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European Journal of Applied Sciences – Vol. 10, No. 3

Publication Date: June 25, 2022

DOI:10.14738/aivp.103.12574. Muhammad, M., & Islam, A. (2022). Ethno-religious Minorities in Bangladesh: A Historical Analysis. European Journal of Applied

Sciences, 10(3). 679-691.

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

Ethno-religious Minorities in Bangladesh: A Historical Analysis

Muenuddin Muhammad

(PhD Scholar), Department of History & Civilization

International Islamic University Malaysia

Arshad Islam

Department of History & Civilization

International Islamic University Malaysia

ABSTRACT

Bangladesh is historically a multi-ethnic, multi religious, multilingual, and

pluralistic society, including Hindu, Buddhist, Sheik, Animist, and Atheist

communities. After the Liberation War, it endeavoured to sustain religious, social,

as well as political harmony among the people of multi religious beliefs. Using a

qualitative descriptive historical approach, this study investigates the

empowerment of the ethno-religious groups in Bangladesh. The paper is divided

into two parts. The first part presents an overview of the current condition of ethno- religious minorities in Bangladesh, and the second explores why the ethno- religious minorities are facing multiple forms of discrimination in Bangladesh.

Key Words: Minorities, Bangladesh Minorities, Religious minorities, Hindus, and

Hinduism

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Bangladesh is a nation in South Asia bordered by India on the west, north, and east; Myanmar

(Burma) on the extreme southeast; and the Bay of Bengal on the south (Khan, 2017) Bangladesh

has a multi-ethnic, multi religious and multilingual pluralistic society, and its people have a

variety of beliefs. Several languages are spoken in different parts of the country, with great

diversity in tribal areas, and many ethnic minority groups live in the north and north-eastern

part of the country. Many Biharis also reside in different parts of Bangladesh. From the total

national population of about 161 million (2018 of World Population prospects – Population

division), about 98% are Bengalis, but the racial homogeneity of the people is overlain with

great diversity in religious and cultural affiliation (“World Population prospects Population

division", 2019).

The term “minority” is implicitly political in Bangladesh, and the rights mentioned in the

Constitution are confined only to the politico-religious minorities, which is to say only those

religious minorities which kept their identity separate from the Muslim majority. Minority

“problems” arose in Bangladesh because of the separatist feelings of the Hindus, whose religion

became the basis of their separate identity, actively fomented by the regional hegemon, Hindu

India. The event of the Partition of India itself was attributable to ethnocentric separatist

feelings among the people of South Asia. In the context of Bangladesh, the expression “minority”

in the Constitution primarily connotes religious minorities, particularly Hindus, and the smaller

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European Journal of Applied Sciences (EJAS) Vol. 10, Issue 3, June-2022

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

minorities of Buddhists, Christians, and Sikhs, who claim political rights separate from the

Muslims.

It is pivotal to point out that Bangladesh has an extensive debate between aboriginal leaders

and government agencies about the number of indigenous groups and the population size.

According to governmental sources, including the Small Ethnic Minority Cultural Institute Act

of 2010, there are 27 ethnic and religious minority groups in Bangladesh. (M. Ainul, 2002) In

contrast, non-government organizations (NGOs), including rights groups, postulate that more

45 indigenous communities lived in Bangladesh before the Independence in 1971 (Barman,

2004)

The latest population survey in 2011 shows that ethnic minorities represent 1.10% of the

population in Bangladesh (a total of 1,586,141 citizens), but ethnic minorities themselves claim

that the exact number is closer to 2 million (Chakma, 2016) Bangladesh is ethnically speaking

a relatively homogeneous nation, but there are about 2,50,000 Biharis and less than 1 million

tribal people (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 1999). There is also a relatively small population

of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar near the border in the southeast, including 28,000 living

in two UN refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, as well as some 200,000 “unregistered people of

concern” living outside of the camps (Naurath, 2009)

Objective of the study

This study analyses the present condition of ethno-religious minorities of Bangladesh;

illustrates the actual figures of minorities in the country; and explores the various forms of

discrimination often faced by minorities in multiple areas of social life, including housing,

employment, healthcare, education and so on.

METHODOLOGY

This paper is mainly qualitative in nature, examining specific issues on the basis of literature

study. The study primarily uses secondary data. Didarul Islam demonstrated a model to study

minorities in his “Religious freedom for the religious minorities in Bangladesh: A critical

analysis of the insertion of state religion in the constitution,” covering a different timeframe

from the current inquiry (Islam D. , 2020) More importantly, the recent IT revolution of

Bangladesh is causing many things to change, including the lives and status of minorities.

Religious Minorities in Bangladesh

The societies of the Indian Subcontinent are heavily influenced by religious ethnic identities,

which play roles in politics, economics, and other societal issues. According to a Gallup report,

around 90% of Bangladeshis consider religion to be an integral part of their regular lives

(Naurath, 2009). Bangladesh is a Muslim-majority country, and Article 2A of the Constitution

proclaims that Islam is its official religion, noting that “the State shall ensure equal status and

equal right in the practice of the Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and other religions”. The largest

minority, comprising an estimated 8.5% of the national population, are the Hindus, followed by

Buddhists (0.6 per cent) and Christians (0.3 per cent). In addition, small Shia and Ahmadiya

populations are present in Bangladesh. According to the 2011 census, the religious composition

of the population is as shown in Figure 1. The following subsections outline the salient features

of the main minorities in Bangladesh.

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Muhammad, M., & Islam, A. (2022). Ethno-religious Minorities in Bangladesh: A Historical Analysis. European Journal of Applied Sciences, 10(3).

679-691.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/aivp.103.12574

Figure 1: Bangladeshi population religious composition

Source: “Bangladesh’s census: In search of a common denominator”. The Economist, March 17,

2011 (Islam, Islam, & Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.), 2012)

Hinduism

According to historical accounts, the Hindu tradition is one of the oldest living religious

traditions of the world (Vyas, 2001). Identifiably Hindu practices and objects have been traced

to the Indus Valley Civilization, commonly referred to as Harappa culture after its best-known

archaeological site. In Bangladesh, Hinduism is the second-largest religious affiliation, with

around 15 million people identifying themselves as Hindus, comprising about 8.5% of the total

population (Statistics, 2011) In terms of population, Bangladesh has the third-largest Hindu

community of the world, after India and Nepal (Hindu, 2016. ).

The Hindus of Bangladesh are mostly ethnically and linguistically Bengali, except for some

aboriginal tribes who practice Hindu rituals, for instance the Garo, Khasi, Jaintia, Santhal,

Bishnupriya Manipuri, Tripuri, Munda, Oraon, Dhanuk etc. Hindus reside throughout the

nation, with significant concentrations in northern, south-western and north-eastern parts of

the country. In nature, Bangladeshi Hinduism closely look like the formal procedure and

customs of Hinduism practised in the neighbouring Indian state of West Bengal, with which

Bangladesh (at one time known as East Bengal) was united until the Partition of India in 1947.

The Hindu festivals of Durga Puja, Rath Yatra and Janm ashtami witness jubilant celebrations

across various cities, towns and villages of Bangladesh (Mohsin, 1984). The Hindu population

over time is summarized in Table 1.

Muslim

82%

Hinduism

8%

Buddhism

1%

Christianity

0%

Ahmadiyya

1%

Shia

1%

Sikhism

0%

Bahá'í

0%

Atheism

6%

Others

1%