The first-ever 'Combined Imam–Khatib National Conference 2025' was held at the China Friendship Conference Center in Dhaka, bringing together religious leaders from across Bangladesh. The event, chaired by Maulana Muhibbullah Baki, aimed to uphold the dignity of imams and khatibs and present a seven-point demand for their rights and participation in national affairs. The demands include prioritizing Islamic Shariah in governance while protecting all religions, involving imams and khatibs in welfare and administrative committees, reducing utility costs for mosques and madrasas, establishing formal employment regulations for mosque staff, preventing arbitrary arrests of clerics, giving preference to qualified scholars in religious appointments, and reforming Waqf administration and education policy with religious expert input. Political and religious figures, including BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman and leaders from Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Andolon Bangladesh, addressed the gathering. Organizers expressed hope that the conference would strengthen the movement for the recognition and welfare of imams and khatibs nationwide.