BSS: Cross-section of village people including professional leaders, students, youths and adults both male and female expressed their commitment of freeing their respective localities from terrorism and militancy.
They also raised voice and took oath of grooming all the juveniles and adolescents as worthy citizens so that none can get any scope of becoming terrorists and militants or extremists. They came up with the determination while taking part in some programmes like peer education session with school students at Nazampur High School, interactive with community at Luxmipur village and street theater at Luxmipur High School field under Nachole Upazila on Wednesday. Upazila Chairman Abdul Kader and its Vice-chairman Mujibur Rahman, Upazila Nirbahi Officer Sabiha Sultana and Nazampur Union Parishad (UP) Chairman Aminul Haque were present on the occasion. Corinne Petrisor, Councilor (Commercial) of High Commission of Canada in Bangladesh, witnessed the programmes. Agriculture Sustainable and Socio-Economic Development Organization (ASSEDO) organized the programmes with the main thrust of creating awareness among the grassroots people about the curse of terrorism and extremism.
The awareness-raising programmes were conducted with intervention of a project titled ‘Countering Radicalisation of Religious Ideologies through Edutainment and Youth Engagement’.
The ASSEDO has been implementing the project in the Nezampur UP areas since September last with financial support from High Commission of Canada in Bangladesh.
Upazila Chairman Abdul Kader said the villagers were given ideas about demerits of deadly consequences of terrorism and militancy through various community-level motivational campaigns and programmes.
He said the villagers irrespective of age, sex, profession and faiths got messages of how to prevent various anti-social activities like terrorism and militancy.
“We are pledged bound to supplementing the government efforts of freeing the society from the curse of terrorism and militancy collectively,” Abdul Kader asserted.
Religious leader Turab Ali said the people realized that Islam is a religion of peace. Islam never supports terrorism and militancy.
He said various motivational programmes including school session, community session and folk-show (gambhira) were arranged earlier for making the youths and people vocal and active against the crimes. The programmes are being adjudged as very much effective to attain the cherished goal.
“We have brought 12,870 people comprising 8,500 parents or caregivers, 4,250 students and other youths and 120 teachers, faith leaders and other leaders of influence under training and awareness programmes,” said Rabiul Alam, Executive Director of ASSEDO.
In all the programmes, the participants took oath of making the government efforts for freeing the country from the curse of terrorism and militancy a total success.
More than 15,000 other people both male and female get benefits from the project indirectly, he added.
Upazila Chairman Kader sought cooperation of the project implementing agency to expand the campaign to all the upazila areas so that the people could be brought under awareness and motivation on the issue.