Open AccessCultural Roots of Islam in Bangladesh and Islamisation
Author(s) -
Golam Dastagir
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
islam and civilisational renewal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2041-8728
pISSN - 2041-871X
DOI - 10.52282/icr.v4i1.498
Subject(s) - islam , hinduism , buddhism , civilization , faith , sufism , bengali , religious studies , nationalism , state (computer science) , islamic culture , sociology , identity (music) , spirituality , history , gender studies , aesthetics , political science , philosophy , theology , law , politics , linguistics , algorithm , computer science , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology
No culture can flourish without engaging with other cultures. As Gandhi stated, “No culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive.” The interaction of religion and culture intertwined in society nourishes each major civilisation and inspires and moulds human life. This is well exemplified in the emergence of Islam with its process of Islamisation in the Indian Subcontinent generally, and in Bengal (present day Bangladesh) in particular. Many Bengali Muslims who only several centuries ago may have been Hindus or Buddhists often feel uncertain about their national identity and search for a basis in Islamic faith, state nationalism, the spirituality of Sufism, or even ancient Hindu-Buddhist traditions.