Bangladesh: Prime Minister unveils 50 New “model mosques” to promote Islamic values

The Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, inaugurated 50 more model mosques and Islamic cultural centers across the country in the fourth phase of an inspirational project.

With the new facilities, she has so far inaugurated 200 mosques out of 564 under construction at a cost of Taka 9,435 crore all over Bangladesh.

According to local sources, Ms. Hasina earlier opened 50 mosques each in the first, second and third phases of her initiative, with the remaining mosques and Islamic cultural centers scheduled to be completed by June, 2024.

The purpose of the project has been described as: publicizing Islamic brotherhood and its values as well as promoting the essence of Islam against extremism and militancy, which are never supported in the religion of Islam.

The project will also concentrate on creating awareness against terrorism and violence against women.

While the extremism of hardline Sunnis has led to violence in many countries, including Bangladesh, the Dhaka government is pursuing the “model mosques” initiative to spread the message of peace and tolerance in order to create religious unity and tolerance.

It is worth mentioning that there are historical Shiite mosques in different cities and regions of Bangladesh, among them, the Karbala Mosque in Calcutta, which dates back to the reign of ” Nawab of Bengal” between 1717 and 1765.