Islam in Bangladesh

Bangladeshi Muslims

Total population
approx. 150 million (2013 estimate)
Religions
Sunni, Shia, Ahmadiyya,
Languages
Main Languages spoken are Bengali and Urdu (by the Bihari Muslim community)

Islam is the largest religion of Bangladesh, the Muslim population is approximately 148.6 million, which is the fourth largest Muslim population in the world (after Indonesia, Pakistan and India), constituting 90.4% of the total population as of 2011. Religion has always been a strong part of identity, but this has varied at different times. A survey in late 2003 confirmed that religion is the first choice by a citizen for self-identification; atheism is extremely rare. The constitution makes Bangladesh a secular state and guarantees freedom of religion, however the United Nations has recognised the country as moderate Muslim democratic country.

Islam was introduced to Bengal in the 13th century and later become main religion, coming from mainly by the arrivals of Arab and Persian missionaries and merchants, and later conquests of the region by North Indian Muslim sultanates.

History

Early explorers

Syed Shanasiruddin was originally from Iraq but came to Bangladesh to spread Islam. Early Arab Muslims however established commercial as well as religious contacts within the region before the conquest, mainly through the coastal regions as traders and primarily via the ports of Chittagong. Arab navigation in the region was the result of the Muslim reign over the Indus delta. The activities of the Muslims were expanded along the entire coast of South Asia including the coasts of Bengal. The religion of Islam entered the region in many different ways, the Muslim traders, the Turkish conquest and, the missionary activities of the Muslim Sufis. One of the authentications of the Arab traders present in the region was the writings of Arab geographers, found on the Meghna River located near Sandwip on the Bay of Bengal. This evidence suggests that the Arab traders had arrived along the Bengal coast long before the Turkish conquest. The Arab writers also knew about the kingdoms of Samrup and Ruhmi, the latter being identified with the empire of Dharmapal of the Pala Empire.

Between the 8th century and 12th century, the Buddhist dynasty known as the Pala Empire ruled Bengal. During that time, the majority of the population in Bengal were thought to be Buddhists. After the decline of the Pala dynasty, the Sena dynasty came to power. The large scale conversion to Islam began in the 13th century and continued for hundreds of years. Conversion was generally collective rather than individual. Islam attracted numerous Buddhists and Hindus. Sufis were responsible for most conversions.

Shah Jalal

Main article: Shah Jalal

One of the notable Muslim saints was Shah Jalal. He arrived in the region of Sylhet in 1303 with many other disciples to preach the religion to the people.

Before the conquest by the Muslims, Sylhet was ruled by local chieftains. In 1303 the saint, Shah Jalal, came to Sylhet from Delhi with a band of 360 disciples to preach Islam and defeated the Raja Gour Gobinda in a dispute. As a result, Sylhet developed into a region that was home to numerous saints and Islamic shrines His uncle, Sheikh Kabir, one day gave Shah Jalal a handful of earth and asked him to travel to Hindustan with the instruction that he should settle down at whichever place in Hindustan whose soil matched completely in smell and color, and devote his life for the propagation and establishment of Islam there. Shah Jalal journeyed eastward and reached India in 1300, where he met with many great scholars and mystics. He arrived at Ajmer, where he met the great Sufi mystic and scholar, Pir Khawaja Gharibnawaz Muinuddin Hasan Chisty, who is credited with much of the spread of Islam in India. In Delhi, he met with Nizamuddin Auliya, another major Sufi mystic and scholar.

During the later stages of his life, Shah Jalal devoted himself to propagating Islam to the masses. Under his guidance, many thousands of Hindus and Buddhists converted to Islam. Shah Jalal become so renowned that even the famed Ibn Battuta, whilst in Chittagong, was asked to change his plans and go to Sylhet to visit him. On his way to Sylhet, Ibn Batuta was greeted by several of Shah Jalal's disciples who had come to assist him on his journey many days before he had arrived. Once in the presence of Shah Jalal, Ibn Battuta noted that Shah Jalal was tall and lean, fair in complexion and lived by the mosque in a cave, where his only item of value was a goat from which he extracted milk, butter, and yogurt. He observed that the companions of Shah Jalal were foreigners and known for their strength and bravery. Ibn Battuta also mentioned that many people would visit him and seek guidance. Shah Jalal was therefore instrumental in the spread of Islam throughout north east India including Assam.

