Virtual Bangladesh : Religion

Overview

[Image: Muslims Praying] About 80 percent of Bangladeshis are Muslims, making Bangladesh one of the largest Muslim countries in the world. The Muslim community in Bangladesh tends to be accomodating to other faiths and beliefs and Bangladesh is known for its lack of communal strife.

Hinduism is professed by about 13 percent of the population. There are also significant numbers of Buddhists in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh also has a very small Christian community.

Islam in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is one of the largest Muslim countries in the world. Most Bangladeshi Muslims are Sunnis, but there is a small Shia community. Among religious festivals of Muslims are the Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Azha, Eid-e-Miladunnabi, Muharram etc.

The region of what is now Bangladesh saw wholesale conversions to Islam that began in the thirteenth century and continued on for hundreds of years. Muslim missionaries and mystics who wandered about the villages and towns were responsible for much of the conversions.

Hinduism in Bangladesh

[Image: Pooja Scene] Hindus in Bangladesh in are almost evenly distributed in all regions, with concentrations in Khulna, Jessore, Dinajpur, Faridpur, and Barisal. Durga Puja, Saraswati Puja, Kali Puja etc. are some of the importanr Hindu festivals in Bangladesh.

They represent about 13% of the population.

Buddhism in Bangladesh

[Image: BUddhist Temple] In the Chittagong Hills, Buddhist tribes formed the majority of the population.

There are approximately 1 million Buddhists in Bangladesh, representing less than 1 percent of the population.

Christianity

[Image: A church in Bangladesh] There are less than a million Christians in Bangladesh, mostly Roman Catholic.