Bahá'í Faith in Bangladesh
Encyclopedia
The Bahá'í Faith in Bangladesh begins previous to its independence when it was part of India
. The roots of the Bahá'í Faith in the region go back to the first days of the Bábí
religion in 1844. During Bahá'u'lláh
's lifetime, as founder of the religion, he encouraged some of his followers to move to India. And it may have been Jamál Effendi who was first sent and stopped in Dhaka
more than once. The first Bahá'ís in the area that would later become Bangladesh was when a Bengali group from Chittagong accepted the religion while in Burma. By 1950 there were enough members of the religion to elect Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assemblies in Chittagong
and Dacca. The community has contributed to the progress of the nation of Bangladesh individually and collectively and in 2005 the World Christian Encyclopedia
estimated the Bahá'í population of Bangladesh at almost 10,000.
religion in 1844. Four Babis are known from India in this earliest period - it is not known from what sub-region they came from but at least some of them were known as Sufis and some termed Sayyid
. The first was Shaykh Sa'id Hindi - one of the Letters of the Living
who was from somwehre in what was then India. Additionally four other Indians are listed among the 318 Bábís who fought at the Battle of Fort Tabarsi.
's lifetime, as founder of the religion, he encouraged some of his followers to move to India. In 1878, a Bahá'í moved through Chittagong and Dhaka, passing through on his way to Burma from Calcutta. This may have been Jamál Effendi, an early Bahá'í who traveled there. Regardless it is clear that Effendi undertook a second trip to south-east Asia in about 1884-5. Effendi was asked to return to the region by Bahá'u'lláh
and this time accompanied by Sayyid Mustafá. They set off for India and eventually stopped in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh
where they met some people including a professor of Arabic at Dhaka College
. Much later - in the 1891 - Jamál Effendi was confused with a terrorist and reported on by British agents among the Indian population and those records have been found (though Indian government national archives.) Following the passing of Bahá'u'lláh, as the leadership of the religion fell to `Abdu'l-Bahá
, he in turn sent further representatives in his stead - both Persian and American.
As early as 1910 the national community in India/Burma is being urged to visibly distinguish itself from Islam by Bahá'í institutions of America. National coordinated activities began and reached a peak with the December 1920, first All-India Bahá'í Convention, held in Bombay for three days. Representatives from India's major religious communities were present as well as Bahá'í delegates from throughout the country.
's Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era was translated and published in Bengali
(Baha'u'llah o nab zug) in Chittagong under the authority of the National Spiritual Assembly of India and Burma.
In 1941, Enoch Olinga
, later a prominent Bahá'í, was stationed in what was then East Pakistan
as a member of the British military before he left the military and became a member of the religion. By 1950 there were enough members of the religion to begin setting up administrative bodies. These were Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assemblies and they were elected in Chittagong
and Dacca. With independence as part of Pakistan in 1958, East and West Pakistan elected a separate national assembly from India. In 1959 Muhammad Mustafa traveled to Liberia
and was commissioned to address some Muslim concerns about the Bahá'í Faith. This was ultimately published as Baha'u'llah: The Great Announcement of the Qur'an through the Bangladesh Bahá'í Publishing Trust. In 1960 there was a Teaching Conference of East Pakistan, at Dhaka. By 1963 there was an additional local assembly in Mymensingh
and smaller groups between 1 and 9 adults in Jamalpur
and Mirpur
. Following the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, the national assembly of Bangladesh was also separately elected in 1971. 10 years later the national convention had 61 delegates. In 1974 Rúhíyyih Khanum
visited the country, even to meeting with President Mohammad Ullah
. In 1984 The Baha'i Fund: A Time for Sacrifice was published by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Bangladesh.
commented -
in Iran. Regardless, Bahá'ís in Bangladesh have been able to coordinate and act in groups. About 150 gathered for a summer school in 1977 and about 300 attended the winter school held February 1978. Zena Sorabjee of the Bahá'í International Community
, shared a platform with Pope John Paul II
in 1999 and the meeting was aired through satellite television. It is reported that Bahá'ís in a number of countries, including Bangladesh, viewed the broadcast. In 2008 about 30 out of 200 Bahá'ís managed to get passports and visas and travel from Bangladesh to a regional conference called for by the Universal House of Justice in Kolkata, India, although many more of their fellow believers weren't able to make the trip. The Bahá'ís went in groups to request their travel documents, with many of them waiting up to three days even to reach the door. In the end, most were turned away without the visa.
