Bangladesh rejects petition to remove Islam as official religion, no equal rights for other religions

Dhaka: Bangladesh’s top court has rejected a 28-year-old petition to remove Islam as the official religion of the Muslim-majority South Asian nation. A three-judge High Court panel said Monday that the 15-member group that filed the petition in 1988 has no legitimacy because it was never registered with authorities. [caption id=“attachment_2699716” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Getty Images[/caption] Government lawyers said the court’s rejection means that Islam will remain Bangladesh’s official religion, and that equal rights for minority religions guaranteed by the constitution will not be affected. The government’s lead lawyer for the case, Murad Reza, who had opposed the petition, praised the court’s decision. AP