Islam is the largest religion of Bangladesh, Muslims constitute 89. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion 7 percent of the population. [1] . The remainder of the population follow Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings 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. Atheism [9]
Most Muslims in Bangladesh are Sunnis, but there is a small Shia community. Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic Most of those who are Shia reside in urban areas. Although these Shias are few in number, Shia observance commemorating the martyrdom of Ali's sons, Hasan and Husayn, is widely observed by the nation's Sunnis. [2]
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The Muslim conquest of Bengal took place in the opening years of the thirteenth century, mainly as a sequel to Muhammad Ghori's expedition late in the 6th hijrah century in northern India. Listing of Muslims by country Important note Population counts by religious affiliation like most demographic characteristics of a Population The precise number of Muslims in Africa is unknown as statistics regarding religious demography in Africa are incomplete Islam, the religion of almost all of the Algerian people pervades most aspects of life Islam in Angola is a minority religion with 80000-90000 adherents composed largely of migrants from West Africa and families of Lebanese origin According to the 2002 census 271 percent of the population of Benin is Roman Catholic, 24 Islam in Botswana comprises only 2-3 percent of the population Islam in Burkina Faso ( Upper Volta) has a long and varied history Muslims in Burundi are officially around 1% of the total population though Muslim Burundians estimate the figure to be closer to 8-10% Muslims comprise roughly 22 percent of Cameroon 's 18 million inhabitants According to the US State Department International Religious Freedom Report 2006 there is a small Muslim community in Cape Verde Islam accounts for approximately 22% of the population of the Central African Republic, making it the second most followed organized religion in the country The earliest Islamic presence in Chad can be traced back to the legendary Uqba ibn Nafi, whose descendants can be found settled in the Lake Chad region to this day According to the 2006 estimate by the US Department of State, roughly 98% of the population in the Comoros are Muslim. Islam in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is not a recent phenomenon as it has been present within the area since the 18th century when Arab traders from Islam spread to the Republic of the Congo from North Africa in the mid-19th century According to the CIA factbook, Muslims make up about 35-40% of the population of Côte d'Ivoire. Islam in Djibouti has a long history first appearing in East Africa during the lifetime of Muhammad. The republic of Egypt has recognized Islam as the State religion since 1980 According to the US State Department International Religious Freedom Report 2006 practicioners of Islam comprised less than 1 percent of the population of Equatorial Although reliable statistics are not available it is estimated that 50 percent of the population of Eritrea is Sunni Muslim and 49 percent is Christian. According to the latest 1994 national census Islam is the second most widely practiced religion in Ethiopia after Christianity, with approximately one third (32 Approximately 12% of the population of Gabon practice Islam (of which 80 to 90 percent are foreigners Islam is the majority religion of The Gambia, with around 90% of the population being Muslims The spread of Islam into West Africa, beginning with ancient Ghana in the ninth century was mainly the result of the commercial activities of North African 2005 official statistics for Islam in Guinea estimate that 85% of Guinea 's 7 Islam is the predominate religion of Guinea-Bissau, numbering an estimated 38-45% of the roughly 1 Islam is the religion of approximately 10% of the Kenyan population or approximately 3 According to Adherents the Muslim population of Lesotho in 2000 was 1000 or 0 Islam in Liberia is practiced by 10% of the population The vast majority of Liberian Muslims are Sunni, with only a few Shi'ites, mostly of Lebanese origin Most Libyans adhere to the Sunni branch of Islam, which provides both a spiritual guide for individuals and a keystone for government policy Islam has been well-established in what is now known as Madagascar for centuries and today Muslims represent 7% of the population or approximately 1 Islam is the second largest religion in Malawi after Christianity; nearly all of Malawi's Muslims adhere to Sunni Islam. Muslims currently make up approximately 90 percent of the population of Mali, the largest country in West Africa. Virtually all Mauritanians are Sunni Muslims. They adhere to the Maliki Madhab, one of the four Sunni schools of law The 1968 constitution of Mauritius recognized four religious categories Hindus, Muslims Sino-Mauritians and the