Islamism as a Hidden Tool of Suppressing Religious Ideologies in Bangladesh

০৫ ই অক্টোবর, ২০২৫ সকাল ৯:৩০

1. Introduction
In the contemporary socio-political landscape of Bangladesh, Islamism—the ideological and political instrumentalization of Islam—has emerged as a powerful yet concealed mechanism for shaping national identity, controlling social behavior, and silencing religious plurality. While Islam as a faith emphasizes compassion, justice, and spiritual equality, its political adaptation—Islamism—has often been used as a tool to legitimize exclusion, coercion, and domination.
This ideological transformation has allowed certain think tanks, religious organizations, and extremist networks to acquire moral and political authority beyond legal or constitutional constraints. By invoking divine sanction, these groups have established the right to suppress, marginalize, or even eradicate ideologies and communities they perceive as threats to their religious orthodoxy.

2. The Ideological Shift: From Faith to Political Instrument
Historically, Islam in Bengal evolved through a process of cultural synthesis, coexisting with Hindu, Buddhist, and Sufi traditions. However, in postcolonial Bangladesh, religion has been gradually politicized to serve partisan and ideological ends. Islamism, as opposed to Islam, functions as a political ideology that redefines faith in terms of power, identity, and social control.
This transformation enables Islamist actors to claim divine legitimacy for their political agenda. As a result, they exercise unregulated authority to dictate moral norms, restrict opposing beliefs, and label dissenting ideologies as anti-Islamic. Under this guise, Islamism becomes a concealed instrument—a hidden tool—for the suppression of competing religious, social, and cultural ideologies.

3. Mechanisms of Suppression
Islamist suppression operates on several intertwined levels—religious, political, and social.
At the religious level, Islamist movements target theological diversity by denouncing alternative interpretations such as Sufism or liberal Islamic thought. At the political level, these groups exert pressure on the state to Islamize education, media, and cultural policies, limiting the space for secular and pluralist discourse. At the social level, Islamist rhetoric shapes public morality, often encouraging hostility toward communities with distinct religious or cultural identities.
This multidimensional approach allows Islamism to function not openly as coercion, but subtly as ideological conditioning, shaping consciousness and silencing diversity in the name of piety.

4. Targeting Hinduism and Sufism
In recent years, the most visible victims of Islamist intolerance in Bangladesh have been Hinduism and Sufism.
Hindu temples, festivals, and cultural expressions have frequently faced attacks, vandalism, and public humiliation, especially during times of political instability. These acts are not merely isolated events of fanatic violence but deliberate ideological performances meant to assert Islamic dominance and delegitimize pluralism.
Similarly, Sufism, which historically spread Islam in Bengal through spiritual inclusivity and cultural adaptation, is now branded as heretical by extremist circles. Sufi shrines—once centers of harmony and knowledge—have been desecrated, and Sufi practitioners attacked. For Islamists, Sufism’s human-centered spirituality challenges their authoritarian structure and their monopoly over religious interpretation. Hence, the suppression of Sufism reflects Islamism’s deeper anxiety toward intellectual and spiritual freedom.

5. The Contradiction of Political Islam
Interestingly, certain Islamic political parties in Bangladesh attempt to portray a liberal face, showing sympathy toward Hindu festivals and minority rights. Yet these gestures are often strategic rather than sincere—aimed at gaining electoral legitimacy and international approval. Beneath the surface, these same actors propagate ideologically biased narratives against Hinduism and other religions, reinforcing the dominance of Islamic political culture.
This duality—overt tolerance and covert antagonism—reveals Islamism’s manipulative nature. While appearing inclusive for political expediency, it continues to nurture an ideological hostility that undermines the moral foundation of interfaith coexistence.

6. The Common Front Against Pluralism
Despite internal doctrinal differences, Islamist organizations—from political parties to extremist outfits—share a common goal: the monopolization of religious authority. Their mutual enmity toward Sufism, Hinduism, and other alternative ideologies is driven by a shared ambition to construct a monolithic religious order.
This ideological coalition fosters an environment of cultural uniformity, discouraging independent reasoning and dialogue. The very essence of pluralism, which once defined Bengal’s civilization, is now under threat. By branding diversity as deviation and dissent as blasphemy, Islamism effectively weaponizes religion to control both belief and behavior.

7. Islamism and the Erosion of Rational Society
The dominance of Islamism has far-reaching implications for the development of a rational and progressive society in Bangladesh. By conflating faith with political loyalty, Islamist ideology discourages scientific inquiry, critical reasoning, and secular education.
Social and cultural ideologies—rooted in creativity, literature, and intellectual debate—are increasingly portrayed as threats to religious morality. The resulting environment fosters anti-intellectualism and ideological fear, preventing the natural evolution of a modern civic society. When religion becomes a tool of political control, it ceases to be a source of enlightenment and turns into a mechanism of suppression.

8. Islamism as the Antagonist of Knowledge
At its core, Islamism is antagonistic not only to religious pluralism but also to scientific, cultural, and philosophical ideologies. By claiming divine finality, it denies the legitimacy of human reasoning as an independent path to truth. This mindset leads to the silencing of academic freedom and artistic creativity—both of which are essential for social progress.
Consequently, Bangladesh’s journey toward rational modernization remains obstructed by ideological rigidity. The imposition of religious orthodoxy upon intellectual life ensures that alternative voices—whether secular or spiritual—are marginalized, exiled, or silenced.

9. Conclusion
Islamism in Bangladesh thus operates as a hidden yet pervasive tool of suppression—a mechanism that uses the sacred to control the secular. While invoking divine authority, it undermines the very values of compassion, tolerance, and justice that Islam historically upheld.
By antagonizing Hinduism, Sufism, and other intellectual traditions, Islamism weakens the foundation of Bangladesh’s pluralistic heritage. It obstructs the emergence of a rational, enlightened society capable of embracing diversity and reason.

To reclaim the spirit of freedom and intellectual vitality, Bangladesh must distinguish between Islam as a faith and Islamism as an ideology. Only by separating the moral from the political can the country move toward a future where belief coexists with reason, and religion nurtures rather than suppresses the diversity of human thought.

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