Islam In Bangladesh Research Articles

Islamic Radicalisation in Bangladesh: An Analysis of Political Islamism in Bangladesh

Islamism in the modern world is clearly portrayed as a notion of religious extremism. Bangladesh on the other hand as a young developing nation finds its root into two different branches of ideology: Bengali cultural and Muslim ideology. The militant groups in Bangladesh have been found active recently specially after 2015 when international media spotted Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and the Islamic State’s (IS) presence in the country. This study, however, aims at understanding the Islamic radicalisation in Bangladesh through the analysis of Islamist political and non-political groups’ functions and propaganda. In this article the ideas of Islamic radicalisation, mutations and role and function of Islamist militant as well as political group have been discussed. The role of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing in the radicalisation have been discussed. The disputed relationship of Jamaat and the radical extremists as well as ban on their politics have created a complex scenario in Bangladesh. The political polarisation and politicising of counter terrorism effort have weakened the government’s effort to tackle radical organisation. Honest and tolerant political intervention by welcoming different views regarding the solution of the radicalisation problem can help address it effectively.

অসাম্প্রদায়িক বাংলাদেশ প্রতিষ্ঠায় সুফি ভাবধারার প্রভাব

The Sufi Saints played an important role to preach Islam in Bangladesh as well as South Asia. There are a lot of evidences about Shahaba (Companions of Prophet Sm.) came South Asia and Bangladesh for spreading Islam in the 7th Century. Next Centuries, hundreds of Sufis and their followers came for preaching Islam and spread over across the South Asia. Their excellent characteristics, strong morality, devotion, deep sense of humanity and serve to the poor people attracted non-Muslim people of this region. Generosity, equality and rich Islamic culture inspired local people to embrace new religion Islam. Interaction of South Asian Culture and Islamic Culture made a new dimension of Culture and Ethics in the Society. In Indian Society, Caste System of the Hindu, oppress to Subaltern people and humiliating abolished gradually. Even though, Reform movement of Hinduism and eradicate aristocracy system of the Hindu Society has started to free from Islamic influence. Education system opened for all during the Sultanate period in India. A new dimension of society and culture make amicable relations between the Hindu and Muslim of South Asia as well as Bangladesh. This Religious co-existing and harmony made South Asia a new mentality which called Communal Harmony. Non-Sectarian ideology inspired Muslim rulers to govern their territory. The Sufism and Sufi saints helped the rulers to make communal Harmony in the society. Communal harmony and social consistency were the vital roles of Muslim era in South Asia. In Nineteenth Century, rise of Sufi Saint and spiritual leader Mowlana Sayed Ahamed Ullah Mizbhandari (k.) (1826—1906) influenced society vividly. His philosophy and Mizbhandari Tariqa Played an important role in the Politics, Society and Culture of Bangladesh. Specially seven Ushal system, Mizbhandari mystic songs and no- Communal ideology inspired all sorts of peoples like the Hindu and Muslim. This research paper examines the influence of the Mizbhandari and other Sufi Tariqa in preaching Islam, Politics, Society and Culture of Bangladesh and South Asia. It also assesses any role of Sufism and Sufis thought to make non- Communal and moderate Bangladesh.

Districts of Bangladesh Named After Sufis Manifesting the Great Impact of Sufism on Bengal Civilization: A Qualitative Study

Sufism, a mystical Islamic practice, has profoundly impacted Bengal's culture and civilisation, including Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal. The current study aims to discuss how Sufism has helped to reduce religious hatred and extremism among Bengalis. It has also established a system of equality, love, and fraternity among people in the Bengali culture. The history and influence of Sufism in Bangladesh is over a thousand years old and significantly impacts about hundred sixty-nine million people in Bangladesh. One of the reasons is the effect of the calling of Dawah's activities. After Sufism crossed the threshold of Bangladesh, it fascinated the Bengalis and left a meaningful impact on them, which also strengthened their Islamic ideology. Sufism immensely helped the promotion of societal peace in Bengal. The Bengali Sufi saints preached love and compassion, and their ideas also promoted different aspects of religion. They urged people to appreciate variety and value one another's uniqueness. This selfless act inspired many humans to leave their faith to convert to Islam. There is a unique contribution of Sufism to the development of social life and the civilisation of Bangladesh. Remarkably, the settlements of eleven out of sixty-four districts with the names of the famous Sufis show the influence of Sufism. Moreover, since the Sufis were charismatic leaders, their piety, helpfulness, and compassion continue to help Sufism remain a pillar of mystical Islam in Bangladesh.