general population Islam is the largest religion in Morocco, with roughly 987% of the population adhering to it Islam in Mozambique is the religion of approximately four million Mozambicans or about 17 Islam is the third largest religion in Namibia after Christianity and indigenous beliefs 90% of the Nigerien population—approximately 113 million people—are followers of Islam', with a majority of those being linked to the Tijaniya Fifty percent of the population of Nigeria adheres to Islam. Islam came to Northern Nigeria as early as the ninth century and was Islam was first introduced into Rwanda by Muslim traders from the East Coast of Africa in the 18th century São Tomé and Príncipe, with a total population of about 181000 has about 5500 Muslim inhabitants about 3 percent of the population Islam is the predominant religion in Senegal. Ninety-four percent of the country's population is estimated to be Muslim Islam in the Indian Ocean was established by Muslim Sea Merchants well before the European discovery of Seychelles. Statistics for Islam in Sierra Leone estimate a Muslim population of 3610585 representing around 60 percent of the country's total population Nearly all Somalis are Sunni Muslims Practicing Islam reinforces distinctions that further set Somalis apart from their immediate African neighbors many of whom are either Christians Islam in South Africa predates the colonial period and consisted of isolated contact with Arab and East African traders Sudan is a religiously mixed country although Muslims have dominated national government institutions since independence in 1956 The population of Swaziland is approximately 35 percent Protestant, 30 percent African Zionist, 25 percent Catholic, and 1 percent Muslim. Islam is as of 2007 the largest religion (or may be the second after Christianity) in Tanzania with 35% of the population of the mainland ( Tanganyika) Muslims in Togo represent between 137 and 55% of the national population Islam is the official state religion in Tunisia Approximately 98 percent of the population of Tunisia is nominally Muslim. According to the National Census 2002 Islam is practiced by 12 According to the CIA World Factbook, Muslims make up nearly 100% of the population of the Western Sahara. The arrival of Islam in Zambia dates to the fourth Hijri century when Muslims established emirates on the coast of East Africa. Estimates on the number Muslims in Zimbabwe vary from as low as 120000 to as many as 1 Islam began in Asia in the 7th century during the life of Muhammad. Approximately 99 percent of Afghans are Muslims and out of them eighty percent are Sunni of the Hanafi School the rest are Shi'a, the majority of Islam in Armenia has generally been avoided throughout the centuries See also Religion in Azerbaijan Approximately 934 to 96 percent of the population of Azerbaijan is nominally Muslim. Islam is the state religion in Bahrain where the citizens are all Muslims with the majority of the population practicing Shia Islam. According to adherentscom Muslims constitute over 5% of the population However the CIA factbook claims that Muslims are less than 1% in Bhutan Islam is Brunei 's official religion 64 percent of the population is Muslim, mostly Sunnis of Malay origin who follow the Shafi school Islam is a Minority religion in primarily Buddhist country of Burma, practiced by approximately 4% of the population Islam is the religion of a majority of the Cham (also called Khmer Islam) and Malay minorities in Cambodia. Islam in China has a rich heritage China has some of the oldest Muslim history dating back to as early as 650 when the uncle of Islam is practiced in Hong Kong by somewhere between 20000 and 100000 Muslims. Adherentscom states that the number of Muslims in Macau is 100 Islam in Cyprus was introduced when Uthman the 3rd Caliph conquered Cyprus in 649. Islam is a minority religion in East Timor. The US State Department and the CIA World Factbook estimate that Muslims make up 1% of the population although some organizations Islam in Georgia was introduced in 645 AD when an army sent by the Second Caliph of Islam Umar, conquered Eastern Georgia Islam in India is the second-most practiced religion after Hinduism. Islam is Indonesia's dominant Religion with approximately 88% over 200 million of its population identifying as Muslims, making it the most The Islamic conquest of Persia (637-651 led to the end of the Sassanid Empire and the eventual decline of the Zoroastrian religion in Persia. The history of Islam in Iraq goes back several centuries to the lifetime of Muhammad (d Islam in Israel and Palestinian territories includes the Muslims of Israel, where they constitute 16% of the population those who comprise 75% of the population of The history of Islam in Japan is relatively brief in relation to the Religion 's longstanding presence in other countries around the world More than 90 percent of population in Jordan adhered to Sunni Islam in the late 1980s Islam is the largest