Bangladesh is seriously considering dropping Islam as the state's national religious amid the rising number of attacks initiated by radical Muslims against people of different religious beliefs.
According to a report by the Daily Mail, the Supreme Court has started hearing arguments that challenge the state's position on Islam as the national religion.
When Bangladesh was formed as a state separate from Pakistan, it became a secular state and as such, it adopted Islam as a state religion when it amended its constitution in 1988.
The current legal contest is being supported by religious leaders in the country after it was reported that ISIS has been intensifying recruitment efforts in the country.
In a report by Brietbart, Bishop Bejoy N. D'Cruze of Sylhet, chairman of the Catholic bishops' Christian Unity and Interreligious Dialogue Commission, expressed hope that if the move is approved by the court, then every religion in Bangladesh will be put on equal footing.
"When a state officially accepts a state religion, then it puts barricades for communal harmony because it recognizes supremacy of a particular religion and makes other religions inferior," D'Cruze said.
Govinda Chadra Pramanik, secretary of Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance, on the other hand, said that because Islam has been adopted as a national religion for the longest time, other religions are immediately seen as secondary and inferior.
"As the state religion, Islam put psychological pressure on minorities, and makes them vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. The court must come to the right decision and withdraw it," he added.
The Supreme Court started hearing arguments last February 29 in the wake of a surge of killing of religious minorities in the country allegedly perpetrated by Islamic extremist groups.