As independent Sultanate of Bengal

Main articles: History of Bengal, History of Bangladesh, and History of West Bengal

Under Mughal Empire

Main article: Mughal Empire

In British India

Main article: British India

Bangladesh War of Independence

Main article: Bangladesh Liberation War

Denominations

Muslims in Bangladesh
religion			percent
Sunni Muslim			94%
Shia Muslim			1%
Nondenominational Muslim			4%
Other Muslim			1%

Large majority of Bangladeshi Muslims perceive Sufis as source of their spiritual wisdom and guidance and their Khanqahs and Dargahs as nerve center of Muslim society These majority of Muslims in Bangladesh are Sunni, who mainly follow the Hanafi school of thought (madh'hab). The main groups include the Deobandi, Sufism influenced Barelvi and the Salafi-influenced Ahle Hadith.

Non-sectarian Muslims who reject the authority of hadith, known as Quranists, Quraniyoon, or Ahle Quran, are also present in Bangladesh. In South Asia during the 19th century, the Ahle Quran movement formed partially in reaction to the Ahle Hadith movement whom they considered to be placing too much emphasis on hadith. Notable Quranists of Bangali descent include Anisur-Rahman and Abdur-Rab.

There are also few Shi'a Muslims, particularly belonging to the Bihari community. The Shi'a observance commemorating the martyrdom of Ali's sons, Hasan and Husayn, are still widely observed by the nation's Sunnis, even though there are small numbers of Shi'as. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, which is claimed to be non-Muslim by mainstream Muslim leaders, is estimated to be around 100,000, the community has faced discrimination because of their belief and have been persecuted in some areas.

Sufism

Bangladesh is a Sunni majority Muslim country. The tradition of Islamic mysticism known as Sufism appeared very early in Islam and became essentially a popular movement emphasizing worship out of a love of Allah. rather than fear. Sufism stresses a direct, unstructured, personal devotion to God in place of the ritualistic, outward observance of the faith and "a Sufi aims to attain spiritual union with God through love" An important belief in the Sufi tradition is that the average believer may use spiritual guides in his pursuit of the truth. Throughout the centuries many gifted scholars and numerous poets have been inspired by Sufi ideas.

The Qadiri, Maizbhandaria, Naqshbandi, Chishti, Mujaddid, Ahmadi, Mohammadi, Soharwardi and Refai orders were among the most widespread Sufi orders in Bangladesh in the late 1980s. Prominent Sufi personalities in Bangladesh includes Abdul Gafur Hali, Ahmed Ullah Maizbhanderi, Salekur Rahman Rahe Bhanderi, Sayed Delaor Husaein, Sayed Ziaul Haq, Syed Rashid Ahmed Jaunpuri. Sufism in Bangladesh is owed to the great saint in Bangladesh, Khwaja Enayetpuri, whose family lineage traced back to Baghdad but later on migrated to Delhi. The regular Sufi practice in many of the Khaneghahs in Bangladesh is zikr, assisted with ghazals. The participants of zikr do not perform any other sama (Suif music), qawwali, or dance. Sufism in Bangladesh is a silent and spontaneous movement. The Sufis and the Sheikhs in India and Bangladesh are believed to have shown many miracles and divine activities.

Muslim population by district

Khan Mohammad Mirdha's Mosque in Dhaka, built in 1706 (18th century old mosque).

Muslim women, wearing hijab which is a version of modest Islamic clothing, can be seen shopping at a department store in Comilla, Bangladesh.

File:ShahJalal5.JPG

Entrance of the Shah Jalal Mazar in Sylhet

Muslim males can be seen attending Khutbah as part of the Eid-ul-Adha prayers. Photo taken at Barashalghar union of Comilla's Debidwar upazila.

Kakrail Mosque, Dhaka. The Tablighi Jamaat movement in Bangladesh is mostly based here.

An urban congregation for Eid-ul-Adha prayers in Dhaka.

