Bangladesh rules out petition to drop Islam as state religion

Bangladesh high court has ruled against scrapping Islam as the state religion in the country with a 90-percent Muslim population.

On Monday, the court turned down a petition filed by a group of secular activists that challenged Islam as the state religion.

According to an AFP reporter, a three-judge special bench rejected the petition immediately after the opening of the case and without hearing any testimony.

The petition had ignited protests across the country. Thousands of protesters demonstrated outside the national mosque in the capital, Dhaka, on March 25 against the legal action.

The demonstration was organized by Touhidi Janata group as well as a local group identified as Hefazat-e-Islam.

Subrata Chowdhury, the representative of the secular activists in the case, expressed his sadness over the ruling.

He also slammed the court for not allowing the petitioners to state their case, saying, "The judges simply said the rule is discharged."

SS