Staff Correspondent

The recommendations of the Ulama Review Committee, regarding the proposed national women's development policy, are unconstitutional, Communist Party of Bangladesh general secretary Mujahidul Islam Selim said Saturday.

He also alleged that the hardliners and war criminals were opposed to the proposed women's development policy in a bid to "protect their interests".

The government last month formed an 18-member committee, headed by the acting Khatib of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque Maulana Nuruddin, to review the proposed policy. "The 15 recommendations given by the Ulama Review Committee are unconstitutional.

They are conspiring to bring the country into the dark ages, worse than the Pakistani regime," Selim said while addressing a roundtable meeting.

The Left Democratic Front organised the discussion at Comrade Moni Singh Mukti Bhaban in Purana Paltan. Samyabadi Dal general secretary Dilip Barua told the meeting: "The government has fallen prey to the fundamentalists.

It has to escape from the trap." Workers Party of Bangladesh politburo member Haider Akbar Khan Rano said: "The fundamentalists want the country to lag behind by creating confusion among people.

The public should be aware of that." Sammilito Islami Oikyojote president Maolana Ziaul Hassan said: "We cannot keep women behind by giving wrong explanations of religion."

"The Quran also says to try rapists and killers of women. But the Khatib of Baitul Mukarram avoided that subject and only talked about the rights of women," Hassan said.

The acting Khatib of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, Mufti Mohammad Nuruddin, submitted recommendations Thursday on the proposed national women's development policy to law and religious affairs adviser AF Hassan Ariff.

The acting chief cleric of the national mosque told reporters on the day that equal rights should be based on equal responsibilities, although he pointed to certain sections within the women policy that remained problematic. On the inheritance law, Nuruddin cautioned: "The Quran is specific about inheritance law and the guidance of the Quran cannot be changed."

"Those who prepared the policy failed to understand the point we are objecting to. The inheritance law cannot change the guidelines of the Quran." Islamist organisations have clashed with police on several occasions since the announcement of the proposed policy on International Women's Day, on Mar 8 this year.

On Mar 27, the government formed an 18 member committee, headed by Nuruddin to review the policy. After receiving the committee's recommendations Thursday, the religious affairs adviser said that they would be considered in consultation with the women and children affairs ministry and others concerned bodies.