Religion in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is constitutionally a secular country. Although removed from the constitution once, it was later reinstated.^[1] Islam is the largest religion of Bangladesh; Muslims constitute 90.2% of the population, followed by Hindus, who constitute 8.2%, and Buddhists, Christians, those who practice other religions and those who do not are the remainders.^[2] A survey in late 2003 confirmed that religion is the first choice by a citizen for self-identification. Bangladesh only recognises Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism.^[3]

Religion in Bangladesh ^[4]

  Islam (90.2%)

  Hinduism (8.2%)

  Buddhism (0.6%)

  Christianity (0.3%)

  Others (0.5%)

Islam

Baitul Mukarram National Mosque of Bangladesh in Dhaka

Muslims constitute over 90 percent of the population.^[4] Most Muslims in Bangladesh are Sunnis, but there is a small Shia community and an even smaller Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Most of those who are Shia reside in urban areas. Although these Shias are few in number,^[5] Shia observance commemorating the martyrdom of Muhammad's grandson, Husain ibn Ali, is widely observed by the nation's Sunnis.^[6]

The Muslim community in the Bengal region developed independent of the dominant Islamic trends in India. Features of Bangladeshi Hinduism, which differed in some respects from Hinduism in other parts of South Asia, influenced both the practices and the social structure of the Bangladeshi Muslim community. In spite of the general personal commitment to Islam by the Muslims of Bangladesh, observance of Islamic rituals and tenets varies according to social position, locale, and personal considerations. In rural regions, some beliefs and practices tend to incorporate elements that differ from and often conflict with orthodox Islam.

Hinduism

Durga Puja celebrations in Dhakeshwari Temple

Distribution of Hindus by percentage.

Hinduism is the second largest religious affiliation in Bangladesh, with about 17 million people. In terms of population, Bangladesh is the third largest Hindu state of the world, after India and Nepal.^[7]

In nature, Bangladeshi Hinduism closely resembles the forms and customs of Hinduism practised in the neighbouring Indian state of West Bengal, with which Bangladesh (at one time known as East Bengal) was united until the partition of India in 1947.

Buddhism

Buddha Dhatu Zadi, a Buddhist temple in Bandarban

About 2,000,000 people in Bangladesh adhere to the Theravada school of Buddhism.

In antiquity, the region of present-day Bangladesh was a center of Buddhism in Asia. Buddhist civilisation, including philosophies and architecture, traveled to Tibet, Southeast Asia and Indonesia from Bengal. The Buddhist architecture of Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand, including the Angkor Wat Temple and the Borobudur vihara, are believed to have been inspired by the ancient monasteries of Bangladesh such as the Somapura Mahavihara.

Most of the followers of Buddhism in Bangladesh live in the Chittagong plan district were practiced by the Bengali-speaking Baruas, who are almost exclusively Buddhist and are concentrated heavily in the Chittagong area as well as few of the Baruas Buddhists live in other parts of Bangladesh. Such as Comilla, Moymonsigh, Rongpur, Sylhet Districts and others etc. Some of the followers of Buddhism in Bangladesh live in southeastern region, especially in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Chittagong and Comilla district. Most of the Buddhists of Chittagong Hill Tracts belong to the Chakma, Chak, Marma, Tanchungya and the Khyang, who since time immemorial have practiced Buddhism. Other tribals, notably those who practice animism, have come under some Buddhist influence. This is true in the case of the Khumi and the Mru and, to a lesser extent, in the case of the other tribes.

Christianity

Holy Rosary's Church (Est.1677) in Dhaka

Christianity arrived in what is now Bangladesh during the late sixteenth to early seventeenth centuries AD, through the Portuguese traders and missionaries.

Christians account for approximately 0.3% of the total population. Roman Catholicism is dominant; the remaining Christians are predominantly Protestant.

Other Religions

Sikhism

Gurdwara Nanak Shahi at Dhaka

There are approximately 100,000 people adhering to the religion of Sikhism. The presence of this religion goes back to the visiting of Guru Nanak at 1506–07 with some of his followers to spread Sikhism in the region of the present day Bangladesh. When some Bengali people accepted this faith then a Sikh community was born.^[8] This community had became bigger when almost 10,000 Sikhs came from India during the Bangladesh Liberation War. This community had made a great progress to the country. Today there are almost 10 gurdwaras in Bangladesh.^[9] Among them only 7 are well-known especially the Gurdwara Nanak Shahi beside the University of Dhaka in Dhaka which was built in 1830, the most oldest gurdwara in Bangladesh.

Law, religion, and religious freedom

Although Bangladesh initially opted for a secular nationalist ideology as embodied in its Constitution, the principle of secularism was subsequently replaced by a commitment to the Islamic way of life through a series of constitutional amendments and government proclamations between 1977 and 1988. The Constitution establishes Islam as the state religion.^[10] But also there is secularism in Bangladesh which recently came back.^[11] The Government generally respects this provision in practice; however, some members of the Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, and Ahmadiyya communities experience discrimination. The Government (2001-2006), led by an alliance of four parties (Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Oikya Jote and Bangladesh Jatiyo Party) banned the Ahmadiyya literature by an executive order.

Family laws concerning marriage, divorce, and adoption differ depending on the religion of the person involved. There are no legal restrictions on marriage between members of different faiths.

In 2010, secularism was restored, but Islam remained the state religion per Article 12.^[12]

Atheism

Atheism is not common in Bangladesh.^[13] According to a 2014 WIN/GIA survay, 5% of respondents from Bangladesh identify as irreligious.^[14]

There have been multiple attacks and murders of atheist bloggers and authors since 2013, with the government accused of being unable or unwilling to provide protection – and in some cases even persecuting atheists and imprisoning them.

References

1. "The Constitution of The People's Republic Of Bangladesh Article 12: Secularism and freedom of religion". State.gov.
2. "Bangladesh Religion - Muslim Hindu Buddhis Christian". MediaBangaldesh.net. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
3. "The Constitution of The People's Republic Of Bangladesh". State.gov. Retrieved 2015-07-17.
4. ১০ বছরে ৯ লাখ হিন্দু কমেছে [10 years 9 million fewer Hindus]. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 22 September 2012. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
5. France-Presse, Agence (2015-10-24). "One killed and scores wounded in attack at Shia site in Bangladesh capital". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-03-27.
6. "Islam in Bangladesh". OurBangla. Archived from the original on 2012-02-10.
7. "[Analysis] Are there any takeaways for Muslims from the Narendra Modi government?". DNA. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-31.
8. "Bangladesh-Gurudwaras of World".
9. Mohanta, Sambaru Chandra (2012). "Gurdwara Nanak Shahi". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. Banglapedia:National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
10. "The Constitution of The People's Republic of Bangladesh". Laws of Bangladesh. Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division, Government of Bangladesh.
11. "Secularism and freedom of religion". bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd. Retrieved 2016-03-27.
12. Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Article 12: Secularism and freedom of religion
13. Khan, Razib (13 May 2015). "Atheists in Bangladesh May Not be Totally Doomed".
14. "End of Year Survey 2014: Regional & Country Results".

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