Carlo Monzon : Mar 4, 2016 : Gospel Herald

For Bishop Bejoy D’Cruze of the Christian Unity and Interreligious Dialogue Commission, the move by the Supreme Court to initiate hearings about the matter gives hope to the development of peace in the country.

The Supreme Court of Bangladesh has begun a legal process that would determine if Islam should still be declared as the country’s official religion. The move was made in response to the growing number of violent cases linked to Islamic extremists.

Currently, Islam is regarded as the largest religion in Bangladesh with Muslim residents making up about 90 percent of the country’s population. At 148.6 million, Bangladesh has one of the biggest Muslim populations in the world.

However, due to the spike in killings and other violent crimes against religious minorities such as Christians, Hindus and Shi’ites, Bangladesh has begun considering if Islam should still be regarded as its official religion as stated in the country’s constitution, Daily Mail reported. According to authorities, perpetrators of crimes against other religious groups were usually carried out by Muslims and members of extremist organizations.

“We have made arrests on each and every so-called ISIS-claimed attack,” a local police official said according to Breitbart. “The attackers have confessed their crimes in court. They have also confessed being a Jamaatul Mujahedin Bangladesh member, and denied any linkage with ISIS.”

In response to the incidents, the Bangladesh Supreme Court started facilitating a series of hearings regarding the matter on Feb. 29. Through these procedures, the court will review arguments that challenge the constitutional status of Islam.

If the court rules in favor of the arguments and petitions, then…

Continue reading here.