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Bangladesh (Islam and Muslims)

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Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Indian Religions ((EIR))

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Definition

Bangladesh is the third largest Muslim majority state, independent since 1971 following a war of liberation from Pakistan, of which it was a province (1947–1971); historically the eastern part of the wider Bengal cultural and linguistic zone was mainly governed by Muslim rulers after 1204 until British colonialism began in 1757.

Islamic Conquest and Rule

Muslim rule in greater Bengal dates from 1204, when the Delhi Sultanate invaded the region. Governors became increasingly autonomous until quasi-independent Sultanates emerged. Muslim rule was preceded by a Hindu dynasty, the Sena (1070–1250), and by the Buddhist Palas (750–1174). In the late sixteenth/early seventeenth centuries, after a brief period of Afghan rule (1537–1612), the Mughals subdued the area. Their Governors chose Dhaka, Bangladesh’s current capital, as their seat (1610–1715). It took longer for Muslim authority to penetrate east across the heavily forested Ganges Delta. Hindu chieftains ruled small areas...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Philosophy, State University of New York at New Paltz, New Paltz, NY, USA

    Clinton Bennett

Authors
  1. Clinton Bennett
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Correspondence to Clinton Bennett .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Pomona College Religious Studies, Claremont, CA, USA

    Zayn R. Kassam

  2. Rollins College Jewish Studies Program, Winter Park, FL, USA

    Yudit Kornberg Greenberg

  3. World Zoroastrian Organization, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Jehan Bagli

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Bennett, C. (2018). Bangladesh (Islam and Muslims). In: Kassam, Z.R., Greenberg, Y.K., Bagli, J. (eds) Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism. Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1267-3_1904

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