A/55/280/Add.2 43. The Secretary for Women and Children noted that in the area of public-sector employment, a quota system had been introduced in favour of women. The Special Rapporteur was told how women’s participation in economic life had been increased through credit programmes designed to encourage individual enterprise and managed by the Government and non-governmental organizations. With respect to the participation of women in political life, it was recalled that Bangladesh was the first country in the world in which two women had succeeded each other both as Prime Minister and leader of the parliamentary opposition. Furthermore, in addition to the 300 seats filled by direct suffrage in the constituencies, there were 30 parliamentary seats reserved exclusively for women. 44. With regard to the case of the writer Taslima Nasreen, who had been accused of blasphemy and threatened by Muslim extremists, the Secretary for the Interior said that the police had provided her with protection, and noted that she now lived abroad of her own free will, and was free to return to Bangladesh. He added that the police could guarantee her safety. The Minister of Justice considered that Taslima Nasreen had offended the religious feelings of the people, and noted that this was the only problematical case in a country of 128 million people. 45. With respect to the religious practices of women, the Secretary for Women and Children and her colleagues stated that there was no discrimination in this area. It was explained that women were free to attend mosques, but did not generally do so, and that certain mosques made special arrangements to accommodate women. 46. During his mission, the Special Rapporteur was informed about the Prime Minister’s speech to members of the Madrasah Teachers’ Association. In a newspaper article entitled “We do not want to use religion for political gains as was done in the past,” the Prime Minister reportedly declared that Islam was the religion of welfare, service, peace and humanity, and urged the madrasah teachers to preach Islam to the people in an easy way. She reportedly said that religion was not at all affected during the rule of the present Government and that the government had taken every possible step for the development of Islam, including such projects as the beautification of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque by the construction of towers; an imam training project under the Imam Training Academy; a mass-education programme conducted through different mosques; and provision for some 839 new madrasahs, while 1,156 others are going on (in 2000, the Government has reportedly listed 485 madrasahs for development). 47. The Special Rapporteur would also like to give an account of his consultations with a representative of the Islamic Foundation, an official institution created by the Government in 1975 (Islamic Foundation Act XVII.1975.). The Act creating the Foundation and the Amendment Ordinance of 1985 (Ordinance XXII, 1985) state that the Director-General shall be appointed by the Government, that the Board of Directors shall be constituted by State representatives, such as the Minister of Religious Affairs, and that the Foundation shall be financed partly by public funds. The Foundation, which is listed in its publications as an independent organization, aims to establish, manage and maintain mosques and Islamic mosques and Islamic centres, academies, and institutes; to undertake research on the contribution of Islam to science, culture, politics and civilization; to propagate and assist in propagating the basic Islamic ideals of universal brotherhood, tolerance and justice, to organize and promote studies and research in Islamic history, philosophy, politics, economics, culture, law and jurisprudence; to publish books, periodicals and pamphlets on the above-mentioned topics, to organize conferences, lectures, debates, and symposia on matters relating to mentioned topics; to institute prizes and medals for outstanding contributions in the field of Islamic studies; to award scholarships for Islamic studies; and to manage and develop the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, and all other mosques which may subsequently come under the management of the Islamic Foundation. The representative of the Islamic Foundation explained that his institution had 64 district offices, 7 Imam Training Academy centres, and 28 Islamic Mission centres (which had trained over 4,000 muballigs and 3,000 maktab teachers). With regard to women, the representative of the Foundation submitted a document entitled “Introduction to Islamic Foundation Bangladesh”, which states: Islamic Foundation Bangladesh is very aware of the importance of women’s role in nationbuilding activities. Women ought to have due share and ample opportunities in the social and religious spheres of life. Islamic Foundation provides adequate facilities in the Baitul 11