View source for Islam in Bangladesh

{{short description|none}}
{{Redirect|Bangladeshi Muslims| Bengali followers of Islam|Bengali Muslims}} 
{{Infobox religious group
| group      = Bangladeshi Muslims <br />{{lang|bn|বাংলাদেশী মুসলমান}}
| flag          = Allah-green.svg
| flag_size     = 25px
| image         = Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in 2022.09.jpg
| image_caption = [[Baitul Mukarram]], national Mosque of Bangladesh
| population = 150.8 million {{increase}} <br />
('''91.04%''' of the country's population) {{increase}}
| regions    = Throughout Bangladesh
| languages  = [[Bengali language|Bengali]]
| religions  = [[File:Allah-green.svg|15px]] [[Islam]]
| website    = {{website|islamicfoundation.gov.bd}}
}}

{{Islam in Bangladesh}}
{{Islam by country}}
[[Islam]] is the largest and the [[state religion]] of the [[Bangladesh|People's Republic of Bangladesh]].<ref name="aljazeera:1">{{cite web |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/03/bangladesh-court-upholds-islam-religion-state-160328112919301.html |title=Bangladesh court upholds Islam as religion of the state |last=Bergman |first=David |date=28 Mar 2016 |publisher=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]]}}</ref><ref name="reuters:1">{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bangladesh-islam-state/bangladesh-dismisses-case-to-drop-islam-as-state-religion-idUSKCN0WU0UT |title=Bangladesh dismisses case to drop Islam as state religion |date=28 March 2016 |publisher=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> According to the 2022 census, [[Bangladesh]] had a population of about 150 million [[Muslim]]s, or 91.04%<ref>{{cite web |title=Census 2022: Number of Muslims increased in country |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2022/07/27/census-2022-number-of-muslims-increased-in-the-country |date=27 July 2022 |access-date=9 October 2022 |website=[[Dhaka Tribune]]}}</ref> of its total population of {{sigfig|165.158616|3}} million.<ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2022/07/27/bangladeshs-population-size-now-1651-million |title=Census 2022: Bangladesh population now 165 million |date=27 July 2022 |website=[[Dhaka Tribune]]}}</ref> Muslims of Bangladesh are predominant native [[Bengali Muslim]]s. The majority of [[Bangladeshis]] are [[Sunni Islam|''Sunni'']], and follow the ''[[Hanafi]]'' school of ''[[Fiqh]]''. Bangladesh is a ''de facto'' secular country.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh |url=http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/act-367.html |website=Laws of Bangladesh Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh LEGISLATIVE AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS DIVISION |access-date=25 August 2024 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=bbs>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbs.gov.bd/dataindex/stat_bangladesh.pdf |title=Statistics Bangladesh 2006 |publisher=[[Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics]] (BBS) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221065619/http://www.bbs.gov.bd/dataindex/stat_bangladesh.pdf |archive-date=21 December 2008 |access-date=1 October 2008}}</ref>

The [[Bengal]] region was a supreme power of the medieval Islamic East.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Epigraphy and Islamic Culture: Inscriptions of the Early Muslim Rulers of Bengal |date=19 November 2015 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=9781317587460 |pages=30}}</ref> In the late 7th century, Muslims from Arabia established commercial as well as religious connection within the Bengal region before the conquest, mainly through the coastal regions as traders and primarily via the ports of [[Chittagong]].<ref name="kumar">{{cite book |author=Raj Kumar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qvnjXOCjv7EC |title=Essays on Ancient India |date=2003 |publisher=Discovery Publishing House |isbn=978-81-7141-682-0 |page=199}}</ref> In the early 13th century, [[Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji]] conquered Western and part of Northern Bengal and established the first Muslim kingdom in Bengal.<ref>{{cite book |last=Majumdar |first=R. C. |author-link=R.C. Majumdar |title=History of Mediaeval Bengal |publisher=G. Bharadwaj & Co. |year=1973 |location=Calcutta |pages=1–2 |oclc=1031074 |quote=Tradition gives him credit for the conquest of Bengal but as a matter of fact he could not subjugate the greater part of Bengal ... All that Bakhtyār can justly take credit for is that by his conquest of Western and a part of Northern Bengal he laid the foundation of the Muslim State in Bengal. The historians of the 13th century never attributed the conquest of the whole of Bengal to Bakhtyār.}}</ref> During the 13th century, Sufi missionaries, mystics and saints began to preach Islam in villages.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bangladesh - Islam in Bangladesh |url=https://countrystudies.us/bangladesh/39.htm |access-date=2024-07-07 |website=countrystudies.us}}</ref> The Islamic [[Bengal Sultanate]] was founded by [[Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah]] who united Bengal on an ethno-linguistic platform. Bengal reached in her golden age during Bengal Sultanate's prosperous ruling period. Subsequently, Bengal viceroy [[Muhammad Azam Shah]] assumed the imperial throne. Mughal Bengal became increasingly independent under the [[Nawabs of Bengal]] in the 18th century.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Travers |first=T. R. |date=July 2004 |title='The Real Value of the Lands': The Nawabs, the British and the Land Tax in Eighteenth-Century Bengal |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/modern-asian-studies/article/abs/real-value-of-the-lands-the-nawabs-the-british-and-the-land-tax-in-eighteenthcentury-bengal/DB0BD703AE3A6211B0910E43D3A29E3C |journal=Modern Asian Studies |language=en |volume=38 |issue=3 |pages=517–558 |doi=10.1017/S0026749X03001148 |issn=1469-8099 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Aloney |first=Hitesh |title=Bengal And Awadh In The 18th Century |url=https://upscwithnikhil.com/article/history/bengal-and-awadh-in-the-18th-century |access-date=2024-07-07 |website=upscwithnikhil.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Transitions – History and Civics – 8 |publisher=[[Vikas Publishing House]] |isbn=9789325993969}}</ref>

== History ==
=== Early explorers ===
One of the earliest mosques in South Asia is under excavation in northern Bangladesh, indicating the presence of Muslims in the area around the lifetime of Muhammad.<ref>{{cite web |date=2012-08-18 |title=Ancient mosque unearthed in Bangladesh |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/video/asia/2012/08/201281852948844588.html |access-date=2016-11-07 |publisher=[[Al Jazeera English]]}}</ref> By the 9th century, Muslim merchants had increased trade with Bengali seaports, introducing Islam to the region. Coins from the Abbasid era have been discovered across Bengal, further evidencing this connection. Additional evidence of these early Arab traders includes inscriptions found near the [[Meghna River]] close to [[Sandwip]] on the Bay of Bengal. Arab writers of the time also mentioned the kingdoms of Samrup and Rumi, the latter being identified with the empire of [[Dharmapal]] of the [[Pala Dynasty|Pala Empire]].

