Secularism in Bangladesh

This article is part of a series on the
Politics of Bangladesh
Constitution
Government
Parliament
Judiciary
Administrative divisions
Elections
Foreign relations
flag Bangladesh portal

Secularism in Bangladesh is known as "neutrality of religion" (Bengali: ধর্মনিরপেক্ষতা) under Bangladeshi law.[1] In the Constitution of Bangladesh, secularism is mentioned in the preamble as one of the fundamental principles of Bangladeshi law. Article 8 enshrines secularism as one of the fundamental principles of state policy. And yet, after the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975, Bangladesh went to military rule, and in 1979 removed the term secular from their constitution.[2] Article 12 elaborates further on secularism and freedom of religion.[3]

In 1977, secularism was removed from the constitution by a Martial Law directive during the military dictatorship of Ziaur Rahman. In 1988, the Parliament of Bangladesh declared Islam as the state religion during the presidency of Hussain Muhammad Ershad.[4] After the restoration of parliamentary democracy in 1990, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Awami League governments retained Islam as the state religion. In 2010, the Bangladesh Supreme Court ruled that the removal of secularism in 1977 was illegal because it was done by an unconstitutional martial law regime. The court reinstated secularism in the constitution. The principle of secularity now co-exists with the state religion.[5][6]

Secularism is a recurring topic in Bangladeshi politics. For example, in 2019, a demand by the Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh to curtail women's education was dismissed by the Deputy Minister of Education Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury as contrary to the fundamental principles of state policy.[7] The separation of religion and state prevails across large parts of Bangladeshi law. However, family law is based on religious law. A civil marriage is allowed under the Special Marriages Act 1872 only if one renounces faith in either Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism or Christianity.[8]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference institute.global was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference sec8 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference sec12 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Bangladesh profile - Timeline". BBC News. 26 February 2019.
  5. ^ People's Republic of Bangladesh (1972). "Part I-The Republic". 2A.The state religion. Bangladesh: Government of Bangladesh.
  6. ^ People's Republic of Bangladesh (1972). "Part II – Fundamental Principles of State Policy". 8. Secularism and freedom of religion. Bangladesh: Government of Bangladesh.
  7. ^ "Shafi's remarks frightening, contrary to the constitution". Dhaka Tribune. 13 January 2019.
  8. ^ "On marriage, convenience, rights, and politics". The Daily Star. 26 September 2017.