Since its inception the religion has had involvement in socio-economic development beginning by giving greater freedom to women, promulgating the promotion of female education as a priority concern, and that involvement was given practical expression by creating schools, agricultural coops, and clinics. The religion entered a new phase of activity when a message of the Universal House of Justice
dated 20 October 1983 was released. Bahá'ís were urged to seek out ways, compatible with the Bahá'í teachings
, in which they could become involved in the social and economic development of the communities in which they lived. Worldwide in 1979 there were 129 officially recognized Bahá'í socio-economic development projects. For the International Year of the Child
Bangladesh Bahá'ís established tutorial schools in three villages. By 1987, the number of officially recognized development projects had increased to 1482. The Bahá'ís in Bangladesh work to promote their interests and contributions to Bangladesh. Even early on there were village level schools run by the local assembly in the Jessore area. In 1981 the second Bangladesh National Baha'i Women's Conference took place attracting Bahá'í women from Bangladesh, India, Iran, Malaysia and Italy. In 1995 three national newspapers published articles on a public meeting sponsored by the local spiritual assembly of Khulna
to mark the founding of the United Nations
. Tents on the grounds of the Bahá'í Center there were filled with 50 Bahá'ís and 200 guests who listened to speeches and then enjoyed the performance of songs written by Bahá'í youth on the theme of unity and amity among the nations and races of the earth. Some of the students of the New Era Development Institute, an educational NGO in India run by the Bahá'ís, have come from the Bangladesh Bahá'í community in 1997. In 1988 Bahá'í doctors setup free treatment camps. In addition to work in groups, some individuals have become well known for their contributions to Bangladesh society. Bahá'í Samarendra Nath Goswami, is well known in Bangladesh as Secretary General of the Bangladesh Minority Lawyers Association and senior advocate of Bangladesh Supreme Court and contributed to founding a law journal and two law schools. In 1994, he edited The Principles of Bahá'í Personal Law which was published by the Bangladesh Law Times. In the early 1990s, Baha'i law was included in the law curriculum of Dhaka University. Payam Akhavan
, Bahá'í and a renowned human rights lawyer represented Sheikh Hasina
(a once and again Prime Minister of Bangladesh).
The Bahá'ís of Bangladesh have participated in various efforts affecting society in Bangladesh. Representatives of the Bahá'ís of Bangladesh were among those present for a 19 December 2003 conference entitled "Education: The Right of Every Girl and Boy," which was organized by the Bahá'í International Community
with the support of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the government of Bangladesh among other institutions. Representatives of the Bahá'í International Community were among the speakers at the "Conference on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace," which was held on 22 June 2005 with the government of Bangladesh among the co-sponsors. In September 2002, a slide show on preventing the spread of Dengue fever was presented at the National Bahá'í Center in Shantinagar
. December 2007, the Centre for Advance Research in Humanities of Dhaka University organized a seminar on "The Baha'i Faith and World Peace" at the lecture theater of the university presided over by Prof Kazi Nazrul Islam,(not the famous Bengali individual of the same name
who died in 1977) Director of the center. Mazhgan Bahar, Professor of English Department of American International University-Bangladesh
, presented the keynote paper at the seminar, while Prof Dr Rawshan Ara of Philosophy Department, Prof Shahid Hussain, Secretary General of International Association for Religious Freedom
and Prof Jahangir Alam of the world religion Department, among others, were present.
estimated the Bahá'í population of Bangladesh at almost 10,000. There are reports of many conversions from November 1988 to September 1989 including many Munda
and Arakan people.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The roots of the Bahá'í Faith in the region go back to the first days of the Bábí
Babi
Babi may refer to:* Babı, a municipality in Azerbaijan* Babi Dynasty, founded in 1735 by Muhammed Sher Khan Babi , Nawabs of this dynasty went on to rule over Junagadh in Gujarat, from the 18th to the 20th century....
religion in 1844. During Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh , born ' , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He claimed to be the prophetic fulfilment of Bábism, a 19th-century outgrowth of Shí‘ism, but in a broader sense claimed to be a messenger from God referring to the fulfilment of the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, and...
