Islamic scholars urged to speak up against rumor

Speakers at a roundtable in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka on Tuesday urged Islamic scholars to speak up against mob lynching over child abduction rumors in the country.

At least 8 people have been killed by mob in the past 2 weeks over false rumors that they were involved in child abduction as '100,000 human heads mainly child heads are likely to be sacrificed for the 3 billion dollar Padma Bridge.

Triggered by the panic, angry mobs have attacked at least 30 people across the country, killing eight and injuring 22 in the past two weeks, according to police records.

Of which the lynching of a 42-year-old mother, Taslima Begum, on July 20 over false accusation that she was a child kidnapper sparked a nationwide outrage.

She had gone to a school in the capital city Dhaka to inquire about admission for her daughter and she was mistakenly marked as a child kidnapper and inhumanly beaten to death.

The government has declared a countrywide alert against the rumor and warned of taking stern action against the rumor spreaders.

Speakers at the roundtable entitled "Guidance of Islam in tackling rumors and role of Islamic scholars" organized by Masjid ut Taqwa urged all Muslim leaders including Imams of the mosque, teachers of madrasha and all other Islam preachers to make people conscious about this rumor.

They said that rumor is one kind of false that is totally haram, or prohibited in Islam. "Those who spread rumor are not real Muslim".

Pointing to journalists and users of social media they said without confirmation spreading anything is also haram in Islam.

Members of law enforcers, who attended the roundtable, said that Padma bridge needs 100,000 human heads is totally false, fabricated and twisted information.

"It is not acceptable scientifically and religiously", Maruf Hossain Sarder, deputy commissioner (DC) of Lalbagh division police said in the roundtable.

Urging leading Islamic scholars to speak up against this rumor he said, it's not possible to convince people by law enforcers alone.

"People have more faith on you [Islamic scholars] and they always try wholeheartedly to abide by every word of you. So, it's you who should make people conscious about this rumor".

Referring to Islamic lessons this police officer said that all know that Islam always supports good deeds, nothing bad or harmful has any place in Islam.