In the 10th century, Samatata, located in southeastern Bengal, was home to a diverse population with various religious backgrounds. During this period, the Arab geographer [[Al-Masudi]] visited the region and documented a thriving Muslim community in his work ''[[The Meadows of Gold]].''<ref>{{cite book |author=[[Al-Masudi]], trans. Barbier de Meynard and Pavet de Courteille |title=Les Prairies d'or [Murūj al-dhahab] |publisher=Société asiatique |year=1962 |editor=Pellat, Charles |location=Paris |language=fr |chapter=1:155}}</ref> Islam first appeared in Bengal during [[Pala dynasty|Pala dynasty's]] rule, as a result of increased trade between Bengal and the Arab [[Abbasid Caliphate]], facilitating the presence of Arab traders along the coast of Bengal which includes [[Port of Chittagong]].<ref name="kumar" />

In addition to trade, Islam was also being introduced to the people of Bengal through the migration of Sufi missionaries prior to conquests. The earliest known Sufi missionaries were Syed Shah Surkhul Antia and his students, most notably [[Shah Sultan Rumi]], in the 11th century. Rumi settled in present-day [[Netrokona District|Netrokona, Mymensingh]] where he influenced the local ruler and population to embrace Islam.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Haq |first=Emdadul |date=2013-08-01 |title=Sufi influence in Bengal |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news/sufi-influence-in-bengal |access-date=2024-07-14 |website=The Daily Star |language=en}}</ref>

The first [[Ghurid invasion of Bengal|Muslim conquest of Bengal]] was undertaken by the forces of General [[Bakhtiyar Khilji]] in the thirteenth century. This opened the doors for Muslim influence in the region for hundreds of years up until the present-day.<ref name="histglo">{{cite web |title=Islam in Bangladesh |url=http://www.globalfront.com/nabic_archive/islam_in_bangladesh.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014060857/http://globalfront.com/nabic_archive/islam_in_bangladesh.htm |archive-date=2007-10-14 |access-date=2008-02-14 |publisher=Global Front}}</ref> Many of the people of Bengal began accepting Islam through the influx of missionaries following this conquest. [[Sultan Balkhi]] and [[Shah Makhdum Rupos]] settled in the present-day [[Rajshahi Division]] in northern Bengal, preaching to the communities there. Numerous small sultanates emerged in the region. During the reign of the [[Lakhnauti Sultanate|Sultan of Lakhnauti]] [[Shamsuddin Firuz Shah]], much of present-day [[Satgaon]], [[Sonargaon]] and [[Greater Mymensingh|Mymensingh]] came under Muslim dominion. A community of 13 Muslim families headed by [[Ghazi Burhanuddin|Burhanuddin]] resided in the northeastern city of [[Sylhet|Srihatta (Sylhet)]], claiming their descendants to have arrived from [[Chittagong]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Qurashi, Ishfaq |script-title=bn:শাহজালাল(রঃ) এবং শাহদাউদ কুরায়শী(রঃ) |date=December 2012 |language=bn |trans-title=Shah Jalal and Shah Dawud Qurayshi |chapter=বুরহান উদ্দিন ও নূরউদ্দিন প্রসঙ্গ |trans-chapter=Burhan Uddin and Nooruddin}}</ref> [[Sylhet|Srihatta]] (Sylhet) was ruled by an oppressive king called [[Gour Govinda]]. After being informed of Raja Gour Govinda's oppressive regime in Sylhet, Firuz Shah sent numerous forces led by his nephew [[Sikandar Khan Ghazi]] and subsequently his military commander-in-chief [[Syed Nasiruddin]] to [[Conquest of Sylhet|conquer Sylhet]]. By 1303, over three hundred Sufi preachers led by [[Shah Jalal]] aided the conquest and confirmed a victory. Following the conquest, Jalal disseminated his followers across different parts of Bengal to spread Islam. Jalal is now a household name among Muslims in Bangladesh.<ref>{{cite book |title=Social History Of The Muslims In Bengal (Down to A.D. 1538) |publisher=The Asiatic Society of Pakistan |location=[[Dacca]] |author=[[Abdul Karim (historian)|Abdul Karim]] |year=1959 |page=100}}</ref>

=== Sultanate of Bengal ===
{{Main|History of Bengal|History of Bangladesh|History of West Bengal|Bengal Sultanate}}
The establishment of a single united [[Bengal Sultanate]] in 1352 by [[Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah]] finally gave rise to a ''"Bengali"'' socio-linguistic and cultural identity. The [[Ilyas Shahi dynasty]] highly acknowledged [[Ulama|Muslim scholarship]]. [[Usman Serajuddin]], also known as ''Akhi Siraj Bengali'', was a native of [[Gauḍa (city)|Gaur]] in western Bengal and became the Sultanate's court scholar during Ilyas Shah's reign. The sovereign Sunni Muslim nation-state also enabled the language of the Bengali people to gain patronage and support, contrary to previous states which exclusively favoured [[Sanskrit]], [[Pali]] and [[Farsi|Persian]]. The converted Sultan [[Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah]] funded the construction of Islamic seminaries as far as [[Mecca]] and [[Madina]] in the Middle East. The people of [[Arabia]] came to know these institutions as [[Banjaliyah Madrasah|al-Madaris al-Bangaliyyah]] (''Bengali madrasas'').

[[Moroccans|Moroccan]] traveler [[Ibn Battuta]]'s diary is one of the best known accounts of the prelude to the Bengal Sultanate. Ibn Battuta visited Bengal during the reign of Sultan [[Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah]], a rebel governor of the Delhi Sultanate who established a city state in [[Sonargaon]]. At the time, Bengal was divided into the three city states of Sonargaon, [[Satgaon]] and [[Gauda (city)|Lakhnauti]]. In 1352, the three city states were united by Ilyas Shah into a single, unitary, independent Bengal Sultanate. The creation of the Bengal Sultanate sparked several [[Bengal Sultanate-Delhi Sultanate War|Bengal-Delhi Wars]], which resulted in Delhi recognizing Bengal's independence. The [[Ilyas Shahi dynasty]] consolidated Bengali statehood, the economy and diplomatic relations. A network of Mint Towns – provincial capitals which produced the Sultan's sovereign currency called the ''[[History of the taka|taka]]'' – was established across Bengal. The Bengali state followed the Persian model of statecraft. Muslims from other parts of the world were imported for military, bureaucratic and household services. These immigrants included Turks from northern India who were originally recruited in Central Asia; as well as Abyssinians imported via East Africa into the Bengali port of Chittagong. A highly commercialized and monetized economy evolved. [[Islamic architecture]] was introduced on a major scale. A huge mosque called the [[Adina Mosque]] was built following the design of the [[Great Mosque of Damascus]]. A distinct Bengali Muslim architectural style developed, with [[terracotta]] and [[stone]] buildings showing a fusion of Persian and Bengali elements. Mosques included two categories, including multi-domed rectangular structures and single-domed square structures. A distinct style of Bengali ''[[mihrab]]s'', ''[[minbar]]s'', terracotta [[arabesque]], and ''[[do-chala]]'' roofs developed; this influence also spread to other regions.