religion practiced in Kazakhstan. Ethnic Kazakhs are historically Sunni Muslims of the Hanafi school. In South Korea, the Muslim population has been steadily increasing since the introduction of the Islamic faith shortly after the Korean War. In South Korea, the Muslim population has been steadily increasing since the introduction of the Islamic faith shortly after the Korean War. In South Korea, the Muslim population has been steadily increasing since the introduction of the Islamic faith shortly after the Korean War. Islam is the main religion of the citizens of Kuwait Sunni Islam is dominant in Kuwait with 60% of the total population The vast majority of today's Kyrgyz are Muslims of the Sunni branch which came into the region during the 8th century Muslims are a small minority in this Buddhist majority country Islam in Lebanon is divided between four Muslim sects Shiites Sunnis, Alawites and Ismailis including the Druze. Islam is the official religion of Malaysia, and the Government actively promotes the spread of Islam in the country and its friendship with other Muslim countries Islam is the state religion of Maldives, and adherence to it is legally required of citizens by a revision of the constitution in 2008 Article 9 Section D states that Islam in Mongolia is mainly practised by the Kazakhs of Bayan-Ölgii (88 Islam is a minority religion in NepalAccording to a 2006 Nepalese census 4 The majority of Omanis are Ibadhi Muslims, followers of Abd Allah ibn Ibad Islam is the official religion of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. This article is concerned with the religion of Islam in the Philippines Qatar is a Muslim-majority country with Islam as the state religion Islam is currently the second most widely professed religion in the Russian Federation The vast majority of Saudis are Sunni Muslims. Around 10% of citizens are Shia Muslims, most of whom live in the Eastern Province, with the largest concentrations Sunni Islam is the religion of about 15% of Singapore 's population mainly the sizeable Malay minority who constitute about 13 Islam in Sri Lanka is practised by a group of minorities who make up approximately 10% of the population Islam in Syria is composed of a Sunni majority and four minority sects Twelver Shiites, and also Druze (which is not an Islamic sect Alawi Islam in Taiwan is a slowly growing religion (about 03% of the population it could be higher if included nominally Muslims from Indonesia with an estimated 100 converts annually Islam in Tajikistan. Demographics and early history Islam, the predominant religion of all of Central Asia, was brought Islam is most popular in southern Thailand, near the border with Malaysia, where the vast majority of the country's Muslims predominantly Malay The region comprising modern Turkey has a long and rich Islamic tradition stretching back to the dawn of the Seljuk period and Ottoman Empire. Traditionally the Turkmen of Turkmenistan, like their kin in Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, are Sunni Muslims. More than 80% of the population of the UAE are non-citizens Virtually all of the country's citizens are Muslims approximately 85% are Sunni and the remaining 15% are Islam is by far the dominant Religion in Uzbekistan. In the early 1990s many of the Russians remaining in the Republic (about 8% of the Islam in Vietnam is primarily the religion of the Cham people, a minority ethnic group related to Malays; however roughly one-third of the Muslims in Islam was introduced into the region by Ali ibn Abu Talib in about 630 when Prophet Muhammad was still alive This article deals with the history and the evolution of the Islamic religion in Europe. During the Ottoman occupation according to Ottoman data the majority of Albanians were of Muslim affiliation ( Sunni and Bektashi) According to the US Religious Freedom Report of 2006 there are about 2000 North Africans currently living in Andorra and they are the largest Muslim group in the country Islam in Armenia has generally been avoided throughout the centuries Islam is a Minority religion in Austria with 422 % of the population in the 2001 census See also Religion in Azerbaijan Approximately 934 to 96 percent of the population of Azerbaijan is nominally Muslim. Islam in Belarus was introduced by Lipka Tatars in the 14th -16th centuries and now also includes Muslim immigrants Islam in Belgium is relatively new and is mostly practised in the Belgian immigrant communities The modern Bosniaks, often referred to as Bosnian Muslims, descend from Slavic converts to Islam in the 15th and 16th centuries that lived in the medieval Bosnian Kingdom The Muslim population of Bulgaria, including Turks, Muslim Bulgarians, Pomaks, Roma, and Crimean Islam in Croatia was introduced by the Muslim Ottoman Empire. Islam in Cyprus was introduced when Uthman the 3rd Caliph conquered Cyprus in 649. Islam in the Czech Republic History First documented visit of a person with knowledge of Islam was made (964-965 by Íbrahím Population Approximately 2-3% of the population of Denmark are Muslims Islam is the largest minority religion in Denmark In the most recent Census, performed in the year 2000 the number of people who reported themselves to be Muslims was 1387 Islam was introduced to Finland by Baltic Tatars at the end of the 19th century Statistics Estimates of the number of Muslims in France vary widely Islam in Georgia was introduced in 645 AD when an army sent by the Second Caliph of Islam Umar, conquered Eastern Georgia Owing to work migration of the 1960s and several waves of political refugees since the 1970s Islam became a visible religion in Germany. Islam in Greece is represented by a number of autochthonous and immigrant communities Islam in Hungary has a long history that dates back to at least the twelfth century predating the Ottoman Empire. The Nordic country Iceland is estimated to have between 800 and 1000 members by the Association of Muslims in Iceland The documented history of Islam in Ireland dates to the 1950s The history of Islam in Italy dates back to the 7th and 8th centuries when some of the Lombards, a Germanic people that ruled parts of northern Italy converted from Islam is the largest religion practiced in Kazakhstan. Ethnic Kazakhs are historically Sunni Muslims of the Hanafi school. The presence of Muslims in Latvia was first recorded in the early 1800s According to the US Department of State, there are 1384 Muslims living in Liechtenstein, which is about 4% of the general population In Lithuania, unlike many other northern and western European countries Islam came long ago Muslims in Luxembourg are a minority together with Protestants, Orthodox Christians, and Jews. Muslims in the Republic of Macedonia form 33% of the Republic of Macedonia's total population With Roman Catholics estimated at 95-98% of the population the Maltese Muslim community is considered to be very small According to the US Department of State, there is a small community of Muslims in Moldova, numbering a few thousand Many wealthy Arab and Iranian Muslims reside in Monaco as non-citizens Islam in Montenegro is the largest minority religion Montenegro's 110000 Muslims make up 17 History Treaty with Morocco In the early 1600s a delegation from the Dutch Republic visited Morocco to discuss a common alliance against Spain Islam is the largest minority religion in Norway with over 2% of the population The first noticeable presence of Islam in Poland began in the 14th century According to the Instituto Nacional de Estatística (the National Statistical Institute of Portugal) there were according to the 1991 Census Islam in Romania is followed by only 03 percent of population but has 700 years of tradition in Northern Dobruja, a region on the Black Sea coast which was part Islam is currently the second most widely professed religion in the Russian Federation Muslims in San Marino are a minority as over 95 percent of the population is Roman Catholic The arrival of Islam in Scotland is relatively recent The bulk of Muslims in Scotland come from families who immigrated during the late 20th century The Muslims in Serbia are mostly ethnic Bosniaks and Albanians, but also members of the smaller ethnic groups like Muslims by nationality, Ashkali The number of Muslims in Slovakia according to the 2001 census is negligible (according to ?? there are 5000 Muslims in Slovakia - less than 0 The Muslims in Slovenia are ethnically Bosnians and Albanians. Islam in Spain has had a fundamental presence in the culture and history of the nation Sweden has today almost exclusively due to Immigration, a significant Muslim population According to the Confederate Census of 2001 a total number of 310807 Muslims were living in Switzerland which made up 4 The region comprising modern Turkey has a long and rich Islamic tradition stretching back to the dawn of the Seljuk period and Ottoman Empire. The majority of Muslims in Ukraine are of Crimean Tatars in ethnicity and live in the Crimean Peninsula. Islam is the second largest religion in the United Kingdom with a total of 1591000 (or 2 Islam in Argentina is represented by one of Latin America's largest Muslim minorities Statistics for Islam in Bolivia estimate a Muslim population of around a thousand representing 0 Islam in Brazil was first practiced by African slaves. The early Brazilian Muslims led the largest slave revolt in Brazil which then had the largest slave population The statistics for Islam in Chile estimate a total Muslim population of 3196 representing 0 The statistics for Islam in Colombia estimate a total Muslim population of 10000 representing 0 The statistics for Islam in Ecuador estimate a total Muslim population of 275 representing 0 About 7 percent of Guyana 's population is Muslim, representing 76528 individuals Islam in Panama has a long and unique history Official data estimates 0 The latest statistics for Islam in Paraguay estimate a total Muslim population of 507 representing 