A/55/280/Add.2 40. The Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that there was no real risk of religious extremism in Bangladesh, that the Government was in control of the situation, and that foreign funding of extremist groups, which had stemmed largely from the Middle East, had stopped. A Ministry representative made the point that Bangladesh was acknowledged by all international bodies as a moderate Muslim country that had rejected the religious extremism espoused by certain groups, which were closely watched by society and the State. The Minister of Justice noted that with respect to the use of religion for political purposes, Jamat-e-Islami was a tiny group, which had only three seats in Parliament, and thus did not enjoy the support of society in general, which wished to preserve a democratic, moderate State. The Secretary for the Interior held the view that religious extremists were very much in the minority, and that in any case, their parties were politically marginal. He noted that the activities of Islamic missionary groups funded from abroad were closely monitored by the authorities, as such organizations might prove problematical under certain conditions. With regard to religious extremism, the Minister of Religious Affairs stated that the Government was committed to secularism and, unlike the opposition parties, did not use religion for political purposes. He added that government authorities tried as far as possible to provide protection against extremism, but that they had to be careful not to infringe opposition parties’ freedom of expression. The Minister of Justice said that the struggle against extremism required education, while the Secretary for the Interior noted that the democratic process enabled political parties to strengthen themselves, based on the principle of social integration. The Minister of Education believed that religious parties had little impact on society or political life. He said that these parties would be rapidly eliminated, except in cases where such parties formed alliances with other parties. However, he said that these parties could have an influence in certain madrasahs. He also noted that extremism was a global phenomenon, which could affect any country. 41. With regard to women and religion, the Secretary for Women and Children explained that in accordance with the Constitution, the secular State guaranteed equal rights for all and religious rights for every community. The Secretary recalled her Government’s efforts to promote the advancement of women, in the light of a social situation that was prejudicial to 10 women. Those efforts included its decision to adopt a national policy for the improvement of the status of women and the formulation of a national plan of action for the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action. In a voluminous report entitled “Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh — National Action Plan for Women’s Advancement: Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action,” the Special Rapporteur noted the following recommendations with interest: Ministry of Land: Ensure equal ownership by women with men over Khas land distributed. Ministry of Religious Affairs: Review curriculum of imam training from a gender perspective and insert sessions on women’s and girls’ issues and rights. Ministry of Youth and Sports: Mobilization of youth of both sexes through youth clubs or other programmes to promote and ensure birth, marriage and death registration; to prevent child marriages and work actively against the practice of dowry. Ministry of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs: Strong action to be taken against fatwas being used to victimize women — amend existing laws to prevent discrimination against women. Local government Division: Enforce registration of all births, deaths and marriages. 42. This plan of action thus identifies problems affecting women and resulting in particular from practices or traditions that are either religious or attributed to religion. We should also note certain passages from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s declaration of 8 March 1997, concerning the National Policy for the Advancement of Women: Women in Bangladesh have been subjected to exploitation and negligence for decades. In a society that is basically male dominated, women have always been oppressed by religious fanaticism, superstition, oppression and various acts of discrimination. The present Government is determined to bring out the womenfolk from their backward situation by improving their fate. To achieve this objective of the advancement of women, the comprehensive development and empowerment of women is to be ensured.