The Bengal Sultanate was ruled by five dynastic periods, with each period have a particular ethnic identity. The Ilyas Shahi dynasty was of [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] origin. It was replaced by the Bengali-origin dynasty of [[Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah]] and [[Shamsuddin Ahmad Shah]] for a few decades before being restored. In the 1490s, a series of [[Habesha people|Abyssinian]] generals took turns in becoming the Sultan of Bengal. They were succeeded by the [[Hussain Shahi dynasty]] which was of [[Arab]] origin. They were in turn replaced by the [[Pashtun]] rulers of the [[Suri Empire|Suri dynasty]], who first acted as regional governors before restoring Bengali independence. The last dynasty, the [[Karrani dynasty]], was also of Pashtun origin. The sultanate period saw a flourishing of Islamic scholarship and the development of [[Bengali literature]]. Scholars, writers and poets of sultanate-era Bengal included [[Usman Serajuddin]], [[Alaul Haq]], [[Nur Qutb Alam|Sheikh Nur Qutb Alam]], [[Alaol]], [[Shah Muhammad Sagir]], [[Abdul Hakim (poet)|Abdul Hakim]], [[Syed Sultan]], Qadi Ruknu'd-Din Abu Hamid Muhammad bin Muhammad al-'Amidi, Abu Tawwama, [[Ibrahim Danishmand|Syed Ibrahim Danishmand]], Syed Arif Billah Muhammad Kamel and Syed Muhammad Yusuf among others. Bengal's tradition of [[Persian literature|Persian prose]] was acknowledged by [[Hafez]]. The ''[[Dobhashi]]'' tradition saw [[Bengali language|Bengali]] transliteration of [[Arabic]] and Persian words in [[Bengali script]] to illustrate Islamic epics and stories.

During the independent sultanate period, Bengal forged strong diplomatic relations with empires outside the subcontinent. The most notable of these relationships was with [[Ming China]] and its emperor [[Yongle]]. At least a dozen embassies were exchanged between China and Bengal. The Sultan of Bengal even gifted an East African giraffe to the Emperor of China as a tribute to China-Bengal relations. The Chinese Muslim admiral [[Zheng He]] visited Bengal as an envoy of the Emperor of China. Bengali ships transported the embassies of [[Aceh Sultanate|Sumatra]], [[Bruneian Empire|Brunei]] and [[Malacca Sultanate|Malacca]] to the port of [[Guangzhou|Canton]]. China and the [[Timurid dynasty|Timurid]] ruler of [[Herat]] mediated an end to the [[Bengal Sultanate-Jaunpur Sultanate War]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Karim |first=Abdul |title=The Bengal Sultanate: Politics, Economy, and Social Structure |date=1994 |publisher=University Press |isbn=9840512320}}</ref> The Sultan of Bengal also acknowledged the nominal authority of the [[Abbasid]] caliph in [[Cairo]]. The [[Portuguese India|Portuguese]] was the first European state entity to establish relations with the Bengal Sultanate. The Bengal Sultan permitted the opening of the [[Portuguese settlement in Chittagong]].

During the [[Sultanate of Bengal|Sultanate period]], a [[syncretism#Religious syncretism|syncretic belief]] system arose due to mass conversions.<ref name=":2">{{cite book |last=Eaton |first=Richard M. |date=1993 |title=The Rise of Islam and the Bengal Frontier, 1204-1760 |url=http://hudsoncress.net/hudsoncress.org/html/library/history-travel/Eaton,%20Richard%20-%20The%20Rise%20of%20Islam%20and%20the%20Bengal%20Frontier.pdf |location=Berkeley |publisher=University of California Press |access-date=2016-03-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621201955/http://hudsoncress.net/hudsoncress.org/html/library/history-travel/Eaton%2C%20Richard%20-%20The%20Rise%20of%20Islam%20and%20the%20Bengal%20Frontier.pdf |archive-date=2016-06-21 |url-status=dead}}</ref> As a result, the Islamic concept of ''[[tawhid]]'' (the oneness of God) was diluted into the veneration of saints or ''[[Pir (Sufism)|pirs]]''. Deities such as [[Shitala]] (goddess of [[smallpox]]), [[Oladevi|Olabibi]] (goddess of [[cholera]]) and [[Manasa]] (goddess of snakes) became venerated as ''pirs''.<ref name=":1">{{cite book |last1=Banu |first1=U.A.B. Razia Akter |title=Islam in Bangladesh |date=1992 |publisher=BRILL |location=New York |isbn=90-04-09497-0 |pages=34–35 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XyzqATEDPSgC&q=faraidi&pg=PA51 |access-date=31 July 2016}}</ref>

===Under Mughal Empire===
{{Main|Mughal Empire|Bengal Subah}}In pre-Mughal times, there is less evidence for widespread adoption of Islam in what is now Bangladesh. What mention of Muslims there was usually in reference to an urban elite. Ibn Battuta met with Shah Jalal in Sylhet and noted the inhabitants of the plains were still Hindu. In 1591, Venetian traveller Cesare Federici mentioned [[Sandwip|Sondwip]] near Chittagong as having an entirely Muslim population. The seventeenth century European travellers generally understood Islam as being implanted after the Mughal conquest.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book |last=Eaton |first=Richard M. |date=1993-12-31 |title=Rise of Islam and the Bengal Frontier, 1204–1760 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/9780520917774 |doi=10.1525/9780520917774 |isbn=9780520917774}}</ref>

During the Mughal Empire, much of the region of what is now East Bengal was still heavily forested, but highly fertile. The Mughals incentivised the bringing of this land under cultivation, and so peasants were incentivised to bring the land under cultivation. These peasants were primarily led by Muslim leaders and so Islam became the main religion in the delta. Most of the Zamindars in the modern Barisal division, for instance, were upper caste Hindus who subcontracted actual jungle clearance work to a Muslim pir. In other instances, pirs themselves would organise the locals to clear the jungle and then contact the Mughals to gain legitimacy. In other instances, such as the densely forested interior of Chittagong, Muslims came from indigenous tribals who never followed Hindu rituals.<ref name=":7" />

===In British India===
{{Main|British India|Bengal Presidency}}
The [[British East India Company]] was given the right to collect revenue from Bengal and Bihar by the [[Treaty of Allahabad]] after defeating the combined armies of Nawab [[Mir Qasim]] of Bengal, [[Nawab of Awadh]], and Mughal emperor at the [[Battle of Buxar]]. They annexed Bengal in 1793 after abolishing local rule (Nizamat). The British looted the Bengal treasury, appropriating wealth valued at US$40 billion in modern-day prices.<ref name=DailyStar>{{cite news |date=2015-07-31 |title=Which India is claiming to have been colonised? |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/op-ed/politics/which-india-claiming-have-been-colonised-119284 |newspaper=The Daily Star}}</ref> Due to high colonial taxation, Bengali commerce shrank by 50% within 40 years, while at the same time British imports flooded the market. Spinners and weavers starved during [[famine]]s and Bengal's once industrious cities became impoverished. The East India Company forced [[opium]] and [[indigo]] cultivation and the [[permanent settlement]] dismantled centuries of joint Muslim-Hindu political, military and feudal cooperation.<ref>https://m.economictimes.com/news/india/india-independence-day-2025-east-india-company-opium-farming-narco-colonialism-how-britain-exploited-indians-for-its-drug-trade-with-china/articleshow/123254698.cms</ref>