Religion as a Source of Violence: Contending the Narrative of Political Violence Perpetrated in the Name of Islam in Bangladesh

Since Bangladesh emerged as an independent country, violence has become a part of its political process and activism. This paper challenges a dominant narrative that has been discursively constructed and promoted by secularist communities, civil societies, political parties (including the ruling party), and groups in Bangladesh throughout the years. A dominant narrative about religious violence claims Islamists are primarily responsible for political violence in Bangladesh. However, based on a robust analysis of thirty years of data on violence and other of credible sources, I have found that the dominant narrative is not backed by factual and quantitative evidence or a popular mandate but is constructed primarily to support and legitimize political persecution in the politics of Bangladesh. This paper offers a counter-narrative and argues that in Bangladesh, violence has become a political tool for opposition groups to acquire power and for incumbent regimes to retain power. Moreover, it states that religious parties are less violent than secular groups in Bangladesh.

Cultural Features of Japan and Bangladesh: A Comparative Study in the Asian Context

This comparative research aims to investigate the cultural landscapes of Bangladesh and Japan, two distinct Asian nations, with the intention of contrasting and comparing the characteristics of their respective cultures. This study aims to investigate how the cultures of these two countries have developed over time while being shaped by the unique historical trajectories and geographical circumstances of each nation. It uses historical, social, religious, and aesthetic considerations to accomplish this. The investigation starts by looking into the historical framework of both countries, locating major events, socioeconomic achievements, and foreign influences that have shaped the development of their unique cultural identities. The conversation then shifts to focus on the rituals and beliefs associated with other religions, specifically Islam in Bangladesh and Buddhism and Shintoism in Japan, each of which has significantly impacted the arts and literature of their respective countries. The research of ancient forms of art, architecture, and cuisine reveals the intricate ways in which cultural values are lived and expressed through individuals’ visual and sensuous experiences. The comparative viewpoint reveals cultural similarities, such as a strong emphasis on keeping traditions and familial values, while contrasting their distinct historical narratives and socioeconomic situations. The findings of this comparative analysis contribute to a better understanding of the intricate interactions between Bangladesh’s culture, history, and Japan’s present-day dynamics. The study sheds light on the variables that create and define cultural distinctiveness in a world that is continually altering due to globalization by comparing and contrasting the cultural traits of these two countries. This provides a beneficial perspective on the variety and complexity of the cultures of Asia. In conclusion, this research highlights the significance of developing a respect for and awareness of cultures other than one’s own, which fosters dialogue and understanding among people from various societies.

Marketisation of Islam and politics of development in Bangladesh

ABSTRACT This article problematises the marketisation of Islam in Bangladesh and the relationship between neo-liberal economic policies and the resurgence of a certain kind of Islamic religiosity in the country. Based on the findings of three field studies that employed a multi-method approach, the article analyses the macro-cultural impacts of development as well as highlights the embedded, nuanced, and complex set of economic and political relationships that appear to fuel social inequality and engender inequitable distribution and growth. Empirical findings identify the implementation of development policies based on client-patron relations as the main problematic precursor. The findings suggest such relations facilitate an ongoing marginalisation of minority groups, in which ‘othering’ among the equals emerge as a cemented outcome. The findings further suggest the outcomes move across social groups and are in transit and under negotiation, becoming braided with adverse impact on Bangla language, Bengali cultures, the country’s advanced education sector, and the overall ability for Bangladeshis to think critically and produce and sustain social relations. Evidence also indicates Bengali cultures appear to become increasingly embedded in a number of rituals in the name of Islamic principles and philosophy. The article refers to this phenomenon as the ‘great’ transformation of contemporary Bangladesh.

