Speakers at a seminar in Dhaka on Sunday said that the peaceful coexistence between Bengali nationalists and Islamists could help resolve the country’s ongoing crisis, despite the current political landscape being marked by a sharp binary divide.
They also said that the spread of Islam in South Asia, particularly in the Bengal region, relied on a blend of Sufi traditions and Islamic law, guaranteeing justice and dignity for followers of other faiths.
They made the remarks at the seminar titled Bartamane Bangladesh-e Islambader Utthankale Bangla Sultanate Shah Muhammad Sagir Rachita Islammukhi Natya-paribeshana Yusuf-Zulekha Nirikshan at the Natmandal Auditorium of Dhaka University.
A part of an event titled Prak-oupanibeshik O Uttar-oupanibeshik Natyatatwa, the seminar was jointly organised by the DU theatre and performance studies department and the Bangla Academy.
Theatre director and DU theatre and performance studies honorary professor Syed Jamil Ahmed presented the keynote while DU Arabic department professor Zubair Mohammad Ehsanul Hoque and the Bangla Academy director general Mohammad Azam participated as discussants at the seminar, which was chaired by dean of the faculty of arts Professor Md Abul Kalam Sarkar.
Noting that Shah Muhammad Sagir’s Yusuf-Zulekha remains deeply relevant to the contemporary Bangladeshi cultural and political discourse, Syed Jamil Ahmed said, ‘Particularly, at a time when Islamists are creating obstacles for various cultural events.’
Yusuf-Zulekha, a medieval Bangla romantic story in verse, was composed while Sagir was a court-poet under the sultan Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah.
‘The book upholds the teachings of religion and ethics through love stories based on the Qur’an,’ mentioned Syed Jamil, adding that the relationship between Yusuf’s brother, Ibn Amin, and Bidhuprabha symbolised a political and spiritual model for securing the consent of people of different faiths.
If the goal is to build an inclusive state for all, both Bengali nationalists and Islamists must win mutual consent to resolve problems through dialogue instead of conflict, emphasised Syed Jamil, adding that a nation must preserve its history and heritage.
The central theme of peaceful coexistence is highly important, pointed out Zubair Mohammad, adding that it would be oversimplified if the attacks on the shrines across the country were considered as an Islamist rise.
‘That Islamist group could have been emerged after the July uprising due to the administrative weaknesses of the interim government,’ he mentioned.
Noting that Islamism is a modern phenomenon, Mohammad Azam emphasised that Islamic rulers must also pay attention to the consent of dissenters, regardless of their religious identity.
Professor Abul Kalam Sarkar noted that Yusuf-Zulekha contributed greatly to spreading Islam during the medieval period, while promoting a message of peace and harmony.
The event also featured a separate seminar titled Nurul Momen-er Natak ‘Nemesis’: Banglay Durbhiksher Rajnaitik Kabyatatwa.
DU theatre and performance studies department associate professor Shahman Moishan presented keynote at the venue.
