DHAKA, April 20, 2022 (BSS) - Visiting US ambassador-at-large for
international Religious Freedom Rashed Hussain today highly lauded religious
harmony and freedom in Bangladesh while he called on state minister for
foreign affairs Md Shahriar Alam.

"We are very encouraged to see people from different faith groups who are
living together peacefully (in Bangladesh)," he told reporters emerging from
the meeting with the junior minister at foreign ministry here.

The envoy said the quarters who are trying to divide and create complication
among people of different religions must be stopped. "We must continue to
live together peacefully," he added.

Hussain said Washington wants to see religious freedom everywhere across the
world.

Later, Alam told reporters that he briefed the visiting US ambassador about
the true picture of religious harmony in the country and the Bangladesh
government's commitment to uphold it.

The state minister informed the ambassador-at-large that everyone in the
country enjoys equal citizen rights and Bangladesh doesn't term anybody as a
religion minority.

Alam also noted that some vested quarters had instigated attacks on Buddhist
community and vandalized some Hindu temples in few occasions by utilizing the
social media through fake facebook IDs.

The state minister said Bangladesh government has taken all possible actions
sincerely to address the issues and support the affected Hindu and Buddha
communities.

The US ambassador-at-large appreciated the Bangladesh government's initiative
to address these challenges, he added.

"We have agreed that Bangladesh and the US will work together to maintain
religious harmony in the days to come," Alam said.

They also discussed Rohingya issue while the state minister hoped that the
US's recent stand against atrocities committed against Rohingyas by Myanmar
will support the Gambia's case against Myanmar at the International Court of
Justice.

Hussain arrived in Dhaka on Sunday on a four-day visit to hold a series of
meetings with Bangladesh officials.