Dhaka to send troops if Makkah, Madinah come under threat: FM

Given the religious sentiment of the majority of people of the country for Islam’s two holiest mosques in Makkah and Madinah, Bangladesh will send troops if those two places come under any threat, Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali reiterated yesterday.
Apart from this, he said that Dhaka’s position regarding joining Saudi-led military coalition of Islamic countries remains same which is to conduct research activities and information sharing. “We still have that position,” the foreign secretary told a briefing organised to apprise journalists about Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia from May 20-23 to attend Arab-Islamic-American summit to be held in Riyadh, which would be participated by, among other world leaders, US President Donald Trump. When asked if Bangladesh’s position to concentrate on information and research remain the same, Ali replied, however, “We have said before, given the devotion and love for Masjid al-Haram and Al-Masjid an-Nabawī, if there are ever any threats to Makkah and Madinah, then if Saudia Arabia seeks help we will definitely send soldiers over there.” “If such things happen, we will be prepared to provide military assistance,” he said. About the alliance in which Bangladesh joined in December, 2015, the minister said that it is still evolving, slowly flourishing and time has not yet come to assess it. Terrorism has become a global problem and the main objective of the alliance is to forge unity and cooperation among Muslim countries to combat this menace, he said, adding that there are causes for concern for Bangladesh.
“As far as Bangladesh is concerned, we feel that the conflict and war in the Middle Eastern countries need to end so that the people of these countries can bring about their lives normally. And we need to work in this regard,” Ali said. It is likely that the prime minister will have meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the summit, he told a questioner without elaborating further. At the summit, the foreign minister said that the prime minister will present Bangladesh’s strong position against terrorism and violent extremism and the country’s recent success in combating terrorism. While in Saudi Arabia, he informed that Sheikh Hasina will perform holy Umrah in Makkah and offer prayers at the shrine of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PUBH) before flying back home on May 23.

 

 

Dhaka to send troops if Makkah, Madinah come under threat: FM

Given the religious sentiment of the majority of people of the country for Islams two holiest mosques in Makkah and Madinah, Bangladesh will send troops if those two places come under any threat, Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali reiterated yesterday. Apart from this, he said that Dhakas position regarding joining Saudi-led military coalition of Islamic countries remains same which is to conduct research activities and information sharing. We still have that position, the foreign secretary told a briefing organised to apprise journalists about Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia from May 20-23 to attend Arab-Islamic-American summit to be held in Riyadh, which would be participated by, among other world leaders, US President Donald Trump. When asked if Bangladeshs position to concentrate on information and research remain the same, Ali replied, however, We have said before, given the devotion and love for Masjid al-Haram and Al-Masjid an-Nabawī, if there are ever any threats to Makkah and Madinah, then if Saudia Arabia seeks help we will definitely send soldiers over there. If such things happen, we will be prepared to provide military assistance, he said. About the alliance in which Bangladesh joined in December, 2015, the minister said that it is still evolving, slowly flourishing and time has not yet come to assess it. Terrorism has become a global problem and the main objective of the alliance is to forge unity and cooperation among Muslim countries to combat this menace, he said, adding that there are causes for concern for Bangladesh. As far as Bangladesh is concerned, we feel that the conflict and war in the Middle Eastern countries need to end so that the people of these countries can bring about their lives normally. And we need to work in this regard, Ali said. It is likely that the prime minister will have meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the summit, he told a questioner without elaborating further. At the summit, the foreign minister said that the prime minister will present Bangladeshs strong position against terrorism and violent extremism and the countrys recent success in combating terrorism. While in Saudi Arabia, he informed that Sheikh Hasina will perform holy Umrah in Makkah and offer prayers at the shrine of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PUBH) before flying back home on May 23.