Journalists today called upon the Muslim community and civil society to come forward unitedly to fight militancy in Bangladesh.

“Those who are doing violence in name of religion are defaming religion itself,” Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul, president of a faction of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) said while attending a human chain programme in Dhaka this morning.

When the fight is against the nation, secularism and aspirations of the Liberation War, then one needs to take the side of his country, Bulbul said.

“There is no politics in fighting terrorism, here the entire country is united, this terrorism must be prevented,” Reazuddin Ahmed, a former president of Jatiya Press Club and editor of News Today, said in his speech.

No non-Muslim should be killed in name of Islam, he added.

Several hundred journalists this morning formed the human chain in front of Jatiya Pres Club as a part of their nationwide demonstration to protest the ongoing militant activities.

With a slogan “Fight against militancy and communalism”, around 500 journalists have participated in the one-hour human chain programme that started 11:00am.

Journalists from different organisations including Muhammad Shafiqur Rahman, Quamrul Islam Chowhdury, president and general secretary of Jatiya Press Club respectively, Editor of the Daily Samakal Golam Sarwar, journalists and members of Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) were among the participants of the demonstration.

The organisers held similar demonstrations simultaneously in all divisional headquarters in the country.