Freedom of religion in Bangladesh

In the Constitution of Bangladesh, Islam is referred to twice in the introduction and Part I of the constitution. The document begins with the Islamic phrase (بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ) which in English is translated as “In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful” and article (2A) declares that :"Islam is the state religion of the republic".^[2] Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has stated that Bangladesh will be governed in line with the spirit of the Constitution of Medina.^[3][4] But at the same time, Constitution of Bangladesh pays lip service to secularism as it is one of the four fundamental principles of the original Constitution of Bangladesh.^[5] Despite having Islam as the state religion by 2A.^[2] Bangladesh is mostly governed by secular laws, set up during the times when the region was ruled by the British Crown.^[6] The constitution also states that "the State shall ensure equal status and equal right in the practice of the Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and other religions".^[7] "Freedom of religion" is its basic structure guaranteed by the Bangladeshi constitution in which it calls for equal rights to all its citizens irrespective of their religious differences and it also bans discrimination on the grounds of religion on various platforms. Bangladesh is one of the few secular Muslim-majority nations and "proselytizing" i.e. conversions from one religion to another are generally accepted and is legalized by law under article 41 of the constitution, subject to law, public order, and morality.^[8] The major religion in Bangladesh is Islam (90.9%), but a significant percentage of the population adheres to Hinduism (8%) as per the 2011 census; other religious groups include Buddhists 0.6%, (mostly Theravada), Christians (0.3%, mostly Roman Catholics), and Animists (0.2%).^{[note 1]} Bangladesh was founded as a secular state, but Islam was made the state religion in the 1980s. But in 2010, the High Court held up the secular principles of the 1972 constitution.^[11] The High Court also strengthened its stance against punishments by Islamic edict (fatwa), following complaints of brutal sentences carried out against women by extra-legal village courts.^[12]

Bangladesh Religious diversity as per (2021 official projections)^[1]

Religion	Population	Percentage
Muslims ()	151,169,879	90.9%
Hindus ()	13,304,279	8%
Buddhists ()	997,820	0.6%
Christians ()	665,213	0.4%
Other's	166,303	0.1%
Total	166,303,498	100%

Bangladesh has a population of 166,303,498 as per 2021, January official projections.^[13]

Status of religious freedom[]

Legal and policy framework[]

The Constitution establishes Islam as the state religion but also states that other religions can be practised in harmony.^[14] Islamic law plays a role in civil matters pertaining to the Muslim community; however, there is no formal implementation of Islamic law, and it is not imposed on non-Muslims. Family law has separate provisions for Muslims, Hindus, and Christians. Family laws concerning marriage, divorce, and adoption differ depending on the religious beliefs of the people involved. For example, under the Muslim family ordinance females inherit less and have fewer divorce rights than men.^[15] The jail code makes allowances for the observance of religious festivals by prisoners, including access to extra food for feast days or permission for religious fasting.^[15] In 2010, the High Court held up the secular principles of the 1972 constitution.^[11][16] The High Court also strengthened its stance against punishments by Islamic edict (fatwa), following complaints of brutal sentences carried out against women by extra-legal village courts.^[12]

In 2011, the government passed the Religious Welfare Trust (Amendment) Act, which provides funding for the newly formed Christian Religious Welfare Trust as per the Christian Religious Welfare Trust Ordinance of 1983.^[17] In 2011 the government also passed the Vested Property Return Act, which enables the potential return for property seized from the country's Hindu population.^[18] In 2012, the government passed the Hindu Marriage Registration Act, which provides the option for Hindus to register their marriages with the government. The aim of this bill was to protect the rights of Hindu women, whose rights are not protected under religious marriage.^[19] In 2013, Supreme Court deregistered the Jamaat-e-Islami, the largest Islamist political party, for violating the constitution, thereby banning it from participating in elections. However, the ban was not enforced in practice.^[20]

Education[]

Religious studies are compulsory and part of the curriculum in all government schools. Students attend classes in which their own religious beliefs are taught. Schools with few students from minority religious groups are generally allowed to make arrangements with local churches or temples to hold religious studies classes outside of school hours.^[21]