0 The statistics for Islam in Peru estimate a total Muslim population of 1000 representing 0 According to various sources the Muslim population of Suriname represents about 20 percent of the country's total and therefore the nation has the highest percentage of Muslims Muslims constitute 6 percent of the population on Trinidad and Tobago, representing 65318 individuals The statistics for Islam in Uruguay estimate a total Muslim population of 300 to 400 representing 0 There are approximately 100000 Muslims in Venezuela, 04 percent of the nation's population The statistics for Islam in Antigua and Barbuda estimate a total Muslim population of about 200 representing 0 Statistics for Islam in Barbados estimate a Muslim population of 500 representing 0 The statistics for Islam in Belize estimate a total Muslim population of 2794 representing 1 percent of the total population According to Canada's 2001 census, there were 579640 Muslims in Canada, just under 2% of the population The statistics for Islam in Costa Rica is 4000 There are a number of Islamic organizations in San José including the Centro Islámico (Masjid Omar de Costa The latest statistics for Islam in Cuba claim a population of under a thousand Muslims representing 0 Statistics for Islam in Dominica are not readily available According to the International Religious Freedom Report in 2005 followers of minority religions and denominations which range Statistics for Islam in the Dominican Republic estimate that 0 There is a small Islamic community in El Salvador,they are people mostly coming from the Arab World and Turkey. There are over 200 Muslims in Grenada. They make up 030% of the population The Muslim population of Guatemala is approximately 1200 Of this population 95% are Palestinian Arab immigrants The estimated population of Haitian Muslims is about 3250 representing approximately 0 The statistics for Islam in Honduras estimate a total Muslim population of 2790 representing 0 The statistics for Islam in Jamaica estimate a total Muslim population of 5000 representing 0 While some have claimed that official data estimates that there are 318608 Muslims in Mexico, representing 0 Statistics for Islam in Nicaragua are not readily available but according to Fahmi Hassan President of the Asociación Cultural Nicaragüense-Islámica the Muslim population Islam in Panama has a long and unique history Official data estimates 0 According to the United States Department of State, Islam is a minority religion in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, with some Muslims living in the island nation Muslims constitute 6 percent of the population on Trinidad and Tobago, representing 65318 individuals The history of Islam in the United States starts in the early 16th century, with Estevánico of Azamor being the first Muslim to enter the historical record Islam in Oceania refers to Islam and Muslims in Oceania. Some countries in Oceania notably Australia have Islam as their third largest Religion For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Islam is the fourth largest religious grouping in Australia after Christianity, ' No Religion ' and Buddhism. The CIA World Factbook estimates that 7% of the population of Christmas Island is Muslim The CIA World Factbook estimates that roughtly 80 percent of the 629 inhabitants on the Cocos (Keeling Islands are Sunni Muslims. Melanesia (from Greek: μέλας black, νῆσος island) means "islands of the black-skinned people" Islam is a minority religion in East Timor. The US State Department and the CIA World Factbook estimate that Muslims make up 1% of the population although some organizations The Muslims of Fiji comprise around 7% of the population (62 534 Islam in New Caledonia arrived more than a 100 years ago The first Muslims in New Caledonia were the Arabs who were brought there by the French Islam in Papua New Guinea is a minority religion the US department of state estimates that there are about 2000 muslims in the country The United States Department of State's International Religious Freedom Report states that according to the most recent reports there are approximately 350 Muslims in the Solomon Islam in Vanuatu is practised by about 200 members of the small island nation of Vanuatu in Oceania. Micronesia, from the Greek mikros (μικρός (meaning small) and nesos (νῆσος (meaning island) is a Subregion Polynesia (from Greek: πολύς many, νῆσος island) is a Subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over Islam in New Zealand has grown with inward immigration to that country Islam in Tonga consists of about 100 people in a population of about 102000 Long before that, however, early Arab Muslims had established commercial as well as religious contact with Bengal, particularly in its coastal region. One immediate result of the establishment of Muslim power over the Indus delta, commanding the mouth of the Arabian Sea and the vast west Indian coast generally, was that it secured Arab navigation in the region.
