Study On The Islamic Movement In Bangladesh

With its long history in Bangladesh,Islam has taken deep root in the social life and ideology of the country.Upon the independence of Bangladesh in 1970 s,secularism was established as one of the fundamental principles,but the failed policies had already put the whole country into a serious crisis of both politics and economy.With the ban against religious parties lifted,the influence of Islam increased rapidly in Bangladesh.Since then,the curtain of a profound Islamic Movement was withdrawn.The Islamic Movement in Bangladesh went through three stages: The first stage is the initial stage(1976-1990).During this time,the Islamic parties,of which Jamaat-e-islami was the head,stepped on the political stage of Bangladesh,signifying the downfall of Government Hussain Muhammad Ershad.Islam was reinforced and established as the national religion in 1988 by The State Religion Bill.The second is the development stage(1991-2008).Carrying out the democratic electoral system,Islamic parties has shown its significant role in the political system of Bangladesh.Islamic movement spread not only horizontally but also altitudinally,stretching itself from the cities towards the rural areas.The conflict between the Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party over power was the main political theme,in which Jamaat-e-islami has played a key part.A string of Islamic parties and organizations also sprung up among this time.The third stage is full of conflicts and confrontations(2009-2017).The changes in politics complicated the movement and also sharpened the violence tendency of the movement.At the end of 2008,Awami League started to expose and criticize the crimes during the War of Liberation,remove those clauses concerning Islam from the Constitution.Especially after the Shahbag Movement in2013,Jammat-e-islami was dismissed from an official party;many leaders of it were arrested.Among this time,the Islam Movement in Bangladesh was heavily frustrated.Until now,the Islam Movement in Bangladesh has acquired only limited achievement.Though Islam has already been appointed as the national religion androoted itself deeply in every aspects of the country,but it has gone increasingly far away from the original goal,that is,to establish an Islamic Republic.Not only the problems of the national or religious minorities and of the Biharis but also the rise of terrorism and extremism threaten the social stability.Seen from the long run,the trend of Islamic Movement will significantly influence Bangladesh's course of history.