Muslim Population across Bangladesh according to 2001 census

District	Percentage (%)
Barguna	91.01%
Barisal	86.19%
Bhola	93.42%
Jhalokati	43.31%
Patuakhali	91.45%
Pirojpur	79.01%
Dhaka	92.00%
Faridpur	88.00%
Gazipur	91.90%
Gopalganj	63.51%
Jamalpur	97.74%
Kishoreganj	92.10%
Madaripur	85.67%
Manikganj	87.00%
Munsiganj	90.78%
Mymensingh	94.73%
Narayanganj	92.59%
Narsingdi	93.28%
Netrakona	83.00%
Rajbari	86.73%
Shariatpur	95.54%
Sherpur	95.00%
Tangail	91.52%
Chandpur	92.55%
Chittagong	83.92%
Comilla	93.85%
Cox's Bazar	92.13%
Feni	92.80%
Lakshmipur	95.31%
Noahkhali	93.41%
Brahmanbaria	90.73%
Bagerhat	77.45%
Chuadanga	96.73%
Jessore	85.50%
Jhenaidah	88.07%
Khulna	73.39%
Kushtia	95.72%
Magura	77.89%
Meherpur	97.50%
Narail	75.56%
Satkhira	78.08%
Bogra	91.00%
Joypurhat	88.18%
Naogaon	84.51%
Natore	90.47%
Chapinwabganj	94.27%
Pabna	95.12%
Rajshahi	93.00%
Sirajganj	92.00%
Dinajpur	76.65%
Kurigram	91.65%
Lalmonirhat	83.20%
Nilphamari	82.64%
Panchagarh	81.79%
Rangpur	89.60%
Thakurgaon	74.97%
Habiganj	80.23%
Maulvibajar	70.59%
Sunamganj	83.62%
Sylhet	96.01%
Khagrachari	43.45%
Bandarban	37.62%
Rangamati	29.28%
Bangladesh	89.60%

Islamic culture in Bangladesh

Although Islam played a significant role in the life and culture of the people, religion did not dominate national politics because Islam was not the central component of national identity. When in June 1988 an "Islamic way of life" was proclaimed for Bangladesh by constitutional amendment, very little attention was paid outside the intellectual class to the meaning and impact of such an important national commitment. Most observers believed that the declaration of Islam as the state religion might have a significant impact on national life, however. Aside from arousing the suspicion of the non-Islamic minorities, it could accelerate the proliferation of religious parties at both the national and the local levels, thereby exacerbating tension and conflict between secular and religious politicians. Unrest of this nature was reported on some college campuses soon after the amendment was promulgated.

Islamic architecture in Bangladesh

Mosques

Main article: List of mosques in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has a vast amount of historic mosques with its own Islamic architecture.

• Mosque of Abu Aqqas-648
• Shahbaz Khan Mosque-1679
• Shona Mosque-1493
• Bagha Mosque-1523
• Khan Mohammad Mridha Mosque-1703
• Sixty Dome Mosque -15th century

Tombs and mausoleums

Lalbagh Fort-1664

Law and politics

Muslim students rally in Dhaka, protesting closures of madrasas

Legal issues

In Bangladesh, where a modified Anglo-Indian civil and criminal legal system operates, there are no official sharia courts. Most Muslim marriages, however, are presided over by the qazi, a traditional Muslim judge whose advice is also sought on matters of personal law, such as inheritance, divorce, and the administration of religious endowments.

The inheritance rights of Muslim in Bangladesh are governed by The Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act (1937) and The Muslim Family Laws Ordinance(1961). Article 2 of The Muslim Personal Law Application Act provides that questions related to succession and inheritance are governed by Muslim Personal Law (Shariat). Article 2 proclaims: "any custom or usage to the contrary, in all questions (save questions relating to agricultural land) regarding intestate succession, special property of females, including personal property inherited or obtained under contract or gift or any other provision of Personal Law, marriage, dissolution of marriage, including talaq, ila, zihar, lian, khula and mubaraat, maintenance, dower, guardianship, gifts, trusts and trust properties, and waqfs (other than charities and charitable institutions and charitable and religious endowments) the rule of decision in cases where the parties are Muslims shall be the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat)."