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In the course of time the Arabs extended these activities along the entire coast of South Asia including the coasts of Bengal. Islam entered Bengal through three channels--the Arab traders, the Turkish conquest and the missionary activities of the Muslim Sufis. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. The writings of Arab geographers reveal that Arab traders had frequented the Bengal coast long before the Turkish conquest. The location bordering Bengal that finds prominence in the Arab accounts is Samandar, identified with a place in the mouth of the Meghna river near Sandip islands on the Bay of Bengal. The Arab writers also knew about Samrup and the kingdom of Ruhmi, the latter being identified with the kingdom of Dharmapal of the Pala empire. The Pala Empire was a dynasty in control of the northern and eastern Indian subcontinent, mainly the Bengal and Bihar regions from the 8th to It is not certain whether the Arab contacts led to any Muslim settlement in Bengal; some coins of the Caliphs have been discovered from ancient sites of Paharpur in Rajshahi and Mainamati near Comilla. Comilla (কুমিল্লা is a city in south-eastern Bangladesh. On the basis of the word Thuratana in the Arakanese tradition, some scholars have concluded that the Arabs founded a Muslim Kingdom in Chittagong.
When the latter two groups of people were treated in this manner, Islam came into Bengal. Muslim saints began to teach the Islamic principles of equality while the rulers took steps to build up Muslim culture on the basis of a casteless society. Many Buddhists and Hindus chose to identify themselves with the Muslims in order to be free from social injustice and to gain equality and good position in society. As a result of large-scale conversion, many local beliefs, not allowed by the Islamic dogma but useful in achieving compromise, found their ways into the Muslim society of Bengal. [3]
From 8th to 12th century, Buddhist dynasty called Pala empire ruled Bengal. The Pala Empire was a dynasty in control of the northern and eastern Indian subcontinent, mainly the Bengal and Bihar regions from the 8th to During that time, majority of the population in Bengal were thought to be Buddhists. After Pala dynasty fell, Sena Dynasty came to power. The Sena dynasty ( Bengali সেন Shen) ruled Bengal through the 11th and 12th centuries. Sena rulers were considered "militant" Hindus that imposed Hinduism and the caste system rigidly [4]. When the Muslim rulers came, many Buddhists and lower caste Hindus welcomed them and accepted Islam. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion
The large scale conversion to Islam of the population of what was to become Bangladesh began in the thirteenth century and continued for hundreds of years. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially Conversion was generally collective rather than individual. Islam, attracted numerous Buddhists, and Hindus. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices Muslim "Sufi"s were responsible for most conversions.
Shah Jalal
Before the conquest by the Muslims, it was ruled by local chieftains. Shah Jalal was a saint of Bengal and is the most celebrated personality of the region of Sylhet, Bangladesh. In 1303, the great Saint Hazrat Shah Jalal came to Sylhet from Delhi with a band of 360 disciples to preach Islam and defeated the Raja Gour Gobinda. Sylhet thus became a district of saints, shrines and daring but virile people. [5]
His uncle, Sheikh Kabir, one day gave Shah Jalal a handful of earth (soil) and asked him to travel to Hindustan with the instruction that he should settle down at whichever place in Hindustan whose earth matched completely in smell and color the earth he was given, and he should devote his life for the propagation and establishment of Islam there. [6]
Shah Jalal journeyed eastward and reached India in c. 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 the spread of Islam in India. In Delhi, he met with Nizam Uddin Aulia, another major Sufi mystic and scholar. [7]
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 world famous Ibn Battuta, whilst in Chittagong, was asked to change his plans and go to Sylhet to meet this special man. 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 Batuta noted that Shah Jalal was tall and lean, fair in complexion and lived by the masjed 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 the sheikh were foreign and known for their strength and bravery. He also mentions that many people would visit the sheikh and seek guidance. Shah Jalal is therefore instrumental in the spread of Islam throughout north east India including Assam.
Role of Sufism
The tradition of Islamic mysticism known as Sufism appeared very early in Islam and became essentially a popular movement emphasizing love of God rather than fear of God. Sufism ( تصوّف - taṣawwuf, Persian: صوفیگری sufigari, Turkish: tasavvuf, Urdu: تصوف Sufism stresses a direct, unstructured, personal devotion to God in place of the ritualistic, outward observance of the faith. An important belief in the Sufi tradition is that the average believer may use spiritual guides in his pursuit of the truth. In Islam there has been a perennial tension between the ulama--Muslim scholars--and the Sufis; each group advocates its method as the preferred path to salvation. Ulema ( ar علماء,, singular ar عالِم,, "scholar" refers to the educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several Sufism ( تصوّف - taṣawwuf, Persian: صوفیگری sufigari, Turkish: tasavvuf, Urdu: تصوف There also have been periodic efforts to reconcile the two approaches. Throughout the centuries many gifted scholars and numerous poets have been inspired by Sufi ideas even though they were not actually adherents.
