
"It is true that her remarks didn't go down well with people in a country consisting of 90 percent Muslims," Faizullah told ucanews.com.
Some 100 intellectuals and civil society members voiced support for Kamal, while a host of human rights groups, including Amnesty International, called on the government to protect her.
Muslim-majority Bangladesh has seen a spike in deadly radicalism since 2013, that left some 50 people, including atheist bloggers, LGBT activists, liberal Muslims, religious minorities and foreigners, killed by Islamic militants.
