A/55/280/Add.2 was in no way religious in character) on the part of political parties, and that with the help of its education and training activities among the people, the organization’s arguments would ultimately prevail, because its cause was just. IV. Situation regarding religion or belief 56. The following information reflects consultations held with religious representatives, lay officials, and political representatives of the Muslim community as well as of religious and ethnic communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. A. Status of Muslims 57. The Special Rapporteur was anxious to give an account of his consultations with representatives of the Muslim community in Bangladesh. He wishes to make it clear that due to the extraordinary diversity of Islam, there is no single representative of the Muslim faith. Consequently, this report includes accounts of interviews conducted with religious officials in Dhaka and the Chittagong Hill Tracts, as well as with an official from Jamat-e-Islami. It should be noted that within the framework of his consultations with Muslims, the Special Rapporteur has included an account of his interviews with the Ahmadis, since they are fully recognized as Muslims by the Bangladeshi authorities. Of course, even the views of all the interviewees mentioned do not represent those of all Muslims in Bangladesh. They do, however, offer insight into the status of Muslims. These views are complemented by consultations with the authorities, non-governmental organizations, and independent experts, which are reflected in the section of this report dealing with politics in the area of religion and belief (sect. III). Reference might also be made to the interviews conducted among representatives of religious minorities and ethnic communities and, lastly, to the information provided about the status of women (see below). 58. Secretary Mowlana Aminul Islam, of the Lalbagh Shahi mosque, a representative consulted at the suggestion of the Imam of Dhaka, said that Bangladesh was a country characterized by religious harmony and universal freedom. He pointed out that minority groups — particularly Christian, Buddhist, and 14 Hindu — were not victims of incidents of any kind, and said that Muslim extremism did not exist in Bangladesh. With respect to the Ahmadis, he said that they were not Muslims because they believed that Muhammad was the last of the prophets. However, he stated that the Ahmadi community was free to practise its religion, provided that they did not express their views in public, as this would cause problems among Muslims. With respect to the practice of Islam, he expressed his satisfaction at its importance in Bangladesh, particularly with regard to Friday prayers. He added that there were not enough mosques for all the faithful. He stated that there was one mosque that accepted women in Dhaka, and also said that in his view mosques were not places for women. With regard to Taslima Nasreen, he said that she was a mad woman, who had not been properly educated (that is, she was ignorant of Islam), and noted that a Muslim woman should not have behaved as she had. He concluded by saying that the return of Taslima Nasreen to Bangladesh would cause public anger, but that it would not be possible to kill her. 59. The imam consulted by the Special Rapporteur in Rangamati said that the status of Muslims in the Chittagong Hill Tracts was satisfactory, and that Islam was spreading fast in the region. He noted that the Muslim community had 40 mosques in Rangamati, but that there were places where the mosques were not large enough to hold all the assembled faithful, who were obliged to worship in the streets. He said that the mosques were forbidden to women and that Rangamati did not have a mosque able to accommodate them. He added that religious training was provided at four madrasahs, which were largely State funded. 60. The Ahmadi representatives described the status of their community, which is fully recognized as a Muslim community by the State of Bangladesh. They said that they were not hindered by the authorities and did not encounter tensions within society. However, they did stress the danger of Muslim religious extremism, which is fuelled from abroad, and has had an impact on their community in recent years. Particular mention was made of the January 1999 attacks that took place in the village of Koldiar, in Kushtia, against an Ahmadi place of worship and against Ahmadi worshippers; the explosion of a bomb at an Ahmadi place of worship in Khulna, on 8 October 1999, which killed several worshippers; the discovery of two bombs in the main Ahmadi mosque in Dhaka,