Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has objected to being called an atheist, and wondered whether the Islamist leader who called her so is himself a Muslim. She reacted angrily Sunday to Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ) chairman Fazlul Haque Aminee calling her an atheist, the New Age newspaper reported.
The IOJ is a conglomerate of minor Islamist political parties ranged against her in the opposition.
Aminee attacked the Hasina government's National Women's Policy announced earlier this month that seeks to provide equal status to men and women in the country. Aminee told the media earlier that Islam did not give women a status equal to men.
“There is nothing in the National Women's Policy contradictory to Islam but Aminee is trying to confuse the people,” Hasina told a gathering. She pointed out that study of religion has been made compulsory in the national education policy.