Bangladesh moves to retain Islam as state religion

Bangladesh will retain Islam as the state religion in amendments the government is proposing to its constitution, a government minister said Tuesday. A former military ruler declared Islam the state religion in 1988 by amending the charter, but it barely affected Bangladesh's secular legal system mainly based on British common law.
The government says the proposed changes won't affect the legal system. Inheritance and other family laws already are based on religion. The decision was made late Monday at a Cabinet meeting, the minister told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. A special government committee prepared proposals for the amendment, and the government will send those proposals to the parliament for passing as a law.