The [[Bengal Presidency]] was established in 1765. Rural eastern Bengal witnessed the earliest rebellions against British rule, including the [[Faraizi movement]] led by [[Haji Shariatullah]] and the activities of [[Titumir]] and [[Karamat Ali Jaunpuri]]. The [[mutiny of 1857]] engulfed much of northern India and Bengal, including in [[Dhaka]] and [[Chittagong]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Pandey |first=Jhimli Mukherjee |date=10 June 2009 |title=Rare 1857 reports on Bengal uprisings |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Rare-1857-reports-on-Bengal-uprisings/articleshow/4637780.cms |newspaper=[[The Times of India]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Khan |first=Alamgir |date=14 July 2014 |title=Revisiting the Great Rebellion of 1857 |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/revisiting-the-great-rebellion-of-1857-33161 |newspaper=The Daily Star}}</ref> Following the end of the mutiny, the British Government took direct control of Bengal from the East India Company and instituted the [[British Raj]]. The influence of [[Christian missionaries]] increased during this period. To counter this trend, Reazuddin Ahmad Mashadi, Muhammad Reazuddin Ahmad<ref>{{cite web |title=Ahmad, Muhammad Reazuddin |url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Ahmad,_Muhammad_Reazuddin |website=Banglapedia |publisher=Bangladesh Asiatic Society |access-date=2016-03-20}}</ref> of the ''[[The Sudhakar|Sudhakar]]'' newspaper and [[Munshi Mohammad Meherullah]] played prominent roles.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=Kenneth W. |title=Religious Controversy in British India: Dialogues in South Asian Languages |date=1992 |publisher=SUNY Press |location=New York |isbn=0791408280 |pages=94–96 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=whMLdd8F_xAC&q=Reazuddin+Mashahdi&pg=PA96 |access-date=2016-03-20}}</ref>

The colonial capital [[Calcutta]], where [[Bengali Muslims]] formed the second largest community, became the second largest city in the [[British Empire]] after London. The late 19th and early 20th-century Indian Renaissance brought dramatic social and political change. The introduction of Western law, government and education introduced modern [[Age of Enlightenment|enlightenment]] values which created a new politically conscious middle class and a new generation of leaders in science, politics and the arts. The [[Partition of Bengal (1905)|First Partition of Bengal]] incubated the broader anti-colonial struggle and in 1906 the [[All India Muslim League]] was formed during the [[All India Muhammadan Educational Conference|Muhammadan Education Conference]] in Dhaka. During this period a Muslim middle class emerged<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last1=Mukhopadhay |first1=Keshob |title=An interview with prof. Ahmed sharif |url=http://www.bangladesh-web.com/view.php?hidRecord=44486 |website=News from Bangladesh |publisher=Daily News Monitoring Service |access-date=2016-03-20}}</ref> and the [[University of Dhaka]] played a role at the beginning of the emancipation of Bengali Muslim society, which was also marked by the emergence progressive groups like the [[Freedom of Intellect Movement]] and the Muslim Literary Society.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}} Bengali Muslims were at the forefront of the [[Indian Independence Movement]], including the [[Pakistan Movement]].

===Bangladesh War of Independence===
{{Main|Bangladesh Liberation War}}
{{See also|History of East Pakistan}}
[[File:Mufti Mahmud & Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.jpg|thumb|President [[Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]] with [[Mufti Mahmud]].]]
Islamic sentiments powered the definition of nationhood in the 1940s, when [[Bengalis|Bengali]] people united with Muslims in other parts of the subcontinent to form Pakistan. In the 70s, the society they then envisioned was based on principles such as socialism, nationalism and democracy. While Islam was still a part of faith and culture, it was no longer the only factor that formed national identity.<ref>{{cite book |author=Willem van Schendel |title=A History of Bangladesh |date=12 February 2009 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780511997419 |page=183}}</ref>

Bangladesh was established as a constitutionally secular state<ref>{{cite book |last=Baxter |first=Craig |author-link=Craig Baxter |year=1997 |title=Bangladesh: From A Nation To A State |publisher=Westview Press |page=70 |isbn=978-0-813-33632-9}}</ref> and the Bangladeshi constitution enshrined secular, socialist and democratic principles.<ref>{{cite book |last=Baxter |first=Craig |year=1997 |title=Bangladesh: From A Nation To A State |publisher=Westview Press |page=88 |isbn=978-0-813-33632-9}}</ref>

==Denominations==
{{Further|Islamic schools and branches}}
{{bar box
|title = Muslims in Bangladesh<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pewforum.org/2012/08/09/the-worlds-muslims-unity-and-diversity-1-religious-affiliation/#identity |title=Chapter 1: Religious Affiliation |date=2012-08-09 |work=The World's Muslims: Unity and Diversity |publisher=[[Pew Research Center]]'s Religion & Public Life Project |access-date=2013-09-04}}</ref>
|titlebar=#ddd |left1=religion |right1=percent |float=Middle
|bars =
{{bar percent|[[Sunni Muslim]]|green|99}}
{{bar percent|Other [[Muslim]]|pink|1}}
}}
[[File:Kakrail Mosque, Dhaka.jpg|thumb| [[Kakrail Mosque]], [[Dhaka]]. The Tablighi Jamaat movement in [[Bangladesh]] is mostly based here.]]

===Sunni===
[[File:Shah Jalal Mazar at Sylhet.JPG|thumb|Shah Jalal Mazar at Sylhet]]
The majority of the [[Muslims]] in Bangladesh are ''[[Sunni]]'', who mainly follow the ''[[Hanafi]]'' school of Islamic jurisprudence and the ''[[Maturidi]]'' school of theology.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Islamic Family Law » Bangladesh, People's Republic of |url=https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/islamic-family-law/home/research/legal-profiles/bangladesh-people%ef%bf%bds-republic-of/ |access-date=2020-11-07 |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-04-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220419144640/https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/islamic-family-law/home/research/legal-profiles/bangladesh-people%EF%BF%BDs-republic-of/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Small minorities===
{{Further|Shia Islam in Bangladesh|Ahmadiyya in Bangladesh}}
There are also few [[Shi'a Islam|Shi'a]] Muslims, particularly belonging to the [[Bihari Muslims|Bihari]] community. The Shi'a observance commemorating the martyrdom of [[Ali]]'s sons, [[Hasan ibn Ali|Hasan]] and [[Husayn ibn Ali|Husayn]], are still widely observed by the nation's Sunnis,<ref name=":5">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Blood |first=Peter R. |editor1-last=Heitzman |editor1-first=James |editor2-last=Worden |editor2-first=Robert L |encyclopedia= |title=Bangladesh: A Country Study |entry=Islam |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/89600298/ |access-date= |language=en |edition= |year=1989 |publisher=[[Federal Research Division]], [[Library of Congress]] |location=Washington, D.C. |isbn= |oclc=49223313 |pages=73–78}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> even though there are small numbers of Shi'as. Among the Shias, the [[Dawoodi Bohra]] community is concentrated in Chittagong.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-80561 |title=Yasmin Farzana Shafi |last=Ferdousi |first=Ishrat |newspaper=The Daily Star |access-date=14 February 2017}}</ref>

Those who reject the authority of [[hadith]], known as [[Quranism|Quranists]], are present in Bangladesh, though having not expressed publicly but are active virtually due to fear of gruesome persecution considering the present political situation. The [[Ahmadiyya]] community, which is widely considered to be non-Muslim by mainstream Muslim leaders, is estimated to be around 100,000, the community has faced discrimination because of their beliefs and have been persecuted in some areas.<ref name=state>{{cite web |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/51616.htm |title=Bangladesh Religious Freedom 2007 |publisher=US Department of State |access-date=2007-01-01}}</ref> There is a very small community of Bangladeshis whom are adherents to the [[Mahdavia]] creed.<ref>Bhargava, Rajeev. "Inclusion and Exclusion in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh: The Role of Religion." Indian Journal of Human Development 1.1 (2007): 69-101.</ref> There are some people who do not identify themselves with any sect and just call themselves Muslims.

