ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that the Sufi saints and pirs played an important role in developing a specific form of “Bengali Islam”, which is different to that of Middle Eastern Islam. To understand the origins and ongoing distinctiveness of Bengali Islam and the interconnected political developments in the region, it is necessary to consider the relevant socio-economic dynamics leading to a majority Bengali Muslim support for a separate homeland in the Indian subcontinent. In this context, it is relevant to understand the evolving consciousness among Bengali Muslims and Hindus in the socio-political environment of that time, particularly the 20th and 21st centuries. The historical tradition shows the manner in which the Islamisation process contributed to rising Islamic militancy under the democratic regimes during the Bangladesh phase. It is, however, worth remembering that socio-economic factors and inequalities remained an important feature in controlling state power, despite the support for Islamisation and syncretism. Such inequalities and socio-economic factors may have influenced the increasing trend of madrasa education in Bangladesh.