Sufi masters were the single most important factor in South Asian conversions to Islam, particularly in what is now Bangladesh. Most Bangladeshi Muslims are influenced to some degree by Sufism, although this influence often involves only occasional consultation or celebration rather than formal affiliation. The influence of Ulema who were stressing upon strict observance of Sharia and Muslim rituals according to tenets of Qur'an revived in India after the defeat of the Sepoy Mutiny in the form of political movements having influences of Hanafi, Wahabi or Salafi movements.
The Qadiri, Naqshbandi, and Chishti orders were among the most widespread Sufi orders in Bangladesh in the late 1980s. Qadiriyyah ( Arabic: القادريه, Turkish: Kadirilik) (also Transliterated Kadri, Elkadry, Kadray Naqshbandi ( Naqshbandiyya) is one of the major Tasawwuf orders ( Tariqa) of Islam. The Chishti Order ( - Češtī) is a Sufi order within the mystic branches of Islam which was founded in Chisht, a small town near Herat The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. The beliefs and practices of the first two are quite close to those of orthodox Islam; the third, founded in Ajmer, India, is peculiar to the subcontinent and has a number of unorthodox practices, such as the use of music in its liturgy. This article is about a city in central Rajasthan, for the historical region see Ajmer region. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country A liturgy is the customary public worship done by a specific religious group according to their particular traditions Its ranks have included many musicians and poets.
Although a formal organization of ordained priests has no basis in Islam, a variety of functionaries perform many of the duties conventionally associated with a clergy and serve, in effect, as priests. One group, known collectively as the Ulama, has traditionally provided the orthodox leadership of the community. The Ulama unofficially interpret and administer religious law. Their authority rests on their knowledge of Sharia (Islamic Law), the corpus of Islamic jurisprudence that grew up in the centuries following the Prophet's death.
The members of the Ulama include Maulvis, Imams, and Mullahs. 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. A "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller privately owned mosque and the larger Additional study on the graduate level leads to the title maulana. 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 Quomi Madarassa which is very close to Deobandi schools in India and Pakistan founded by Haji Muhammad Abid of Deoband, India. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan Bahadur, GCSI (also Sayyid Ahmad Khan (سید احمد خان بہا در October 17 1817 – March 27 1898 commonly known as Sir Syed was an The Deobandi ( Urdu: دیو بندی devbandī) is a Sunni Islamic revivalist movement which started in India and has more recently This means the Ulamas are also not in full agreement about their interpretation of Islam, of its theology and law.
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 (waqfs).
In the late 1980s, the ulama of Bangladesh still perceived their function as that of teaching and preserving the Islamic way of life in the face of outside challenges, especially from modern sociopolitical ideas based on Christianity or communism. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based Any effort at modernization was perceived as a threat to core religious values and institutions; therefore, the ulama as a class was opposed to any compromise in matters of sharia. Many members of the ulama favored the establishment of an Islamic theocracy in Bangladesh and were deeply involved in political activism through several political parties.
Muslim Population by District
| District | Percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Barisal | 88% |
| Chittagong | 84% |
| Dhaka | 89. 51% |
| Khulna | 82. 87% |
| Rajshahi | 86. 84% |
| Sylhet | 81. 16% |
Source: Banglapedia [10]]
Status of Religious Freedom
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. A constitution is a system for government often Codified as a written document that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity [8] The Government generally respects this provision in practice; however, some members of the Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, and Ahmadiya communities experience discrimination. 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. Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Dôl, BNP is the immediate Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (aka 'Jamaat' is the largest Islamist Political party in Bangladesh.
Family laws concerning marriage, divorce, and adoption differ depending on the religion of the person involved. There is also, Anglo-Indian Civil Law in some of these regards in parallel. There are no legal restrictions on marriage between members of different faiths but to get marriage registered under Muslim religious laws, the bride and the bride-groom must be Muslims by birth or by conversion.
