DHAKA: Bangladesh on Friday removed a controversial statue depicting a goddess of justice outside its Supreme Court that religious hardliners had deemed “un-Islamic,” a move its creator said marked a victory for Islamists. Hardliners wanted the statue of the blindfolded, sari-clad woman holding scales—a Bangladeshi version of the Greek goddess of justice—to be replaced with a Koran. The depressing thing is that the government is using it as a political tool,” top secular activist Imran Sarkar told AFP. She broke her silence last month to describe the statue as “ridiculous” after inviting top Islamist leaders to her residence. It’s being called a Greek statue, but how did a Greek statue get here?” she said.

Source: Manila Times May 26, 2017 11:48 UTC