• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Islam to Remain Official State Religion of Bangladesh

by Joshua Fatzick March 28, 2016

The top court in Bangladesh rejected a 28-year-old petition to remove Islam as the country's state religion Monday after just a few brief moments of consideration.

A special three-judge panel made the decision, which was widely expected, without hearing any testimony.

According to the court, the group of 15 people that filed the petition in 1988 was not registered with authorities and therefore had no legitimacy to file the petition.

Government lawyers praised the decision, saying that Islam will remain Bangladesh's state religion, but those who practice other religions will continue to have equal rights under the country's constitution.

Hefezat-e-Islam, a local hardline Islamist group that has hosted violent protests in the past, said it was happy with the court's decision and called it a victory for the country.

"We thank the court on behalf of the nation for rejecting the petition. Muslims and non-Muslims in our society have been maintaining good relationships for long," Fazlul Karim Kashemy, the group's leader, said.

'Sad day' for minorities

Secular activists in the country, though, expressed disappointment with the decision, particularly because they were not allowed to speak in front of the court.

"We are saddened (by the ruling)," activist Subrata Chowdhury said. "It's a sad day for the minorities of Bangladesh."

Bangladesh officially declared itself a secular country in 1977 after a war for independence from Pakistan. That changed in 1988 after General Hussain Muhammad Ershad, the country's then-military ruler, made Islam the state religion as he tried to consolidate his power.

In 2011, the current secular government amended the country's constitution to emphasize "secularism" and the "equal status" of all religions, but kept the language regarding Islam as the state religion. The move put Bangladesh in a strange position where it is technically secular, but Islam is still considered the state religion.

Bangladesh's population is made up of about 90 percent Muslims; Hindus and Buddhists are the primary minority groups.