's lifetime, as founder of the religion, he encouraged some of his followers to move to India. And it may have been Jamál Effendi who was first sent and stopped in Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
more than once. The first Bahá'ís in the area that would later become Bangladesh was when a Bengali group from Chittagong accepted the religion while in Burma. By 1950 there were enough members of the religion to elect Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assemblies in Chittagong
Chittagong
Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
and Dacca. The community has contributed to the progress of the nation of Bangladesh individually and collectively and in 2005 the World Christian Encyclopedia
World Christian Encyclopedia
World Christian Encyclopedia is a reference work published by Oxford University Press, known for providing membership statistics for major and minor world religions in every country of the world, including historical data and projections of future populations.The first edition, by David B. Barrett,...
estimated the Bahá'í population of Bangladesh at almost 10,000.
Early period
The Bahá'í Faith in Bangladesh begins previous to its independence when it was part of India. The roots of the Bahá'í Faith in the region go back to the first days of the BábíBabi
Babi may refer to:* Babı, a municipality in Azerbaijan* Babi Dynasty, founded in 1735 by Muhammed Sher Khan Babi , Nawabs of this dynasty went on to rule over Junagadh in Gujarat, from the 18th to the 20th century....
religion in 1844. Four Babis are known from India in this earliest period - it is not known from what sub-region they came from but at least some of them were known as Sufis and some termed Sayyid
Sayyid
Sayyid is an honorific title, it denotes males accepted as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husain ibn Ali, sons of the prophet's daughter Fatima Zahra and his son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib.Daughters of sayyids are given the titles Sayyida,...
. The first was Shaykh Sa'id Hindi - one of the Letters of the Living
Letters of the Living
The Letters of the Living was a title provided by the Báb to the first eighteen disciples of the Bábí Religion. In some understandings the Báb places himself at the head of this list...
who was from somwehre in what was then India. Additionally four other Indians are listed among the 318 Bábís who fought at the Battle of Fort Tabarsi.
Early Bahá'í period
During Bahá'u'lláhBahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh , born ' , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He claimed to be the prophetic fulfilment of Bábism, a 19th-century outgrowth of Shí‘ism, but in a broader sense claimed to be a messenger from God referring to the fulfilment of the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, and...
's lifetime, as founder of the religion, he encouraged some of his followers to move to India. In 1878, a Bahá'í moved through Chittagong and Dhaka, passing through on his way to Burma from Calcutta. This may have been Jamál Effendi, an early Bahá'í who traveled there. Regardless it is clear that Effendi undertook a second trip to south-east Asia in about 1884-5. Effendi was asked to return to the region by Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh , born ' , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He claimed to be the prophetic fulfilment of Bábism, a 19th-century outgrowth of Shí‘ism, but in a broader sense claimed to be a messenger from God referring to the fulfilment of the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, and...
and this time accompanied by Sayyid Mustafá. They set off for India and eventually stopped in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
where they met some people including a professor of Arabic at Dhaka College
Dhaka College
, located in Dhaka, is one of Bangladesh's earliest and most prestigious higher educational institutions. It offers both four years bachelor's and one years masters course in various majors, but it is best known for HSC...
. Much later - in the 1891 - Jamál Effendi was confused with a terrorist and reported on by British agents among the Indian population and those records have been found (though Indian government national archives.) Following the passing of Bahá'u'lláh, as the leadership of the religion fell to `Abdu'l-Bahá
`Abdu'l-Bahá
‘Abdu’l-Bahá , born ‘Abbás Effendí, was the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1892, `Abdu'l-Bahá was appointed in his father's will to be his successor and head of the Bahá'í Faith. `Abdu'l-Bahá was born in Tehran to an aristocratic family of the realm...
, he in turn sent further representatives in his stead - both Persian and American.
As early as 1910 the national community in India/Burma is being urged to visibly distinguish itself from Islam by Bahá'í institutions of America. National coordinated activities began and reached a peak with the December 1920, first All-India Bahá'í Convention, held in Bombay for three days. Representatives from India's major religious communities were present as well as Bahá'í delegates from throughout the country.
Middle period
In 1923, still as part of India, a regional National Spiritual Assembly was formed for India and Burma which then included the area now part of Bangladesh as well as Pakistan. However the first Bahá'ís in the area that would later become Bangladesh was when a Bengali group from Chittagong accepted the religion while they were in Burma. In 1937, John EsslemontJohn Esslemont
John Ebenezer Esslemont M.B., Ch.B. , was a prominent British Bahá'í from Scotland. He was the author of the well-known introductory book on the Bahá'í Faith, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era, which is still in circulation. He was named posthumously by Shoghi Effendi as the first Hand of the Cause he...
's Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era was translated and published in Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
(Baha'u'llah o nab zug) in Chittagong under the authority of the National Spiritual Assembly of India and Burma.
In 1941, Enoch Olinga
Enoch Olinga
Enoch Olinga was born to an Anglican family of the Iteso ethnic group in Uganda. He became a Bahá'í, earned the title Knight of Bahá'u'lláh and was appointed as the youngest Hand of the Cause, the highest appointed position in the religion. He served the interests of the religion widely and...
, later a prominent Bahá'í, was stationed in what was then East Pakistan
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...
as a member of the British military before he left the military and became a member of the religion. By 1950 there were enough members of the religion to begin setting up administrative bodies. These were Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assemblies and they were elected in Chittagong
Chittagong
Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
and Dacca. With independence as part of Pakistan in 1958, East and West Pakistan elected a separate national assembly from India. In 1959 Muhammad Mustafa traveled to Liberia
Bahá'í Faith in Liberia
The Bahá'í Faith in Liberia begins with the entrance of the first member of the religion in 1952 and the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly in 1958 in Monrovia. By the end of 1963 there were five assemblies and Liberian Bahá'ís elected their first National Spiritual Assembly in 1975...
and was commissioned to address some Muslim concerns about the Bahá'í Faith. This was ultimately published as Baha'u'llah: The Great Announcement of the Qur'an through the Bangladesh Bahá'í Publishing Trust. In 1960 there was a Teaching Conference of East Pakistan, at Dhaka. By 1963 there was an additional local assembly in Mymensingh
Mymensingh
Mymensingh , pronounced moy-mon-shing-haw, is a city of Bangladesh situated on the river Brahmaputra. It is the headquarters of the administrative unit Mymensingh District. Mymensingh is the anglicized pronunciation of the original name Momenshahi, referring to a ruler called Momen Shah. The cadet...
and smaller groups between 1 and 9 adults in Jamalpur
Jamalpur District
Jamalpur is a district in Dhaka Division, Bangladesh. The main Jamalpur town consists of 12 wards and 80 mahallas. The municipality was established in 1869. The area of the town is 53.28 km². The town has a population of 116754; male 51.06%, female 48.94%. Density of population is 2191 per...
and Mirpur
Mirpur Thana
Mirpur is a thana of Dhaka city, Bangladesh. It is bounded by Pallabi Thana to the north, Mohammadpur Thana to the south, Kafrul to the east - to the west it is bounded by Savar Upazila.-Geography:Mirpur is located at...
. Following the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, the national assembly of Bangladesh was also separately elected in 1971. 10 years later the national convention had 61 delegates. In 1974 Rúhíyyih Khanum
Rúhíyyih Khanum
Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum , born Mary Sutherland Maxwell was the wife of Shoghi Effendi, the head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921–1957. She was appointed by him as a Hand of the Cause, and served an important role in the transfer of authority from 1957–1963...
visited the country, even to meeting with President Mohammad Ullah
Mohammad Ullah
Mohammad Mohammadullah was the 4th President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh...
. In 1984 The Baha'i Fund: A Time for Sacrifice was published by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Bangladesh.
In more recent times
In 1996 the Universal House of JusticeUniversal House of Justice
The Universal House of Justice is the supreme governing institution of the Bahá'í Faith. It is a legislative institution with the authority to supplement and apply the laws of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, and exercises a judicial function as the highest appellate institution in the...
commented -
"The Bahá'í community of Bangladesh, flourishing in the midst of a Muslim society, is a source of joy to the entire Bahá'í world. In recent years and with astonishing rapidity, that community began to achieve extraordinary success in the teaching field, and throughout the Three Year Plan it has sustained consistently large-scale expansion. Its institutions have demonstrated their capacity to mobilize the human resources at their disposal, and those who have responded to the call for action have sacrificially and with the utmost devotion spread the Divine Teachings among the Muslim, Hindu and tribal populations of that country. The purity of their motives and the sincerity of their efforts to address the needs of society have won them recognition from government officials in the highest circles. Their exertions to promote love and unity among the majority Muslim and minority Hindu populations are bearing increasing fruit, a striking testimony to the potency of Bahá'u'lláh's Revelation."