==Demography==
[[File:Bangladeshi Muslims map.svg|thumb|Map of percentage of Bangladeshi Muslims by Upazila (2011 census)]]
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Percentage and population of Muslims in Bangladesh by decades<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |title=2011 Census National Report |url=http://203.112.218.65:8008/WebTestApplication/userfiles/Image/PopCenZilz2011/NRV-1Report2011.pdf |journal=2011 Population and Housing Census |publisher=Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics |volume=1 |pages=89–93}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3452.htm |title=Bangladesh |publisher=State.gov |access-date=2013-10-25 |archive-date=27 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191027173216/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3452.htm |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://catalog.ihsn.org/index.php/catalog/115 |title=Bangladesh - Population Census 1991 |website=catalog.ihsn.org}}</ref>
|-
! Year
! Percentage (%)
! Muslim Population
! Total population
! Notes
|-
| 1901
| {{percentage bar|66.1}}
| 19,121,160
| 28,927,626
|
|-
| 1911
| {{percentage bar|67.2}}
| 21,205,203
| 31,555,363
| rowspan="4" | Before partition
|-
| 1921
| {{percentage bar|68.1}}
| 22,646,387
| 33,254,607
|-
| 1931
| {{percentage bar|69.5}}
| 24,744,911
| 35,604,189
|-
| 1941
| {{percentage bar|70.3}}
| 29,525,452
| 41,999,221
|-
| 1951
| {{percentage bar|76.9}}
| 32,346,033
| 42,062,462
| rowspan="2" |During Pakistan period
|-
| 1961
| {{percentage bar|80.4}}
| 40,847,150
| 50,804,914
|-
| 1974
| {{percentage bar|85.4}}
| 61,042,675
| 71,478,543
| rowspan="6" | After independence of Bangladesh
|-
| 1981
| {{percentage bar|86.7}}
| 75,533,462
| 87,120,487
|-
| 1991
| {{percentage bar|88.3}}
| 93,881,726
| 106,315,583
|-
| 2001
| {{percentage bar|89.6}}
| 110,406,654
| 123,151,871
|-
| 2011
| {{percentage bar|90.4}}
| 135,394,217
| 149,772,364
|-
| 2022
| {{percentage bar|91.08}} <ref>{{cite web |title=Population and Housing Census 2022: Preliminary Report |url=https://sid.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/sid.portal.gov.bd/publications/01ad1ffe_cfef_4811_af97_594b6c64d7c3/PHC_Preliminary_Report_(English)_August_2022.pdf |publisher=Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics |page=16 |date=August 2022 |access-date=25 September 2024}}</ref>
| 150,422,600
| 165,158,616
|}

The population of Bangladesh have gone up from 28.92 million in 1901 to 150.36 million in 2022, as per as statistics the same way the high fertility rate among Muslims have led to over population of the country as according to census, Muslim population have gone up from 19.12 million in 1901 to 150.36 million in 2022. The Muslim percentage have also got increased from 66.1% in 1901 to 91.04% in 2022.<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Population |title=Population |website=Banglapedia}}</ref> Socio-Economic and Demographic Survey 2023 Report of [[Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics]] estimates the Muslim share 91.58% of the population.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Population and Housing Census 2022: Report on Socio-Economic and Demographic Survey 2023 |url=http://nsds.bbs.gov.bd/storage/files/1/Publications/SEDS_2023_Report_(Revised).pdf |date=June 2024 |publisher=Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics |pages=63 |isbn=978-984-475-268-9}}</ref>

[[File:Women Wearing Islamic Clothing Hijab in Comilla, Bangladesh, 24 April 2014.jpg|thumb|Muslim women, wearing [[hijab]] which is a version of [[Islamic clothing|modest Islamic clothing]], can be seen shopping at a department store in [[Comilla]], Bangladesh.]]
[[Image:ShahJalal5.JPG|thumb|Entrance of the [[Shah Jalal Dargah|Shah Jalal Mazar]] in [[Sylhet]]]]

[[File:Eid Prayers in Rajarbagh, Dhaka on 6 October 2014.jpg|thumb|An urban congregation for [[Eid al-Adha|Eid-ul-Adha]] prayers in [[Dhaka]].]]
{{Historical populations
|title       = Historical Muslim Population in Bangladesh
|type        =
|footnote    =
|align       = right
|width       =
|state       =
|shading     =
|pop_name    =
|percentages =
|source      =
[https://books.google.com/books?id=4w1kq_A4oCEC&pg=PA63 God Willing: The Politics of Islamism in Bangladesh] by [[Ali Riaz]], p. 63 <br /> [[Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics]] (BBS)<ref name="bbs" /><ref name="BPSR_2019">{{cite news |url=http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/2342/1/U615290.pdf |title=The Population Trajectories of Bangladesh and West Bengal During the Twentieth Century: A Comparative Study |author=Nahid Kamal}}</ref><ref name="auto"/>
|1901 | 19,121,160
|1911 | 21,205,203
|1921 | 22,646,387
|1931 | 24,744,911
|1941 | 29,525,452
|1951 | 32,346,033
|1961 | 40,847,150
|1974 | 61,042,675
|1981 | 75,533,462
|1991 | 93,881,726
|2001 | 110,406,654
|2011 | 135,394,217
|2022 | 150,360,404
}}
Estimation shows that over 1 million Rohingya Muslim refugees live in Bangladesh who have came here during the period of (2016–17) crisis.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/10/25/bangladesh-is-now-home-to-almost-1-million-rohingya-refugees/ |title=Bangladesh is now home to almost 1 million Rohingya refugees |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=25 October 2017}}</ref> On 28 September 2018, at the 73rd United Nations General Assembly, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said there are 1.1-1.3 million Rohingya refugees now in Bangladesh.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/bangladesh-point-finger-at-myanmar-for-rohingya-genocide |title=Bangladesh point finger at Myanmar for Rohingya 'genocide' |website=[[Fox News]] |date=27 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/bangladesh/who-appeals-international-community-support-warns-grave-health-risks-rohingya |title=WHO appeals for international community support; warns of grave health risks to Rohingya refugees in rainy season - Bangladesh &#124; ReliefWeb |website=reliefweb.int |date=29 March 2018}}</ref>

According to the Pew research center, Muslim population of Bangladesh will reach 218.5-237.5 million by the year 2050, and will constitute overwhelming 95% of the country's population, thus making the country 4th largest Muslim populated around that time.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vifindia.org/article/2014/july/30/violence-against-minority-hindus-in-bangladesh-an-analysis |title=Violence Against Minority Hindus in Bangladesh: An Analysis}}</ref><ref name="pewforum.org">{{Cite web |url=https://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/muslims/ |title=Projected Changes in the Global Muslim Population |date=2 April 2015}}</ref>

