Qawmi-linked Sammilito Ulema Mashayekh Bangladesh has demanded that lawmaker Shamim Kaysar Lincoln not be appointed state minister for religious affairs. The group made the call at a press briefing on Thursday at Jamia Islamia Makhzanul Ulum in Khilgaon, Dhaka, according to the report published on August 21, 2026. It urged the government to appoint a qualified, experienced and acceptable person after consulting religious scholars.

Maulana Muhiuddin Rabbani, secretary general of International Majlis-e-Tahaffuz-e-Khatme Nabuwat Bangladesh, read the written statement. He said news of Lincoln’s nomination was contrary to the expectations of religious scholars and ordinary Tawhidi people. Rabbani alleged that Lincoln’s religious views did not align with those of Bangladesh’s majority Muslim population.

The speakers said the views of the country’s religious scholars should be given importance in selecting a state minister for religious affairs. They warned that ignoring the demand could create distance and weaken mutual trust between the government and religious scholars. Leaders from Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and Qawmi madrasas attended the briefing.