Session 2: STATE, SOCIETY, POLITICS

Monday, Dec 6, 2021 | 8:00pm – 9:45pm | Bangladesh Time (GMT+6)

Dr Ali Riaz
Illinois State University, USA

Paper Title – Islamist Politics in Bangladesh: the nature, scope, and the pathway

Abstract:

This paper explores various strands of Islamist politics in Bangladesh, defined as ‘a form of instrumentalization of Islam by individuals, groups and organizations that pursue political objectives.’ The paper focuses on both political parties and social groups that pursue the agenda of Islamization of society and state. Contrary to the conventional wisdom that the emergence of the Islamist politics is a mid-1970s phenomenon exclusively as a ‘state project’, the paper argues that there is a long tradition of Islamist politics in the country and that Islamism as an ideology has gained traction as a bottom-up process too. Various entities within the traditions of political Islam have reconfigured themselves at various times. A taxonomy of Islamist political entities presented in the paper shows that the Islamist politics in Bangladesh can be divided into five broad categories. The differences among the various denominations with emphasis on their positions on Islah, Taqlid, and Bid’at are discussed. The paper concludes with an outline of the future trajectories of Islamist politics.