===Islam by districts===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Muslim Population across districts of Bangladesh (2022)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bbs.portal.gov.bd/site/page/b432a7e5-8b4d-4dac-a76c-a9be4e85828c |title=বাংলাদেশ পরিসংখ্যান ব্যুরো}}</ref>
|-
! District
! Muslim population
! Total population
! Percentage (%)
|-
|[[Barguna District|Barguna]]
|937,545
|1,010,531
|{{percentage bar|92.78}}
|-
|[[Barisal District|Barisal]]
|2,283,728
|2,570,446
|{{percentage bar|88.85}}
|-
|[[Bhola District|Bhola]]
|1,876,758
|1,932,518
|{{percentage bar|97.11}}
|-
|[[Jhalokati District|Jhalokati]]
|599,622
|661,160
|{{percentage bar|90.69}}
|-
|[[Patuakhali District|Patuakhali]]
|1,617,155
|1,727,254
|{{percentage bar|93.63}}
|-
|[[Pirojpur District|Pirojpur]]
|1,017,024
|1,198,195
|{{percentage bar|84.88}}
|-
|[[Bandarban District|Bandarban]]
|253,756
|481,106
|{{percentage bar|52.74}}
|-
|[[Brahmanbaria District|Brahmanbaria]]
|3,084,642
|3,306,563
|{{percentage bar|93.29}}
|-
|[[Chandpur District|Chandpur]]
|2,488,435
|2,635,748
|{{percentage bar|94.41}}
|-
|[[Chattogram District|Chattogram]]
|8,026,102
|9,169,465
|{{percentage bar|87.53}}
|-
|[[Cumilla District|Cumilla]]
|5,936,391
|6,212,216
|{{percentage bar|95.56}}
|-
|[[Cox's Bazar District|Cox's Bazar]]
|2,669,977
|2,823,268
|{{percentage bar|94.57}}
|-
|[[Feni District|Feni]]
|1,556,695
|1,648,896
|{{percentage bar|94.41}}
|-
|[[Khagrachhari District|Khagrachhari]]
|332,687
|714,119
|{{percentage bar|46.59}}
|-
|[[Lakshmipur District|Lakshmipur]]
|1,875,790
|1,937,948
|{{percentage bar|96.79}}
|-
|[[Noakhali District|Noakhali]]
|3,476,457
|3,625,442
|{{percentage bar|95.89}}
|-
|[[Rangamati District|Rangamati]]
|234,834
|647,586
|{{percentage bar|36.26}}
|-
|[[Dhaka District|Dhaka]]
|13,980,953
|14,734,701
|{{percentage bar|94.88}}
|-
|[[Faridpur District|Faridpur]]
|1,979,011
|2,162,879
|{{percentage bar|91.50}}
|-
|[[Gazipur District|Gazipur]]
|4,971,543
|5,263,450
|{{percentage bar|94.45}}
|-
|[[Gopalganj District, Bangladesh|Gopalganj]]
|933,708
|1,295,057
|{{percentage bar|72.10}}
|-
|[[Kishoreganj District|Kishoreganj]]
|3,108,432
|3,267,626
|{{percentage bar|95.13}}
|-
|[[Madaripur District|Madaripur]]
|1,146,678
|1,293,027
|{{percentage bar|88.68}}
|-
|[[Manikganj District|Manikganj]]
|1,418,353
|1,558,025
|{{percentage bar|91.04}}
|-
|[[Munshiganj District|Munshiganj]]
|1,500,984
|1,625,416
|{{percentage bar|92.34}}
|-
|[[Narayanganj District|Narayanganj]]
|3,722,125
|3,909,138
|{{percentage bar|95.22}}
|-
|[[Narsingdi District|Narsingdi]]
|2443210
|2,224,944
|{{percentage bar|94.53}}
|-
|[[Rajbari District|Rajbari]]
|1,078,677
|1,189,818
|{{percentage bar|90.66}}
|-
|[[Shariatpur District|Shariatpur]]
|1,251,521
|1,294,562
|{{percentage bar|96.88}}
|-
|[[Tangail District|Tangail]]
|3,762,822
|4,037,608
|{{percentage bar|93.20}}
|-
|[[Bagerhat District|Bagerhat]]
|1,342,836
|1,613,076
|{{percentage bar|83.25}}
|-
|[[Chuadanga District|Chuadanga]]
|1,204,617
|1,234,054
|{{percentage bar|97.61}}
|-
|[[Jessore District|Jessore]]
|2,756,729
|3,076,144
|{{percentage bar|89.62}}
|-
|[[Jhenaidah District|Jhenaidah]]
|1,836,273
|2,005,849
|{{percentage bar|91.55}}
|-
|[[Khulna District|Khulna]]
|2,055,902
|2,613,385
|{{percentage bar|78.67}}
|-
|[[Kushtia District|Kushtia]]
|2,090,622
|2,149,692
|{{percentage bar|97.25}}
|-
|[[Magura District|Magura]]
|870,482
|1,033,115
|{{percentage bar|84.26}}
|-
|[[Meherpur District|Meherpur]]
|690,349
|705,356
|{{percentage bar|97.87}}
|-
|[[Narail District|Narail]]
|663,961
|788,671
|{{percentage bar|84.19}}
|-
|[[Satkhira District|Satkhira]]
|1,851,516
|2,196,582
|{{percentage bar|84.29}}
|-
|[[Jamalpur District|Jamalpur]]
|2,458,714
|2,499,738
|{{percentage bar|98.36}}
|-
|[[Mymensingh District|Mymensingh]]
|5,665,649
|5,899,005
|{{percentage bar|96.04}}
|-
|[[Netrokona District|Netrokona]]
|2,103,091
|2,324,853
|{{percentage bar|90.46}}
|-
|[[Sherpur District|Sherpur]]
|1,456,087
|1,501,853
|{{percentage bar|96.95}}
|-
|[[Bogra District|Bogra]]
|3,516,157
|3,734,297
|{{percentage bar|94.16}}
|-
|[[Chapai Nawabganj District|Chapai Nawabganj]]
|1,753,993
|1,835,528
|{{percentage bar|95.56}}
|-
|[[Joypurhat District|Joypurhat]]
|859,960
|956,431
|{{percentage bar|89.91}}
|-
|[[Naogaon District|Naogaon]]
|2,419,236
|2,784,599
|{{percentage bar|86.88}}
|-
|[[Natore District|Natore]]
|1,744,274
|1,859,922
|{{percentage bar|93.78}}
|-
|[[Pabna District|Pabna]]
|2,828,381
|2,909,624
|{{percentage bar|97.21}}
|-
|[[Rajshahi District|Rajshahi]]
|2,740,180
|2,915,009
|{{percentage bar|94.00}}
|-
|[[Sirajganj District|Sirajganj]]
|3,210,116
|3,357,706
|{{percentage bar|95.61}}
|-
|[[Dinajpur District, Bangladesh|Dinajpur]]
|2,605,781
|3,315,236
|{{percentage bar|78.60}}
|-
|[[Gaibandha District|Gaibandha]]
|2,380,128
|2,562,233
|{{percentage bar|92.89}}
|-
|[[Kurigram District|Kurigram]]
|2,185,248
|2,329,160
|{{percentage bar|93.82}}
|-
|[[Lalmonirhat District|Lalmonirhat]]
|1,242,388
|1,428,406
|{{percentage bar|86.98}}
|-
|[[Nilphamari District|Nilphamari]]
|1,763,751
|2,092,568
|{{percentage bar|84.29}}
|-
|[[Panchagarh District|Panchagarh]]
|991,764
|1,179,843
|{{percentage bar|84.06}}
|-
|[[Rangpur District|Rangpur]]
|2,872,953
|3,169,614
|{{percentage bar|90.64}}
|-
|[[Thakurgaon District|Thakurgaon]]
|1,181,774
|1,533,895
|{{percentage bar|77.04}}
|-
|[[Habiganj District|Habiganj]]
|1,981,089
|2,358,886
|{{percentage bar|83.98}}
|-
|[[Maulvibazar District|Maulvibazar]]
|1,585,235
|2,123,447
|{{percentage bar|74.65}}
|-
|[[Sunamganj District|Sunamganj]]
|2,377,349
|2,695,496
|{{percentage bar|88.20}}
|-
|[[Sylhet District|Sylhet]]
|3,570,400
|3,857,123
|{{percentage bar|92.57}}
|}