Modern community
In Bangladesh the Bahá'ís have had the right to hold their public meetings, establish academic centers, teach their faith, and elect their administrative councils. However the government of Bangladesh voted against the United Nations resolution Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran in 19 December 2001 raised in response to the Persecution of Bahá'ísPersecution of Bahá'ís
The persecution of Bahá'ís is the religious persecution of Bahá'ís in various countries, especially in Iran, where the Bahá'í Faith originated and the location of one of the largest Bahá'í populations in the world...
in Iran. Regardless, Bahá'ís in Bangladesh have been able to coordinate and act in groups. About 150 gathered for a summer school in 1977 and about 300 attended the winter school held February 1978. Zena Sorabjee of the Bahá'í International Community
Bahá'í International Community
The Bahá'í International Community, or the BIC, is an international non-governmental organization representing the members of the Bahá'í Faith; it was first chartered in March 1948 with the United Nations, and currently has affiliates in over 180 countries and territories.The BIC seeks to "promote...
, shared a platform with Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
in 1999 and the meeting was aired through satellite television. It is reported that Bahá'ís in a number of countries, including Bangladesh, viewed the broadcast. In 2008 about 30 out of 200 Bahá'ís managed to get passports and visas and travel from Bangladesh to a regional conference called for by the Universal House of Justice in Kolkata, India, although many more of their fellow believers weren't able to make the trip. The Bahá'ís went in groups to request their travel documents, with many of them waiting up to three days even to reach the door. In the end, most were turned away without the visa.
Since its inception the religion has had involvement in socio-economic development beginning by giving greater freedom to women, promulgating the promotion of female education as a priority concern, and that involvement was given practical expression by creating schools, agricultural coops, and clinics. The religion entered a new phase of activity when a message of the Universal House of Justice
Universal House of Justice
The Universal House of Justice is the supreme governing institution of the Bahá'í Faith. It is a legislative institution with the authority to supplement and apply the laws of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, and exercises a judicial function as the highest appellate institution in the...
dated 20 October 1983 was released. Bahá'ís were urged to seek out ways, compatible with the Bahá'í teachings
Bahá'í teachings
The Bahá'í teachings represent a considerable number of theological, social, and spiritual ideas that were established in the Bahá'í Faith by Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the religion, and clarified by successive leaders including `Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'u'lláh's son, and Shoghi Effendi, `Abdu'l-Bahá's...
, in which they could become involved in the social and economic development of the communities in which they lived. Worldwide in 1979 there were 129 officially recognized Bahá'í socio-economic development projects. For the International Year of the Child
International Year of the Child
* Maureen Millicent Bomford founded International Year of The Child and it was endorsed by the United Nations. Maureen was born in Canterbury Punchbowl in 1930 and had four brothers. Her father was a Mayor and she always learned to appreciate the value of leadership. As the wife of a prominent...
Bangladesh Bahá'ís established tutorial schools in three villages. By 1987, the number of officially recognized development projects had increased to 1482. The Bahá'ís in Bangladesh work to promote their interests and contributions to Bangladesh. Even early on there were village level schools run by the local assembly in the Jessore area. In 1981 the second Bangladesh National Baha'i Women's Conference took place attracting Bahá'í women from Bangladesh, India, Iran, Malaysia and Italy. In 1995 three national newspapers published articles on a public meeting sponsored by the local spiritual assembly of Khulna
Khulna
Khulna is the third largest city in Bangladesh. It is located on the banks of the Rupsha and Bhairab rivers in Khulna District. It is the divisional headquarters of Khulna Division and a major industrial and commercial center. It has a seaport named Mongla on its outskirts, 38 km from Khulna...
to mark the founding of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. Tents on the grounds of the Bahá'í Center there were filled with 50 Bahá'ís and 200 guests who listened to speeches and then enjoyed the performance of songs written by Bahá'í youth on the theme of unity and amity among the nations and races of the earth. Some of the students of the New Era Development Institute, an educational NGO in India run by the Bahá'ís, have come from the Bangladesh Bahá'í community in 1997. In 1988 Bahá'í doctors setup free treatment camps. In addition to work in groups, some individuals have become well known for their contributions to Bangladesh society. Bahá'í Samarendra Nath Goswami, is well known in Bangladesh as Secretary General of the Bangladesh Minority Lawyers Association and senior advocate of Bangladesh Supreme Court and contributed to founding a law journal and two law schools. In 1994, he edited The Principles of Bahá'í Personal Law which was published by the Bangladesh Law Times. In the early 1990s, Baha'i law was included in the law curriculum of Dhaka University. Payam Akhavan
Payam Akhavan
Payam Akhavan is a Professor of International Law at McGill University. He is the co-founder of the Iran Human Rights Documentation Centre in New Haven, Connecticut, an organization devoted to documenting human rights violations in Iran....
