<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today called upon the Hajj pilgrims and Alem-Ulema (Islamic scholars) to move forward to contribute in building a modern and knowledge-based developed nation by keeping the children away from militancy and terrorism.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;"I urge you (Hajj pilgrims) and Alem-Ulema to stand boldly against militancy and terrorism so our children can stay aside from it and equip with modern-technology to build a developed Bangladesh," she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;The premier made this call while inaugurating Hajj Programme-2023 (1444 Hijri) at the Hajji Camp in the capital's Ashkona area as the chief guest.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;She said Islam is a religion of peace and it is always a religion of welfare of people which ensures the rights of people.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mentioning that Islam is being denounced because of few people, who perpetrate militancy and terrorism in Islam, she said, "Actually those people who create militancy and terrorism they have no religion."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;Sheikh Hasina noted that the people who are creating militancy and terrorism exist in all religions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;"If someone thinks they will go to heaven by killing innocent people, it will never happen. Almighty Allah didn't say it, and our Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) also didn't say it," she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sheikh Hasina continued that "Our Islam is the best religion of the world and these few people are becoming the reason for denouncement of Islam."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She opined that everybody has to take initiative to stop these people from doing this (heinous) job.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"All of us have to be aware of our children," she added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Prime Minister also sought doa from the hajj pilgrims for her younger daughter Sheikh Rehana and other family members.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;"My biggest demand to you (hajj pilgrims) is that you people will pray for my people of Bangladesh so that none could play ducks and drakes with the fate of them," the premier said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;She also urged the hajj pilgrims to pray for keeping Bangladesh and its people protected from any manmade or natural disaster.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"I would like to request you to pray so that any disaster or crisis -either it manmade or natural calamity- can't damage Bangladesh and the people of Bangladesh," Sheikh Hasina said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Prime Minister said manmade disaster alongside natural calamity happens in Bangladesh as the people are killed here by resorting to arson violence and setting transport vehicles on fire.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;She asked the pilgrims to pray so that the development and the current progress of Bangladesh would continue in the future.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The first hajj flight is scheduled to depart from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for Saudi Arabia at 2:45am on Saturday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This year, a total of 122,221 pilgrims from Bangladesh are going to perform the holy hajj. The number of hajj pilgrims from Bangladesh was 57,585 last year due to Covid-19 restriction.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Before the Covid-19 pandemic, 127,198 pilgrims from Bangladesh performed hajj in 2019.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Hajj is expected to be held on June 27 depending on the sighting of the moon.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">With State Minister for Religious Affairs Md. Faridul Haque Khan, MP in the chair, secretary of the ministry Kazi Enamul Hassan delivered welcome address.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism M Mahbub Ali, Habib Hasan, MP, Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Essa Yussef Essa Al Dulaihan and president of Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) Shahadat Hossain Taslim also spoke on the occasion.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;At the outset of the ceremony, a video documentary on Hajj Management was screened. BSS</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>