The government operates training academies for imams, and monitors the content of religious education in Islamic religious schools, or madrassahs, and announced its intention to make changes to the curriculum, including modernising and mainstreaming the content of religious education.^[21]

There are tens of thousands of madrassahs, some of which are funded by the Government. However, there were two types of madrassahs in the country: Qaumi and Alia. Qaumi madrassahs operated outside of the government's purview. Therefore, Alia madrassahs received support and curriculum oversight from the government whereas Qaumi madrassahs did not.^[21]

Persecution[]

Persecution of Hindus[]

List of massacres targeted at Hindus and Buddhists minorities, mainly by radical Islamists and Razakar:

• 1946 Noakhali riots
• 1962 Rajshahi massacres
• 1964 East-Pakistan riots
• 1971 Bangladesh genocide
  • Operation Searchlight
  • Chuknagar massacre
  • Jathibhanga massacre
  • Shankharipara massacre
  • Razakar
• 1989 Bangladesh pogroms
• 1990 Bangladesh anti-Hindu violence
• 1992 Bangladesh violence
• 2012 Chirirbandar violence
• 2012 Fatehpur violence
• 2012 Hathazari violence
• 2013 Bangladesh Anti-Hindu violence
• 2014 Bangladesh anti-Hindu violence
• 2016 Nasirnagar Violence
• 2021 Bangladesh Communal Violence

In 2016 violence over blasphemy accusations lead to the destruction of 15 temples and 100 homes though authorities suggest only 8 temples and 22 houses were damaged.^[22] According to the BJHM report in 2017 alone, at least 107 people of the Hindu community were killed and 31 fell victims to enforced disappearance 782 Hindus were either forced to leave the country or threatened to leave. Besides, 23 were forced to get converted into other religions. At least 25 Hindu women and children were raped, while 235 temples and statues were vandalized during the year. The total number of atrocities happened with the Hindu community in 2017 is 6474.^[23] During the 2019 Bangladesh elections, eight houses belonging to Hindu families on fire in Thakurgaon alone.^[24]

Persecution of Christians[]

Bangladesh is number 41 on the World Watch List for religious persecution of Christians, between and Algeria.^[25]

In 2016, four people were murdered for their Christian faith.^[26] The growing Christian population is met by growing persecution.^[27]

Persecution of Ahmadis[]

Ahmadis have been targeted by various protests and acts of violence, and fundamentalist Islamic groups have demanded that Ahmadis be officially declared kafirs (infidels).^[28][29][30]

Persecution of atheists[]

Several Bangladeshi atheists have been assassinated, and a "hit list" exists issued by the Bangladeshi Islamic organisation, the Ansarullah Bangla Team. Activist atheist bloggers are leaving Bangladesh under threat of assassination.^[31][32]

See also[]

• 1971 Bangladesh genocide
• Human rights and persecution of non-Muslims in Bangladesh

Notes[]

References[]

• United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. Bangladesh: International Religious Freedom Report 2007. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

Further reading[]

• Benkin, Richard L. (2019). A quiet case of ethnic cleansing: The murder of Bangladesh's Hindus (2nd ed.). New Delhi: Akshaya Prakashan. ISBN 978-81-88643-52-3.
• Dastidar, S. G. (2008). Empire's last casualty: Indian subcontinent's vanishing Hindu and other minorities. Kolkata: Firma KLM.
• Kamra, A. J. (2000). The prolonged partition and its pogroms: Testimonies on violence against Hindus in East Bengal 1946–64.
• Taslima Nasrin (2014). Lajja. Gurgaon, Haryana, India: Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd, 2014.
• Rosser, Yvette Claire. (2004) Indoctrinating Minds: Politics of Education in Bangladesh, New Delhi: Rupa & Co. ISBN 8129104318.
• Mukherji, S. (2000). Subjects, citizens, and refugees: Tragedy in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, 1947–1998. New Delhi: Indian Centre for the Study of Forced Migration.
• Sarkar, Bidyut (1993). Bangladesh 1992: This is our home: Sample Document of the Plight of our Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and Tribal Minorities in our Islamized Homeland: Pogroms 1987–1992. Bangladesh Minority Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, (and Tribal) Unity Council of North America.