Under the Muslim Family Ordinance, female heirs inherit usually half of that inherited by male relatives, and wives have fewer divorce rights than husbands. Men are permitted to have up to four wives, although society strongly discourages polygamy, and it is practiced rarely. The term polygamy (a Greek word meaning "the practice of multiple marriage" is used in related ways in Social anthropology, Sociobiology, and Laws provide some protection for women against arbitrary divorce and the taking of additional wives by husbands without the first wife's consent, but the protections generally apply only to registered marriages. Marriage is governed by family law of the respective religions. In rural areas, marriages sometimes are not registered because of ignorance of the law. Under the law, a Muslim husband is required to pay his former wife a lump sum alimony fixed at the time of registraton of marriage and further variable amount of alimony for 3 months for maintenance, but this law is not always enforced in the rural areas.
Politicized Islam
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Post-1971 regimes sought to increase the role of the government in the religious life of the people. Dhaka (also known as Dacca ( Bangla: ঢাকা ɖʱaka is the Capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka District. Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. 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 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi 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. Islamic Foundation Bangladesh is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Bangladesh working to disseminate values and ideals of The foundation also maintained the Baitul Mukarram (National Mosque), and organized the training of imams. Baitul Mukarram (বায়তুল মুকাররাম ( Arabic: بيت المكرّم; The holy house is the National mosque of Bangladesh 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 Bangla 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. This is a sub-article of Islamic economical jurisprudence. Zakaat ( زكاة zækæːh zakaat or zakāh, has the implied 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. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and
Islam being the central component of national identity plays a significant role in the politics, life and culture of the people. Secular parties such as Awami League also mention "Allah is Great" as a slogan in their banners. 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.
Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (a. Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (aka 'Jamaat' is the largest Islamist Political party in Bangladesh. k. a 'Jamaat') is the largest Islamist political party in Bangladesh. This is one of the leading political party in Bangladesh and largest islamic party in subcontinent. The party joined in Bangladesh Nationalist Party lead government and hold two key Ministries with Khaleda Zia's government. This party played a questionable role in freedom fight of Bangladesh. Still now some war criminals are the main leaders of this party.
Notes
- ^ [1] 2001 Bangladesh Census
- ^ [2] OurBangla. com
- ^ [3] Global Front - Islam in Bangladesh
- ^ [4] Asian Studies: Religion in Bangladesh
- ^ [5] BD online - Sylhet
- ^ [6] Banglapedia - Shah Jalal
- ^ [7] Banglapedia - Shah Jalal
- ^ [8] Article 2A
See also
- Islam by country
- Hinduism in Bangladesh
- Christianity in Bangladesh
- Buddhism in Bangladesh
- Sunni
- Wahabbi
- Barelwi
- Negationism in India - Concealing the Record of Islam
External links
- Comprehensive and authentic Islamic audio and literature in Bangla/Bengali
- Islam in Bengal from Banglapedia
- Eaton, Richard M. The Rise of Islam and the Bengal Frontier, 1204-1760. Berkeley: University of California Press, c1993.
- Islamic literature in Bangla/Bengali (unknown author of the literatures)
- Development Cooperation and Islamic values in Bangladesh
References
- This article contains material from the Library of Congress Country Studies, which are United States government publications in the public domain. Listing of Muslims by country Important note Population counts by religious affiliation like most demographic characteristics of a Population Hinduism is the second largest religious affiliation in Bangladesh, covering 9 Christianity arrived in what is now Bangladesh during the late sixteenth to early seventeenth century AD through the Portuguese traders and missionaries Buddhism is the third largest religion in Bangladesh with about 0 Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic Wahhabism ( Arabic: Al-Wahhābīyya الوهابية or Wahabism is a conservative reformist call of Sunni Islam attributed to Barelwi or Barelvi ( Hindi: बरेलवी Urdu: بریلوی is a movement of Sunni Sufism in South Asia that was founded by Negationism in India - Concealing the Record of Islam is a book by Koenraad Elst published in 1992. The Country Studies are works published by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress ( USA) freely available for use by researchers The federal government of the United States is the central United States Governmental body established by the United States Constitution. The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone
- US State Department [11]
- Eaton, R (1996). The Rise of Islam and the Bengal Frontier. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-20507-3.
- Islam House Bangladesh Site[12]
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