Bangladesh has sacked a top minister after his criticism of the Muslim pilgrimage of Haj triggered protests by Islamists who declared him an apostate and set a 24-hour deadline to replace him.
\nAbdul Latif Siddique, the country\u2019s telecommunications minister, who is in New York accompanying Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, made the comments which were aired by local television stations.
\nSiddique said: \u201cI am dead against Haj and Tablig Jamaat. Two million people have gone to Saudi Arabia to perform Haj. Haj is a waste of manpower. Those who perform Haj do not have any productivity. They deduct from the economy, spend a lot of money abroad.\u201d
\nThe comments drew immediate protests from the group Hefajat-e-Islam whose leaders called him \u201can apostate\u201d and set a 24-hour deadline to the government to sack him from the Cabinet.
\nA senior official told AFP Siddique would be removed but he did not comment whether it was linked to demand by the Islamists.
\n\u201cThe decision has been taken to remove him from the Cabinet,\u201d the official from the Prime Minister\u2019s Office said, speaking on condition of anonymity. He added the decision would be effective after Hasina returns home.
\nAt a New York rally where Siddique was the lone speaker on Sunday, he was also heard making critical comments about Hasina\u2019s influential son and technology adviser, Sajeeb Wazed Joy. \u201cWho is Joy? Joy is not part of the government.\u201d
\nHe also slammed the non-political Islamic group, Tablig Jamaat, millions of whose followers congregate outside the Bangladeshi capital each year in what authorities called the second largest Muslim gathering after the Haj.
\nHe said the around two million people who gathered \u201cdon\u2019t do any work except halting traffic movement throughout the country,\u201d Siddiqui said.
\nThere was no comment from the Tablig Jamaat.<\/p>\n