Islam in Bangladesh: Decline of the Liberal Hanafi School in the Information Age

Islam in Bangladesh: Decline of the Liberal Hanafi School in the Information Age

Terrorism in the name of Islam: Bangladesh perspective

This research aims at exploring various factors of terrorism in the name of Islam in Bangladesh with a special preference to understand the causal relation between religion and terrorism. Bangladesh has been suffering from the crisis of religious militancy for the last couple of decades. Terrorist activities such as bombing, murder, burning houses, destructing temples and house of people belonging to other religions induced fear among the people of Bangladesh. Terrorists have been using the name of Islam as a safeguard of their heinous activities. This study argues that there is no connection between terrorism and Islam. This research finds that the lack of knowledge of the religion of Islam as well as other religions, unemployment, social media, global rise of militancy in the name of Islam and different psychological issues work behind terrorism in the name of Islam in Bangladesh. In the face of a global rise of religious militancy or militancy in the name of Islam, it requires a comprehensive study on terrorism in the name of Islam from the perspectives of Bangladesh. Philosophy and Progress, Vol#63-64-; No#1-2; Jan-Dec 2018 P 109-124

Comment on Gazi et al. (2020): Detecting Coral Reef Degradation on St. Martin’s Island, Bangladesh?

St. Martin’s Island is a small sedimentary island situated at the southernmost part of Bangladesh (20°37.6′ N and 92°19.3′ E). The island is surrounded by rocky reefs composed of Neogene bedrock consisting of moderately hard and soft sandstones and conglomerates belonging to the Tipam Sandstone (Islam in Bangladesh J Univ Sheffield Geol Soc 7:269–275, 1980). The rocky reefs are covered by fields of conglomerate boulders and calcareous concretions that provide a suitable substrate for coral settlement and the establishment of coral communities. Before 1997 it was reported that St. Martin’s Island was a coral island surrounded by coral reefs (Ahmed in Bangladesh J Environ Sci 1:67–73, 1995; Anwar in National workshop on coastal area resource development and management, Part II. CARDMA, BRAC Printers Bangladesh, Dhaka, pp 36–66, 1988; UNEP/IUCN in Indian Ocean, Red Sea and Gulf. UNEP regional seas and bibliographies. IUCN, Gland, 1988). However, the first underwater survey conducted in 1997 did not find any evidence of coral reefs (Tomascik in Management plan for coral resources of Narikel Jinjira (St. Martin's Island). National Conservation Strategy Implementation Project-1, Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, p 125, 1997). The island has become an important tourism destination and concerns have been raised about the impact of local development on its coral resources (Tomascik 1997). Recently a paper was published on the degradation of coral reefs on St. Martin’s Island (Gazi et al. in Ocean Sci J 55(3):419–431, 2020) that makes many factually incorrect assertions. The rocky reefs that surround the island have been misclassified by Gazi et al. (2020) as “coral reefs”. Here, we discuss Gazi et al. (2020) and examine if the results and conclusions provide factual evidence of spatiotemporal coral reef degradation.

Political Islam in South Asia: A critical appraisal of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami

The Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (BJI) is the largest Islamist Party in Bangladesh. It was founded in 1941 in British-India, by Maulana Mawdudi, a prominent South Asian Islamist leader. The BJI has undergone political vicissitudes during its eight-decade-long political history. The most notable political success of the Party was to have a couple of cabinet positions as a coalition partner in the Nationalist–Islamist Government between 2001 and 2006. Since the beginning of the 2010s, the Party has been in severe crisis: most of its national leaders were convicted of war crimes and put to death in the period 2011–2016. This article aims to examine the BJI’s growth and development and role in political Islam in Bangladesh. It also explores the challenges to, and responses of, the Party and their sociopolitical implications for the future of political Islam in Bangladesh. The methodology of the article is a critical analysis based on an exhaustive review of published secondary literature about the Party. The author argues that the BJI has generated a massive Islamic movement and made an enormous contribution to political Islam in Bangladesh. Yet it has failed to reform its almost-century-old organizational structure and modus operandi and effectively respond to the changed social and political contexts of Bangladesh, which has affected its organizational mobility and success.

