ABSTRACT
This chapter considers how the Bengal Muslim society, based in an overwhelming majority Muslim population, was formed and developed. Scholars and historians within Bangladesh and beyond have pointed to four major Islamization theories in Bengal. These include: the “sword or force theory,” the “social liberation theory,” the “immigration theory,” and the “patronage theory.” The religio-geographical composition of contemporary South Asia has also shown the basic infirmity of the sword theory. Eaton’s critiques of social liberation theory of conversion to Islam are inconsistent with historical evidence. The patronage of political elites had undeniably some significance for Muslim conversion. Historians have reported that the social and cultural fabric of the Hindu society was characterized by severe division and demoralization before the Muslim conquest of Bengal. Islam emerged in Bengal primarily as a social and cultural force.
