Why Corruption Persists Despite Many Scholars and Mosques: Mirza Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that despite the presence of a large Muslim population, numerous mosques and madrasas, Islamic scholars, and religious educational institutions in the country, the rise of wrongdoing, corruption, theft, and money laundering has become a major challenge before the nation. On Saturday (22 November), he made these remarks at a discussion meeting of the caretakers of mosque-based mass education under the Islamic Foundation, held at the auditorium of the Institution of Diploma Engineers in the capital.

Mirza Fakhrul said that although people show great enthusiasm in building a mosque, this interest is not reflected in the effort to build moral and good human beings. He believes that without the practice of morality, religious values cannot be effectively established in society. He said that the country now urgently needs deep discussions and effective initiatives on religion, morality, and good governance.

Referring to Indonesia's experience, Fakhrul said that regardless of which government is in power there—communist or Islamic—no national decision is taken without the participation of the strong religious body known as the Democratic Association of Ulama. But in Bangladesh, such an acceptable and effective institutional religious framework is absent.

Describing the BNP as a “liberal democratic party,” he claimed that without democracy, neither religious freedom nor the rights of any community remain safe. He also alleged that over the past 15–16 years under the current government, people’s voting rights and even their right to practice religion have been undermined.

Fakhrul said that if moral education could be strengthened, incidents of murder, crime, robbery, and social degradation would have significantly decreased. Strengthening institutions such as schools, madrasas, families, and teachers should be a priority of the state. He further stated that if the BNP comes to power, the Islamic Foundation will be restructured into a full-fledged state institution and incorporated into the revenue sector.

At the meeting, he urged everyone to ensure a credible election that reflects the true opinion of the people.