Women and South Asian Hinduism and Islam: in the subcontinent and the diaspora

ABSTRACT This viewpoint essay provides an introduction to the special section, ‘Lived Religions of South Asian Hindu and Muslim Women' and context on the issues for the readers. The section draws on the work of an interdisciplinary, international group and covers a vast swath from return migrant women’s locations within Hinduism and Islam in Bangladesh and India, to their experiences with religion in the U.S. and the Middle East. It also examines alternative, emancipatory Hindu traditions, and women’s struggles with India’s Citizenship Amendment Act. I provide an overview to role of religion in shaping anti-colonial nationalist movements, post-colonial national identities, as well as the rise of religious fundamentalisms in South Asia. I also draw on my own work to show how religion mediates out-migration, settlement, and community formation of South Asians in the diaspora and the contradictory impacts religion has on women’s lives. I examine how the diasporization of religion often results in a greater intellectualization as well as homogenization and can encourage both religious fundamentalisms as well as a recasting of religious doctrines to fit in with the culture and society of the new countries. Finally, I discuss the multi-directional relationship between religious exchanges among diasporic and home communities.

Can Islamists be secularized? Religion and politics in urban Bangladesh

ABSTRACTAs in many other Muslim majority states, the Islamist parties play a significant role in the body politic of Bangladesh. Because of their counter-hegemonic modus operandi, the question arises regarding the ability of the Islamists to cohabit democratically in a secular or a quasi-secular political system. The literature on secularization, secularism, and Islam relies on a grand narrative of the reasons to address the question and provides us with polarized answers regarding the Islamists’ ability to accommodate the principle of secularism. However, almost all of the works have been done on the abstract, theoretical level and do not address the interplay of social and political factors in Muslim societies. None of the research on Islamism in Bangladesh addresses Islamist parties’ ability or inability to participate in a quasi-secular, democratic system through acclimating to secularism in the rubric of their political ideology, Islamism. This study therefore examines the grassroots-level socio-political interplays of the Islamist activists with the non-Islamists and analyzes their willingness and ability to accommodate secularism in order to democratically participate in a quasi-secular political system.

Islam, Politics and Secularism in Bangladesh: Contesting the Dominant Narratives

Since late 2000s, the political landscape in Bangladesh moved from democracy to an authoritarian kleptocracy, and experienced a new set of political and social narratives. This paper aims to contest some of these dominant/official narratives which have been discursively constructed and promoted by the secularist parties (including the ruling regime) and groups in Bangladesh over recent years. Examining the sociopolitical and historical facts and figures of the country, we have identified five major contested narratives related to (a) Bengali nationalism in East Pakistan, (b) foundational ideology of Bangladesh’s war of liberation, (c) state-sponsored Islamization in Bangladesh, (d) pro-liberation and anti-liberation dichotomy, and (e) war crimes trial. Drawing on a robust content analysis of the credible secondary sources substantiated by qualitative interviews, we have examined these dominant narratives and found that they are not supported by historical evidence and popular mandate, yet have been constructed largely to support and legitimize the current authoritarian regime. The paper offers both counter-narratives and some pragmatic policy recommendations to elude increasing polarization and sociopolitical instability and foster a peaceful democratic society in Bangladesh.

The doctor's medicine and the ambiguity of amulets: life and suffering among Bangladeshi psychiatric patients and their families in London – an interview study – 1

An interview study of 44 Bangladeshi patients and relatives in London demonstrated simultaneous trust in psychiatrists as well as in the widespread use of healing amulets. At the same time, local Islamic clerics and traditional healers were seen by many with some degree of suspicion. The authors offer an interpretation in which local healers and their methods are regarded ambivalently: the more distant biomedical framework fits with the newer modernising ‘High’ Islam (literate, scripturalist, puritanical, unitarian, urban, clerical, perhaps masculinist), as opposed to Hindu-inflected traditional Sufi Islam in Bangladesh (peasant, popular, syncretic, saintly, magical, ecstatic and possibly more sympathetic to women's experience).

Cultural Roots of Islam in Bangladesh and Islamisation

No culture can flourish without engaging with other cultures. As Gandhi stated, “No culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive.” The interaction of religion and culture intertwined in society nourishes each major civilisation and inspires and moulds human life. This is well exemplified in the emergence of Islam with its process of Islamisation in the Indian Subcontinent generally, and in Bengal (present day Bangladesh) in particular. Many Bengali Muslims who only several centuries ago may have been Hindus or Buddhists often feel uncertain about their national identity and search for a basis in Islamic faith, state nationalism, the spirituality of Sufism, or even ancient Hindu-Buddhist traditions.

