Hefazat protests, demands his removal 

Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh has strongly protested the appointment of Gaibandha-4 lawmaker Mohammad Shamim Kaiser Lincoln as State Minister for Religious Affairs, expressing deep concern and urging the government to immediately reconsider and revoke the decision. 

In a statement issued to the media on Friday midnight, Hefazat-e-Islam Publicity Secretary Mufti Kifayatullah Azhari said the organisation was protesting the decision on behalf of the country's Islamic scholars and religious-minded people.

According to the statement, Lincoln was sworn in as State Minister for Religious Affairs at a ceremony held at Bangabhaban on Friday evening. "We strongly protest his appointment to the Ministry of Religious Affairs," the statement said.

Hefazat leaders said that a press conference organised on Thursday by Sammilito Ulama Mashayekh Bangladesh had clearly stated that assigning Lincoln responsibility for the Religious Affairs Ministry would be contrary to the expectations of country's Islamic scholars and the majority Muslim population.

The organisation alleged that Lincoln subscribes to views that are opposed to the beliefs and traditions of the country's established pir-mashayekh, the Tablighi Jamaat and the historically recognised four schools of Islamic jurisprudence.

The statement described the Ministry of Religious Affairs as a highly sensitive and specialised area, arguing that the government should appoint someone who respects Islamic values and is acceptable to the country's ulema. "Appointing a controversial figure instead could hurt the religious sentiments of the people," it said.
Hefazat-e-Islam also warned that ignoring the views and contributions of the country's Qawmi scholars and religious communities could seriously damage the government's relationship and mutual trust with Islamic scholars.

The organisation urged the government to immediately cancel Lincoln's appointment and, after consulting Islamic scholars, appoint a qualified, experienced and widely acceptable person to oversee the Ministry of Religious Affairs.