Bangladesh was known once as a nation for its Bengali identity and Bengali nationalism, which dreamt of a secular republic. Brave Bangladeshis made sacrifices to defend the Bengali language against the forced imposition of Urdu by Pakistan. As a result, with the intervention of the Indian government, it liberated itself from the atrocities of Pakistan (West) to protect its Bengali language, culture and ethnicity in 1971. 

In the early period of its freedom as an independent nation, Bangladesh subscribed to Bengali nationalism to build a secular and inclusive republic. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh, decided that secularism would be one of the fundamental pillars of the nation-state. This decision was made in light of the Pakistani experience and the horrors of the genocide. Thus, secularism became enshrined in the constitution in 1972, and Islam-based theocratic parties were banned due to their pro-Pakistan leanings. 

Paradoxical nature of secularism

This secular character of Bangladesh lasted just for a few years, because after the assassination of Sheikh Mujib in 1975 and the subsequent military coup, secularism took a major hit in Bangladesh. The military dictatorship of Ziaur Rahman in 1977 removed secularism from the Constitution and replaced it with ‘Absolute Trust and Faith in the Almighty Allah,’ along with revoking the ban on religious parties. However, in 2009, the Awami League under Sheikh Hasina came to power, with one of its electoral campaign promises being the restoration of the secularism provision in the Constitution. Two years later in 2011, secularism was back in the Constitution, but Islam continued to remain the state religion of Bangladesh. 

At present the constitutional position of Bangladesh is secular with Islam as the state religion. Article 2A of the Constitution of Bangladesh says that Islam is the state religion of the country, while Article 12 of the same Constitution declares that Bangladesh is a secular nation, ensuring equal status and equal rights in the practice of other religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity and the Constitution counts secularism as among the Fundamental Principles of State Policy. Because of this paradoxical nature of secularism in Bangladesh, many believe that it has been impacting the rights of religious minorities.

Descent into Islamic nationalism

Today Bangladesh, a nation founded on secular principles and Bengali Identity, faces challenges. The recent political trends and developments in the country suggest that the state is secular in theory, but in practice Islamist fundamental and extremist forces like Jamaat-e-Islam and Hefazat-e-Islam are working to establish an Islamic state. On August 5, after the fall of the not-so-democratic Hasina regime followed by strong student protests, many ugly events turned out in Bangladesh such as the vandalization and beheading of many statues including of Sheik Mujib, persecution of religious minorities, and political killings. On social media platforms like Facebook and X (Twitter), many celebrated the destruction, arguing that significant progress had been made towards cleansing Bangladesh of statues as idolatory was un-Islamic.

Statues and sculptures have faced the ire of Muslim fundamentalists for a long time. The extreme religious organisations in Bangladesh do not approve of the country’s close relationship with India. As a result, post-Hasina Bangladesh witnessed assertive anti-India sentiments like boycotting Indian products and burning of the Indian flag by extremist forces.  All these events highlight how the extremist forces are gaining ground in Bangladesh amid the political unrest and raise questions of the authenticity of the student-led  protests and the newly formed interim government. 

The radical Islamist groups seem to have gained much more popularity and visible space in the recent months and the government of the day appears to be too weak or unwilling to marginalise these fundamentalist forces. As a result, minorities, especially Hindus, are under attack in Bangladesh. However, Bangladeshi elites, instead of acknowledging and addressing the genuine concern for the safety and security of minorities, are denying these charges as simply Indian disinformation and Indian media propaganda  to discredit the current regime. The media indeed sometimes has an agenda of exaggeration while reporting. However, the response in large sections of Bangladesh’s elites to the issue of safety and security of the minority community is disheartening. It only encourages the Islamist’s agenda of establishing Bangladesh as an Islamic Republic subsuming its Bengali identity. 

Writer-activist Taslima Nasrin expressing concern that Bangladesh might go the Afghanistan way, has said that Islamic radicals are brainwashing and indoctrinating youths to make them "anti-India, anti-Hindu, and pro-Pakistan". These developments, if realized, could be interpreted as deviations from the ideals advocated by the heroes of the Liberation War and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's vision for Bangladesh.

Safeguarding Bengali nationalism

Bangladesh is one of the larger and populous countries in South Asia, with its geostrategic location in the Bay of Bengal and an impressive economic growth from its booming textile industry.  So restoring political stability and defeating the rise of Islamist forces is of utmost importance not only for Bangladesh but the whole region. It is imperative for the interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to tackle concerns regarding the menacing growth of Islamist radicalism and shape the nation as defined by its national anthem Amar Sonar Bangla that signifies Bengali cultural identity and unity. By safeguarding the integrity of the Bengali language, upholding secular principles, and respecting the essence of the Liberation War, the interim government can honour Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's legacy and the sacrifices of countless martyrs who fought for the creation of a secular Bangladesh.

(The writer is PhD Research Scholar, University of North Bengal,India. Views are personal. He can be contacted at E-mail: senapurba404@gmai.com ; Twitter (X): @Indapurba95)