Cultural Roots of Islam in Bangladesh and Islamisation

No culture can flourish without engaging with other cultures. As Gandhi stated, “No culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive.” The interaction of religion and culture intertwined in society nourishes each major civilisation and inspires and moulds human life. This is well exemplified in the emergence of Islam with its process of Islamisation in the Indian Subcontinent generally, and in Bengal (present day Bangladesh) in particular. Many Bengali Muslims who only several centuries ago may have been Hindus or Buddhists often feel uncertain about their national identity and search for a basis in Islamic faith, state nationalism, the spirituality of Sufism, or even ancient Hindu-Buddhist traditions.

Historical Developments of Political Islam with Reference to Bangladesh

This paper looks into the historic development of political Islam in Bangladesh, the third largest Muslim country of the world. Identifying origins and sociology of Bengali Muslims, this paper finds that development of political Islam took place in Bangladesh mainly in four phases: the Turkish war and the founding of the Khilafat movement during the First World War; the Oil crisis in the 1970s and the boost of Islamic institutions and practices in Bangladesh’s political discourse, mainly supported by the Middle Eastern countries; the Soviet–Afghanistan war and its linkage with Bangladeshi radicals in the 1990s; and by the globalization of war between Al-Qayeda and West and its implication on Bangladesh through the rise of extreme groups.

Democracy and Political Islam in Bangladesh

This article examines the deeply contested approaches of ‘political Islam’ towards modern democracy in Bangladesh, the third largest Muslim country in the world, where sharia law is not the source of public law and where a democratic government is in place. Selecting the political manifestos and constitutions of three different influential Islamist parties, the Jamat e Islami Bangladesh, Hizbut Tahrir Bangladesh and Jamatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh, the study examines through discourse analysis why Islamists take such a hostile approach towards democracy. At first sight, Islamists desire the establishment of an alternative governing system, such as the Caliphate, to replace the present parliamentary system of governance in Bangladesh. Islamists also advocate a change of state philosophy from ‘People’s Republic of Bangladesh’ to an ‘Islamic State’, arguing that sharia should be the legal framework of the country. The key finding of this research, however, is that Political Islam in Bangladesh is also perceived as a reaction to globalisation and that this global aspect, in theory and practice, may be more powerful as a reactive agent than local/national politics.

Ijtihad and Lower-Middle-Class Women: Secularism in Rural Bangladesh

Scholars who argue for the compatibility of Islam with democracy tend to gloss over the fact that the separation of religion and state has not taken place in the history of the Muslim world. In fact, little research has been carried out on contemporary efforts to make this structural distinction, an imperative of the democratic state. I begin this article with an analysis of the nineteenth-century debates between Islamic scholars and European positivists and how they created a polarized perspective that frames Western secular tenets as inherently opposed to Islamic religious principles and that continues to the present day. I then examine the call by scholars and activists to separate religion and state in the Muslim world. Against this backdrop, I analyze the Bangladesh Supreme Court's decision in 2001 to declare the fatwa unconstitutional. I investigate to what extent this decree has led to the separation of religion and state and how it has influenced the future of political Islam in Bangladesh. Since fatwas target low-income rural women, I conclude by exploring the implication of this decision on notions of gender, Muslim identity, and citizenship in Bangladesh.

Domains of contestation: Women's empowerment and Islam in Bangladesh

This paper addresses the common question, ‘Does Islam empower women?’ in the context of contemporary Bangladesh. Its aim is not to offer a substantive answer, but to bring out the politics of the question, and to suggest some new criteria by which specific cases might be assessed. The paper begins by exploring the complexity of question, given the longstanding use of gender as key signifier of both modernity and Islam, which is intensified in the current ‘war on terror.’ It then outlines briefly the situation in Bangladesh, characterised by narrowing indicators of gender inequality on the one hand and increased visibility of Islam in society and politics on the other. Tracing how religion figures in the gender literature reveals shifts from absence, to masculine (and oppressive) presence, to stressing women's (oppositional) agency, and to seeing women themselves as religious subjects. Two individual religious women in Bangladesh are then introduced, and the commonalities and contrasts between them analysed. The paper concludes that the gender politics of Islam cannot be assumed, since there is diversity by broader political perspective, experience, and social location. Affirming the moves of recent scholarship to understand religious narratives in their own terms, it nevertheless argues that this is not sufficient. There is need to explore two further basic questions: how others are positioned through the exterior constructed by the constitution of the self; and whether one domain may be co-opted by another, to serve very different political ends.