, Bahá'í and a renowned human rights lawyer represented Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina is a Bangladeshi politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Awami League, a major political party, since 1981. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh and widow of a reputed nuclear...
(a once and again Prime Minister of Bangladesh).
The Bahá'ís of Bangladesh have participated in various efforts affecting society in Bangladesh. Representatives of the Bahá'ís of Bangladesh were among those present for a 19 December 2003 conference entitled "Education: The Right of Every Girl and Boy," which was organized by the Bahá'í International Community
Bahá'í International Community
The Bahá'í International Community, or the BIC, is an international non-governmental organization representing the members of the Bahá'í Faith; it was first chartered in March 1948 with the United Nations, and currently has affiliates in over 180 countries and territories.The BIC seeks to "promote...
with the support of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the government of Bangladesh among other institutions. Representatives of the Bahá'í International Community were among the speakers at the "Conference on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace," which was held on 22 June 2005 with the government of Bangladesh among the co-sponsors. In September 2002, a slide show on preventing the spread of Dengue fever was presented at the National Bahá'í Center in Shantinagar
Shantinagar
Shantinagar may refer to:*Shantinagar, Mechi, Nepal*Shantinagar, Rapti, Nepal*Shantinagar, Dhaka*Shantinagar Bus Station, Bangalore*shantinager,karahiya,nepal...
. December 2007, the Centre for Advance Research in Humanities of Dhaka University organized a seminar on "The Baha'i Faith and World Peace" at the lecture theater of the university presided over by Prof Kazi Nazrul Islam,(not the famous Bengali individual of the same name
Kazi Nazrul Islam
Kazi Nazrul Islam , sobriquet Bidrohi Kobi, was a Bengali poet, musician and revolutionary who pioneered poetic works espousing intense spiritual rebellion against fascism and oppression. His poetry and nationalist activism earned him the popular title of Bidrohi Kobi...
who died in 1977) Director of the center. Mazhgan Bahar, Professor of English Department of American International University-Bangladesh
American International University-Bangladesh
American International University-Bangladesh ' is a private research university located at Banani in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was established in 1994 by Anwarul Abedin under the Private University Act, 1992. The university is an independent organization with its own Board of Trustees. It offers...
, presented the keynote paper at the seminar, while Prof Dr Rawshan Ara of Philosophy Department, Prof Shahid Hussain, Secretary General of International Association for Religious Freedom
International Association for Religious Freedom
The International Association for Religious Freedom is a charitable organization that works for religious freedom around the world. It was founded in Boston in 1900 and is the oldest international interfaith group....
and Prof Jahangir Alam of the world religion Department, among others, were present.
Demographics
It is not known how many organized communities of Bahá'ís there are in Bangladesh. In 2005 the World Christian EncyclopediaWorld Christian Encyclopedia
World Christian Encyclopedia is a reference work published by Oxford University Press, known for providing membership statistics for major and minor world religions in every country of the world, including historical data and projections of future populations.The first edition, by David B. Barrett,...
estimated the Bahá'í population of Bangladesh at almost 10,000. There are reports of many conversions from November 1988 to September 1989 including many Munda
Munda people
The Munda are tribal people of the Chota Nagpur Plateau region.They are found across Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Assam states of India, and into parts of Bangladesh...
and Arakan people.
See also
- History of BangladeshHistory of BangladeshThe history of Bangladesh as a nation state began in 1971, when it seceded from Pakistan. Prior to the creation of Pakistan in 1947, modern-day Bangladesh was part of ancient, classical, medieval and colonial India....
- Religion in BangladeshReligion in BangladeshIslam is the largest religion of Bangladesh; Muslims constitute 89.5 % of the population followed by Hindus who constitute 9.6 %. The remainder of Bangladeshis practice other religions such as Buddhism and Christianity. Religion has always been a strong part of identity, but this has varied at...
- Bahá'í Faith in India
- Bahá'í Faith in PakistanBahá'í Faith in PakistanThe Bahá'í Faith in Pakistan begins previous to its independence when it was part of India. The roots of the Bahá'í Faith in the region go back to the first days of the Bábí religion in 1844, with Shaykh Sa'id Hindi who was from Multan...