Bangladeshi lawyer allegedly posts derogatory comments about Prophet Muhammad

By Md. Kamruzzaman

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - A Bangladeshi lawyer reportedly posted a derogatory social media comment against the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SW) on Wednesday, raising existing tensions across the country.

The Facebook post went viral on social media amid outrage in the South Asian Muslim-majority nation against insulting comments about the Muslim prophet from two officials of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) last week.

Fellow attorneys in held a massive demonstration at the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, where the lawyer worked, vandalizing his office.

They also held a rally to demand the immediate punishment of the lawyer, with the Bangladesh Supreme Court Bar Association postponing his membership.

- Case filed

On behalf of the attorneys, a case has been filed against the alleged offender, at the Shahbag Police Station in the capital Dhaka on Wednesday night.

"We have received the case as a general diary (GD) now and will hand over the complaint to the cyber unit tomorrow (Thursday) for investigation," officer-in-charge Moudud Hawlader told Anadolu Agency at the police station.

The religious sentiment of Muslims stands "extremely hurt" by the lawyer's comments, according to the written complaint, which adds that such actions threatened communal harmony.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, one agitated Supreme Court lawyer, Md. Jashim Uddin, underlined that the act was unexpected.

"We want an exemplary punishment so that no one dares to commit such a heinous act of insulting a holy prophet to destroy communal harmony of the country," Uddin asserted.

Meanwhile, one of the largest Islamic political parties in the country, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, declared that it would hold a march on the Indian High Commission in Dhaka to submit a memorandum on Thursday, demanding the punishment of the two Indian ruling party officials.

Large demonstrations were held across Bangladesh after weekly Friday prayers last week in protest of the comments in India.

The Indian government, however, said the comments by the officials -- one of whom were suspended and the other expelled -- did not reflect the party's stance.​​​​​​​