OIC urged to pressure Dhaka into releasing Jamaat leaders

An Indian Muslim leader has called on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to pressure Bangladesh to release Jamaat-e-Islami leaders in the country and revoke the “arbitrary verdicts” issued by a tribunal based on “false accusations” leveled against them.
“Jamaat-e-Islami is an important national party in Bangladesh and has been doing a great job raising the level of Islamic consciousness among its people. It has made great contributions to the progress and prosperity of the country,” said Ejaz Ahmed Aslam, editor in chief of the Delhi-based Radiance weekly.
He told Arab News the ruling Awami League party arrested and tried Jamaat leaders to show their political vendetta against the Islamic party for supporting its rival Bangladesh Nationalist Party. “The so-called international tribunal set up by the Hasina government falls short of UN standards,” Aslam said, adding that the move was aimed at winning the next general election by suppressing opposition groups.
The tribunal has sentenced Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, 65, the second highest-ranking official of the country’s largest Islamic party, to death for alleged war crimes while another leader 90-year-old Ghulam Azam has been sentenced to 90 years in prison for allegedly “masterminding atrocities.”
Aslam hoped the people of Bangladesh would see through the current government's designs and give a fitting reply to it in the next election.
Aslam, who is a member of Indian Jamaat-e-Islami’s Central Advisory Council, said many Westerners have started understanding the greatness of Islam and hundreds of them have embraced it as their way of life.
The Jamaat leader decried the disunity of Muslim countries. “It is really tragic.” He urged Muslim leaders and organizations to promote Islamic values in their societies. “They should also focus on solving major problems facing common people such as poverty and unemployment,” he added.
Muslims failed to propagate Islam properly with its diverse dimensions and worldview. “It is a system that connects humans with God. It promotes self-consciousness and self-responsibility. Narrow interpretation of Islamic teachings and fighting between scholars about trivialities will send a wrong message,” Aslam said while stressing his organization’s efforts to promote Muslim unity and solidarity.