==Art==
===Visual arts===
====Islamic architecture in Bangladesh====
{{Further|Architecture of Bangladesh|Architecture of Bengal|Indo-Islamic architecture|Islamic architecture}}
[[File:201_Dome_Mosque_02.jpg|thumb|[[201 Dome Mosque]]]]
[[File:Sura_Mosque_Terakota_5.jpg|thumb|[[Terracotta]] art of [[Sura Mosque]]]]
The architecture of the [[Bengal Sultanate]] saw a distinct style of domed mosques with complex niche pillars that had no minarets. [[Ivory]], [[pottery]] and [[brass]] were also widely used in [[Bangladeshi art|Bengali art]]. Bangladeshi village housing is noted as the origin of the [[bungalow]]. The [[Bengal roofs]], associated by [[mughal architecture]] can be traced back to rural Bangladesh's architecture. Modernist terracotta architecture in South Asia is popularized by architects like [[Muzharul Islam]].<ref>https://www.archdaily.com/1007647/regional-modernism-in-bangladesh-the-architecture-of-muzharul-islam</ref>

==== Mosques ====
{{Main|List of mosques in Bangladesh}}
Bangladesh has a vast amount of historic mosques with its own Islamic architecture.
* [[Lost Mosque|Abu Aqqas]] Mosque (648)<ref name=dn>{{cite news |date=2012-12-21 |title=History and archaeology: Bangladesh's most undervalued assets? |url=http://www.deutschenews24.de/english/detailsnews.php?nssl=7cbbc409ec990f19c78c75bd1e06f215&nttl=2012122106445070 |work=deutschenews24.de |access-date=2014-06-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140315074959/http://deutschenews24.de/english/detailsnews.php?nssl=7cbbc409ec990f19c78c75bd1e06f215&nttl=2012122106445070 |archive-date=2014-03-15 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=pa>{{cite news |last=Mahmood |first=Kajal Iftikhar Rashid |date=2012-10-19 |script-title=bn:সাড়ে তেরো শ বছর আগের মসজিদ |trans-title=1350 Year-old Mosque |url=http://archive.prothom-alo.com/detail/news/299066 |language=bn |newspaper=Prothom Alo |access-date=2014-06-12 |archive-date=2018-06-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180606145757/http://archive.prothom-alo.com/detail/news/299066 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Shahbaz Khan Mosque]] (1679)
* [[Shona Mosque]] (1493)
* [[Bagha Mosque]] (1523)
* [[Khan Mohammad Mridha Mosque]] (1703)
* [[Sixty Dome Mosque]]  (15th century)

==== Forts ====
[[Lalbagh Fort|Lalbagh]] Fort (1664)

[[Idrakpur Fort|Idarakpur Fort]] (17th century)

====Textile====
{{Further information|Textile industry of Bangladesh}}
[[File:Making_of_Jamdani-9.jpg|thumb|[[Jamdani]] Weaving]]
[[Bengal Subah|Bengal]] emerged as the foremost muslin exporter in the world, with [[Dhaka]] as capital of the worldwide muslin trade.<ref name="Eaton1996">{{Cite book |last=Eaton |first=Richard Maxwell |year=1996 |title=The Rise of Islam and the Bengal Frontier, 1204–1760 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gKhChF3yAOUC&pg=PA202 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-20507-9 |page=202 |access-date=13 February 2016 |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404212612/https://books.google.com/books?id=gKhChF3yAOUC&pg=PA202 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Karim |first=Abdul |year=2012 |chapter=Muslin |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Muslin |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]] |access-date=31 October 2015 |archive-date=5 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705005108/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Muslin |url-status=live}}</ref> In the latter half of the 18th century, muslin weaving ceased in Bengal due to cheap fabrics from England and oppression by the colonialists.
[[Mughal Bengal]] was a major silk exporter. The Bengali silk industry declined after the growth of Japanese silk production. [[Rajshahi silk]] continues to be produced in northern Bangladesh.
[[Mughal Bengal]]'s most celebrated artistic tradition was the weaving of [[Jamdani]] [[Motif (textile arts)|motifs]] on fine muslin, which is now classified by UNESCO as an [[intangible cultural heritage]]. Jamdani motifs were similar to Iranian textile art (buta motifs) and Western textile art ([[Paisley (design)|paisley]]). The Jamdani weavers in Dhaka received imperial patronage.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metmuseum.org/blogs/ruminations/2015/bangladeshi-islamic-art |title=In Search of Bangladeshi Islamic Art |website=The Metropolitan Museum of Art, i.e. The Met Museum |date=12 November 2015 |access-date=19 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812083629/http://www.metmuseum.org/blogs/ruminations/2015/bangladeshi-islamic-art |archive-date=12 August 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Modern Bangladesh is one of the world's [[Bangladesh textile industry|largest textile producers]], with a large cotton based [[Bangladeshi RMG Sector|ready made garments industry]].

====Sculpture====
{{Further Information|Sculpture in Bangladesh}}
[[File:Anti-Terrorism Raju Memorial Sculpture 3.A.M.R.jpg|thumb|Anti Terrorism Raju Memorial sculpture,TSC, Dhaka]]

[[Ivory]] sculptural art flourished across the region under the [[Nawabs of Bengal]]. [[Novera Ahmed]] is notable modernist sculptors from Bangladesh.

===Performing arts===
====Theatre====
{{Further information|Theatre in Bangladesh}}
[[File:Jatra_theatre.jpg|thumb|[[Jatra]] performance]]

The earliest extant literary evidence of the existence of the form in Bengal is a couplet in [[Yusuf-Zulekha]] written by the medieval Bengali poet, [[Shah Muhammad Sagir]]. By the 18th century, scroll-painting performances gained popularity even among the Muslims, as evinced by Gazir Pat (scroll-painting performances eulogising Pir Gazi), which can still be seen in Bangladesh today.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ahmed |first=Syed Jamil |title=Achinpakhi Infinity: Indigenous Theatre of Bangladesh |year=2000 |publisher=University Press Ltd |isbn=984-05-1462-8 |page=241}}</ref>

====Music====
{{Further information|Music of Bangladesh}}
[[File:Baul_performance_at_Baul_Fakiri_Mela.jpg|thumb|[[Baul]] is philosophy and music]]
A notable feature of Bengali Muslim music is the syncretic [[Baul]] tradition, influenced by Sufism. The most prominent practitioner was [[Lalon Shah]]. Baul music of Bangladesh is included in the [[UNESCO Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity]]. [[Alauddin Khan]], [[Ali Akbar Khan]], and [[Gul Mohammad Khan]] were notable Muslim exponents of [[Hindustani classical music]] from [[East Bengal]]. Artists like [[Runa Laila]] and [[Shahnaz Rahmatullah]] from [[East Pakistan]], became widely acclaimed for their musical talents across South Asia in the field of modern music. [[Nazrul Sangeet]] is the collection of 4,000 songs and [[ghazals]] written by the national poet, [[Kazi Nazrul Islam|Nazrul Islam]].

