Women's Empowerment and Leadership Development for Democratisation
The government, we believe, has a lot to do to make sure that the religious rights of citizens are not encroached upon by any individual or group. The pure law and order approach is the solution here since the fanatics are threatening to resort to violence.
However, a peaceful settlement of the issue is what people would like to see. The government should talk to the agitators and convince them that their demand goes against the spirit of Islam, democracy and the basic principles that the country is committed to.
It is often said that our image abroad will be lowered if we allow activities that smack of religious extremism. Why can't the government realise that the international community will be greatly perturbed by what the fanatics are doing in the name of serving religion? If our international image has any place on its agenda, the government can ill afford to allow anybody to disrupt religious harmony.