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Religion in Bangladesh (2022 Census)[1]
The United Nations categorizes Bangladesh as a moderate democratic Muslim country.[2][3] Sunni Islam is the largest religion in the country and in all of its districts, except Rangamati.[4][5] The Constitution of Bangladesh refers to Islam twice: the document begins with the Islamic phrase Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem (Arabic: بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ, lit. 'In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful') and article (2A), added later, declares that: "Islam is the state religion of the republic".[6]
Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stated that Bangladesh would be governed in line with the spirit of the Islamic Constitution of Medina.[7][8] However, secularism is also one of the four fundamental principles of the Constitution of Bangladesh,[9] and the country is mostly governed by secular laws dating from the British colonization.[10]
The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and declares that "the State shall ensure equal status and equal right in the practice of the Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and other faiths and religions".[11] Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity are the other major religions in the country. A few people also follow other religions such as Sikhism, Bahai Faith, Sarnaism, Jainism, Judaism and Animism. Bangladesh is one of the few Muslim-majority countries where proselytizing is legal, under article 41 of the Constitution, subject to law, public order and morality.[12]
- ^ "Census 2022: Bangladesh population now 165 million". 27 July 2022.
- ^ "A moderate Muslim country!". The Daily Star. 6 April 2010.
- ^ "Is Bangladesh a country of secular Bengalis or Muslim Bangladeshis?". 9 May 2013.
- ^ "Religious Identity Among Muslims". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ "Sunni and Shia Muslims". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. 27 January 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ "The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh | 2A. The state religion". bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd.
- ^ "Country to be run as per Madinah Charter: PM". The Daily Star. UNB. 22 March 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
- ^ "Bangladesh's Ambiguity on Religion Has Been Expensive for the Country". The Diplomat.
- ^ "Secularism in Bangladesh: The troubled biography of a constitutional pillar". The Daily Star. 16 December 2020.
- ^ "People & Culture in Bangladesh". Lonely Planet.
- ^ "The state religion". bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ "The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh | 41. Freedom of religion".