==Islamic culture in Bangladesh==
{{See also|Culture of Bangladesh|Culture of Bengal|Culture of Dhaka|Indo-Persian culture|Culture of South Asia||Islamic culture|Bengali Muslims}}
[[File:Biswa Ijtema Dhaka Bangladesh.jpg|thumb|[[Bishwa Ijtema]] held in Dhaka by Tablighi Jamat]]
[[File:Eid Prayers at Barashalghar, Debidwar, Comilla.jpg|thumb|Muslim males can be seen attending [[Khutbah]] as part of the [[Eid-ul-Adha]] [[Salat|prayers]]. Photo taken at Barashalghar union of [[Comilla District|Comilla's]] [[Debidwar Upazila|Debidwar upazila]].]]
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.<ref name=":5" /> 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.<ref name=":5" /> However, most observers believed that the declaration of Islam as the state religion might have a significant impact on national life.<ref name=":5" /> 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.<ref name=":5" /> Unrest of this nature was reported on some college campuses soon after the amendment was promulgated.<ref name=":5" />

== Law and politics ==
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===Legal issues===
In Bangladesh, where a modified Anglo-Indian civil and criminal legal system operates, there are no official sharia courts.<ref name=":5" /> 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 [[waqf|the administration of religious endowments]].<ref name=":5" />

The inheritance rights of Muslim in Bangladesh are governed by The Muslim Personal Law ([[Sharia]]t) Application Act (1937)<ref name="bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd">{{cite web |url=http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/print_sections_all.php?id=173 |title=The Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937 |website=Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs}}</ref> and The Muslim Family Laws Ordinance (1961).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/print_sections_all.php?id=305 |title=Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961 |website=Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs}}</ref> Article 2 of The Muslim Personal Law Application Act provides that questions related to succession and inheritance are governed by Muslim Personal Law (Shariat).<ref name="bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.impowr.org/content/current-legal-framework-inheritance-bangladesh |title=Current Legal Framework: Inheritance in Bangladesh |website=International Models Project on Women's Rights |access-date=2015-03-05 |archive-date=2022-03-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220330042145/https://impowr.org/content/current-legal-framework-inheritance-bangladesh |url-status=dead}}</ref>
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 [[Divorce in Islam|talaq]], ila, [[zihar]], lian, [[Khul'|khula]] and mubaraat, maintenance, dower, guardianship, gifts, trusts and trust properties, and [[waqf]]s (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)."<ref name="bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd"/>

===Political issues===
{{See also|Islamization in Bangladesh}}
Post-1971 regimes sought to increase the role of the government in the religious life of the people.<ref name=":5" /> The Ministry of Religious Affairs provided support, financial assistance, and endowments to religious institutions, including mosques and community prayer grounds ([[Eidgah|Idgahs]]).<ref name=":5" /> The organization of [[Hajj]] 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.<ref name=":5" /> 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.<ref name=":5" /> The foundation also maintains the [[Baitul Mukarram National Mosque|Baitul Mukarram]] (National Mosque), and organized the training of imams.<ref name=":5" /> Some 18,000 imams were scheduled for training once the government completed establishment of a national network of Islamic cultural centers and mosque libraries.<ref name=":5" /> Under the patronage of the Islamic Foundation, an encyclopedia of Islam in the Bengali language was being compiled in the late 1980s.<ref name=":5" />

Another step toward further government involvement in religious life was taken in 1984 when the semi-official [[Zakat]] Fund Committee was established under the chairmanship of the president of Bangladesh.<ref name=":5" /> The committee solicited annual zakat contributions on a voluntary basis.<ref name=":5" /> The revenue so generated was to be spent on orphanages, schools, children's hospitals, and other charitable institutions and projects.<ref name=":5" /> Commercial banks and other financial institutions were encouraged to contribute to the fund.<ref name=":5" /> Through these measures the government sought closer ties with religious establishments within the country and with Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.<ref name=":5" />

==Leaders and organizations==

The members of the Ulama include [[Mawlānā]], [[Imam]]s, [[Ulama]] and [[Mufti]]s.<ref name=":5" /> The first two titles are accorded to those who have received special training in Islamic theology and law.<ref name=":5" /> 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.<ref name=":5" />

===Educational institutions===
The madrassas are also divided in two mainstreams; [[Bangladesh Madrasah Education Board|Alia Madrasah]] and [[Qawmi madrasa|Qawmi Madrasah]].

== Status of religious freedom ==
{{Further|Freedom of religion in Bangladesh|Secularism in Bangladesh}}
{{See also|Persecution of Ahmadiyya}}
[[File:Saying Juma Namaz (Friday prayer for Muslims), Dhaka, Bangladesh NK.JPG|thumb|Friday prayer for Muslims in Dhaka]]
The Constitution establishes Islam as the state religion but upholds the right to practice—subject to law, public order, and morality—the religion of one's choice.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/sections_detail.php?id=367&sections_id=24549 |title=Article 2A The State Religion |website=Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs}}</ref> 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 [[Jatiya Party (Ershad)|Bangladesh Jatiyo Party]] banned [[Ahmadiyya|Ahmadiya]] literature by an executive order. The current interim government led by [[Muhammad Yunus]] also propagates secularism.<ref>{{cite news |title=Yunus's secular image to bring normalcy in Bangladesh: Sharad Pawar |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news/asia/india/news/yunuss-secular-image-bring-normalcy-bangladesh-sharad-pawar-3675996 |access-date=13 August 2024 |work=The Daily Star}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title='Yunus is secular, won't allow rift...': Opposition on Hindus being targeted in Bangladesh |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/yunus-is-secular-won-t-allow-rift-opposition-on-hindus-being-targeted-in-bangladesh-101723473983776.html |access-date=12 August 2024 |work=Hindustan Times}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Bangladesh|Islam}}
* [[Lost Mosque]]
* [[Islam in West Bengal]]
* [[Islam in Pakistan]]
* [[Islam in Myanmar]]
* [[Islam in India]]
* [[Islam in South Asia]]
* [[Islam by country]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{cite book |last=Eaton |first=Richard M. |year=1993 |title=The Rise of Islam and the Bengal Frontier, 1204-1760 |url=https://archive.org/details/riseofislambenga00eato |location=Berkeley |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=0-520-20507-3 |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book |last=Karim |first=Abdul |year=2012 |chapter=Islam, Bengal |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Islam,_Bengal |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}
* [http://www.gtz.de/de/dokumente/en-Development_Cooperation-and-Islam-in-Bangladesch.pdf Development Cooperation and Islamic values in Bangladesh]
* US State Department [https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2004/35514.htm Bangladesh]

{{Religion in Bangladesh topics}}

{{Asia in topic|Islam in}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Islam In Bangladesh}}
[[Category:Islam in Bangladesh| ]]
[[Category:Islam by country|Bangladesh]]