What is Islam? The highly contested debate about ‘Islam’ in Bangladeshi politics and culture

Bangladesh is a South Asian Muslim majority state. Despite being a small country geographically, Bangladesh has a larger Muslim population than Saudi Arabia, Iran and Afghanistan combined. The total population of Bangladesh is over 160 million. More than 89 percent are Sunni Muslims and Hindus constitute 10 percent. A small number of Shia Muslims, Baha’is Baha’is, and Ahmadi Muslims are part of the Bangladeshi Muslim population. Bangladesh is also home of 54 indigenous groups.

radicalisation leading to violence.
Following a 2016 terrorist attack on a cafe in the capital Dhaka, a more nuanced approach to understanding the diversity within Bangladeshi Islam began to emerge.
In the aftermath of the Daesh-inspired attack there was intense public debate in the country about the nature of Islam. Does terrorism represent part of Islam? Does Islam condone violence? Hundreds and thousands of Bangladeshi Muslim students and teachers from traditional Islamic seminaries locally known as Madrassahs condemned the 2016 attack, saying that Islam does not support terrorism. However, the accomplices of those who carried out the attack released a video following the attack claiming that it was an effort to establish a form of violent Islam in

Diverse socio-cultural expressions of Islam in Bangladesh
The history of Bengali Muslims shows that from the beginning of Islam's arrival in the Indian subcontinent, Muslims were divided in terms of their socio-cultural and political approaches to Islam. Studies on Islam and its socio-political expressions in Bangladesh before the 'War on Terror' have focused on the diverse roots of Islam in Bangladesh. It is difficult to determine precisely when Islam was introduced to what is now known as Bangladesh in ancient India, a region inhabited by Buddhists and Hindus before the arrival of Islam. According to Bangladeshi historian, Khan Raisuddin, Arab traders and merchants began to arrive in Chittagong, a port city of Bangladesh, in the eighth century after the death of Muhanmmad. They came for the spice trade, and many traders and merchants settled in what is now Bangladesh and broader areas of medieval India. Through these migrant Arab traders and merchants, the people of that region came to know about Islam. This group of Muslims used to be known as Ashrafs or high-born Muslims. Those who were converted to Islam from lower Hindu casts were known as Atraps.
Many Bengali Muslims who searched for an 'authentic' version of Islam tend to criticise animistic and Hindu-influenced cultural practices by Atrap Muslims. During the colonial period, at least two political movements known as Faraizi and Tariqah-i-Muhammad (meaning in the path of [Prophet] Muhammad) believed that a significant reason that Bengali Muslims were the colonial subjects of the British was that they had deviated from a 'pure' form of Islam. Islam's 'pure' form is rooted in Arab-oriented cultural expression. This tension between 'pure' and 'impure' forms of Islam still plays out among Bangladeshi youths, and has been amplified by drivers of globalisation, including the internet and migration; as well as the 'War on Terror' and resistance from Muslim hardliners. Bangladeshi youths have found themselves at the receiving end of multiple narratives about Islam. An understanding of the relationship between Islam, identity culture, and politics in Bangladesh is required to understand Islam in Bangladesh. It is ubiquitous in society and its expression remains diverse. Two examples are pertinent to discuss here.
First, the discussion and debate about the rally of Pohela Boishakh, which is a celebration of the first day of the Bengali New Year, is noteworthy. Historically hosted by the Fine Arts Department of Dhaka University, the procession of Pohela Boishakh features supersized replicas of Bengali birds, owls, and other animals. My research found that many young Bangladeshis who go to the mainstream educational institutes criticise the rally as un-Islamic. Further, students of Madrassahs I interviewed believed the procession is part of a plan of Hindus, Christians and Zionists to destroy Muslim culture in Bangladesh. As mentioned earlier, this debate goes back to the colonial period when there was a belief that Islam needed to be ridded of 'animistic' belief and cultures. However, many of those who participate in the procession are believers in Islam and see no problem participating in it and being Muslims. To them, critics of the rally are fanatic radicals.
Second, my research found the clothing and music preferences of individuals signal a significant distinction between who is widely considered a more 'authentic' Muslim. During a focus group discussion in Bangladesh, I observed disagreement among two Hijab wearing women about the 'correct way' of wearing Hijab. In the view of a research participant who wore a Hijab with a jilbab, 'those who wear a Hijab with jeans and t-shirts are not authentic and pure Muslims'. Another participant strongly believed rock 'n roll music is un-Islamic (although he played the drums in a rock band called 'Infidels'. He hoped that one day Allah will forgive him for what he regarded as these sins). But there were others who believe playing rock 'n roll is not against Islam. Such differentiated meaning-making remains a vital source of information in relation to different perceptions of Islam circulating in a Muslim society.
However, it should be mentioned that these examples reflect perceptions of a particular type/category of people-Muslims who call themselves secular often cite how Islam accepts diversity.

Conclusion
Islam in Bangladesh reminds us of the core argument of the influential and well known book What is Islam? which argues that 'Islam' should be understood as a historical and human phenomenon with plenitude and complexity of meaning.
Bangladesh demonstrates that there is scope for more nuanced and in-depth studies to understand the cultural and political diversity of the Muslim population. It is a Muslim country with over 89 percent Sunnis, yet it thrives on heterogeneity. Within this context, political secularism has Islamic influences but many Muslims remain divided as to what constitutes 'pure Islam' and preferences for music, dress, and symbols are a source of contention about what Islam is and isn't.