Political issues

Post-1971 regimes sought to increase the role of the government in the religious life of the people. The Ministry of Religious Affairs provided support, financial assistance, and endowments to religious institutions, including mosques and community prayer grounds (idgahs). The organization of annual pilgrimages to Mecca also came under the auspices of the ministry because of limits on the number of pilgrims admitted by the government of Saudi Arabia and the restrictive foreign exchange regulations of the government of Bangladesh. The ministry also directed the policy and the program of the Islamic Foundation Bangladesh, which was responsible for organizing and supporting research and publications on Islamic subjects. The foundation also maintained the Baitul Mukarram (National Mosque), and organized the training of imams. Some 18,000 imams were scheduled for training once the government completed establishment of a national network of Islamic cultural centers and mosque libraries. Under the patronage of the Islamic Foundation, an encyclopedia of Islam in the Bengali language was being compiled in the late 1980s.

Another step toward further government involvement in religious life was taken in 1984 when the semiofficial Zakat Fund Committee was established under the chairmanship of the president of Bangladesh. The committee solicited annual zakat contributions on a voluntary basis. The revenue so generated was to be spent on orphanages, schools, children's hospitals, and other charitable institutions and projects. Commercial banks and other financial institutions were encouraged to contribute to the fund. Through these measures the government sought closer ties with religious establishments within the country and with Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia] and Pakistan.

Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh

Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (a.k.a. 'Jamaat') is the largest Islamist political party in Bangladesh. This is one of the leading political parties in Bangladesh and largest Islamic party in subcontinent. The party joined the Bangladesh Nationalist Party to lead government and hold two key Ministries with Khaleda Zia's government. As of 2015 leaders of the party such as Motiur Rahman Nizami (as well as previous leaders, and other party members) were chraged with in colloborating with the Pakistani army in perpetrating the 1971 Bangladesh atrocities as Razakars and members of the Al-Badr militias.

Leaders and organizations

The members of the Ulama include Mawlānā, Imams, Ulama and Muftis. The first two titles are accorded to those who have received special training in Islamic theology and law. A maulvi has pursued higher studies in a madrassa, a school of religious education attached to a mosque. Additional study on the graduate level leads to the title Mawlānā. The madrassas are also ideologically divided in two mainstreams.The Ali'a Madrassa which has its roots in Aligarh Movement of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan Bahadur and the other one is Qawmi Madarassa.

Educational institutions

Modern institutions

• Islamic University of Technology
• Islamic University
• International Islamic University Chittagong

Traditional institutions

• Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam
• Al-Jamiah Al-Islamiah Patiya
• Al-Jamiatul Arabiatul Islamiah, Ziri
• Al-Jamiatul Islamiah Azizul Uloom Babunagar
• Al-Jamiatul Islamiah Qasemul Uloom Charia
• Al-Jamiah Al-Islamiah Obaidia Nanupur
• Jamiatul Uloom Al-Islamia Lalkhan Bazar
• Jamia Darul Ma'arif Al-Islamia

Religious organizations

• Islamic Foundation Bangladesh
• Anjuman Mufidul Islam

Religious political parties

• Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh

The largest Islamic political Party in Bangladesh

• Khelafat Majlis
• Islami Andolan Bangladesh
• Jamiat-e-Ulamae Islam
• Nizam-e-Islam Party
• Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir
• Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Majlis
• Bangladesh Islami Chattra Sena

Status of religious freedom

Further information: Freedom of religion in Bangladesh

See also: Persecution of Ahmadiyya

The Constitution establishes Islam as the state religion but provides for the right to practice—subject to law, public order, and morality—the religion of one's choice. The Government generally respects this provision in practice. The Government (2001–2006) led by an alliance of four parties Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, Islami Oikya Jote and Bangladesh Jatiyo Party banned the Ahmadiya literatures by an executive order. However, the present government, led by Bangladesh Awami League strongly propagates secularism and respect towards other religion. Despite all Bangladeshis saying that religion is an important part of their daily lives, Bangladesh's Awami League won a landslide victory in 2008 on a platform of secularism, reform, and a suppression of radical Islamist groups. According to a Gallup poll conducted in 2009, simultaneous strong support of the secular Awami League and the near unanimous importance of religion in daily life suggests that while religion is vital in Bangladeshis' daily lives, they appear comfortable with its lack of influence in government.

See also

• Islam by country
• Muslim Population by District in West Bengal
• Shah Paran
• Hazrat Shah Malum (R)

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Library of Congress Country Studies.

External links

• Development Cooperation and Islamic values in Bangladesh
• US State Department [1]