The partition of India was a gory chapter for Hindus and India. In political sense - Muslims walked away with Pakistan. But in the long run - within 25 years they had to part ways in the form of Bangladesh. Here the religious unity failed and the cultural and language differences as well as outright autocratic style of Islamabad simply failed.
But creation of Pakistan ought to be blamed on British policy of Divide and Rule. They wanted to leave the nation and the subcontinent bleeding. It was a sinister plot to which perhaps Jawaharlal Nehru allegedly played on while Muhammad Ali Jinnah saw it as fulfilment of personal ambition.
Muslims are essentially divided into two blocs in this region. The "non-Arab Muslim-majority countries" face challenge in preserving andand keeping a balance of adherence to core Islamic values and ambitions of 'rich cultural expressions'. This is between India and Indonesia.
There is another bloc = Muslims between India and Morocco.
First a small fact check - and a vital one -- there are more Muslims living between India and Indonesia than in the other bloc.
The Arab Muslims often see themselves as religiously pure especially in comparison to non-Arab ‘converted’ Muslims.
By 1971 - the world saw the creation of Bangladesh. This established that the religion or the fundamental Islam did not have any adhesive or magic power. Other factors related to power-politics can also decide things and make or break a nation.
When parliamentary democracy was restored in 1991 -- that is almost two decades after its birth, Mujib Rahman-led Awami League carried the banner of "Bangalee nationalism".
It hailed Rabindranath Tagore and accepted his song as 'national anthem'. Mujib readily even called the new country - Bangla Desh. In later period even this naming was flayed by radicals in Pakistan and they seemed to have preferred Bangla-stan.
The BNP was projected as the guardian of Bangladeshi nationalism -- which may or may not give much credence to secular credentials or the broad Bengali Hindu literature and culture.
The Islamic parties, including a 'relegalised Jamaat', spoke in the language of Islamic nationalism.
They wanted an Islamic state and unhesitating they gave a call for the same.
In the process; there were 'abhiman (anguish and grievances) about so-called modern values and secular elites.
Some contradictions may leave you baffled.
Despite instances of 'discrimination' against minority communities in Iran --- such as Christians (117,000), Parsis (25,000), Jews (8,750), Sikhs, and Hindus (45,000) there are churches and synagogues across Iran, and also two Hindu temples and Gurdwaras. Even ISKCON also has presence in Tehran.
The Iranian Parliament (Majlis) allows specially reserved seats for religious minorities.
** But in Bangladesh -- while Dhaka saw a large scale protest in 1948 itself against imposition of Urdu; the same country has had numerous cases of attacks on Hindus and Hindu temples.
*** Take another leap. In Indonesia, the Garuda, mythical bird and the mount of the Hindu god Vishnu, is the national emblem.
Come back closer home in South Asia and in Bangladesh --
experts would say ==
At least three "nationalisms".
Bengali Nationalism, Bangladeshi Nationalism (of BNP) and Jamaat and pro-Pakistani push for Islamic nationalism.
We may also discover that none of them can wipe out the others in the context of Bangladesh.
But there is another fact of life and quite a crude one.
Nationalism itself is a messy business. Punjabis and Bengalis are scattered all around.
Take the example of Bengali Hindus and their successive generations who left 'East Pakistan' in 1947 or later -- in many aspects for instance Sylheti Bengali Hindus in 2025 (or 25 years before) find similarities with ... Bongs settled in Silchar-Karimganj region of Assam or Tripura.
Hence this blogger can be a case study by itself.
My father was a Sylheti and my mother (Bengali from Chittagong region but brought up in Bihar/Jharkhand). I was born in Nagaland and studied in Mizoram, Nagaland and Meghalaya (Shillong). I had job in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and of course Nagaland and Delhi.
Who am I ? Are you confused? My wife hails from Tripura and is from a Sylheti Hindu family !!
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| Blogger in a Bengali attire : China 2019 |
Now come back to other facets.
It will not be erroneous to suggest that many Bangladeshi citizens carry elements of all three nationalisms.
They would be proud abut 'Bangla' identity
** Would be loyal to Bangladesh as his/her country
** and by birth/conviction/choice also attached to Islam.
The last decade between 2014 and 2026 has pushed an interesting feature in India - the so-called Religious polarisation.
No need to pin point at Narendra Modi alone. Prior to that ... for about 8-10 years -- the Congress and Left parties promoted Muslim interests.
This is linked to growth of Islamic fundamentalism across the globe. In Bangladesh - while radicalism made deeper penetration -- there was instability in the society itself.
From 2013, there was re-emergence of Islamic nationalism in Bangladesh.
"The Shahbagh protests around war crimes trials, and the counter-mobilisation by Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh and other groups, brought Islamic identity to the centre of street politics again," goes an article in 'Daily Star', Dhaka's prestigious newspaper.
Moreover, the elections of 2014, 2018, and 2024 under Sheikh Hasina failed to receive public mandate.
Thus --
the public space for politics became narrow.
By August 5, 2024, Islamic nationalist currents had become a major force and Sheikh Hasina had to flee.
In his book ‘A Suppressed Chapter in History’, Tathagata Roy elaborates on the rich cultural heritage that continues to influence the average Bangladeshi.
“Bengali Muslims have been deeply influenced by a wealth of literature-much of it written by Hindus-ranging from the Chorjapod of the 11th century to the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore.
This rich cultural heritage has left a lasting impact on their identity.”
According to Maulana Hussain Ali, noted thinker and spiritual teacher: “The biggest problem the Bengali Muslims have in embracing their identity is their inferiority complex.
This complex arises from the complexity of Hindu-Muslim relations… ..... People want the soil of this country, but not its culture. But we shy away from being good Bengali Muslims out of fear of becoming or remaining like a Hindu.”
(Dailyexcelsior.com)
But in the ultimate analysis -- things go down much deeper.
V.S. Naipaul argued in his book ‘Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions Among the Converted Peoples’:
“Islam is not simply a matter of conscience or private belief.
It makes imperial demands. A convert’s worldview alters.
His holy places are in Arab lands; his sacred language is Arabic. His idea of history alters. He rejects his own; he becomes, whether he likes it or not, a part of the Arab story."
ends
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