Bangladesh is on the path of Pakistan, is there 'secularism' in countries where more than 90% of the population is Muslim?

Bangladesh's Attorney General Mohammad Asaduzzaman has demanded the removal of the words 'socialism' and 'secular' from the country's constitution. The AG says that 90 percent of Bangladesh's population is Muslim, so words like secular should be removed from the constitution.

After the ouster of Sheikh Hasina's government from power, major changes are being made in Bangladesh. On one hand, the interim government is trying to rewrite the constitution, while on the other hand, the process of erasing the signs of Sheikh Mujiburahman, who is considered the hero of independence, has also begun. Attorney General Asaduzzaman has also demanded a change in the title of 'Father of the Nation' given to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujiburahman.

Is the Constitution of Bangladesh secular?

The word secular is mentioned in the preamble of the Constitution of Bangladesh. Article 8 of the Constitution of Bangladesh establishes 'secularism' as one of the fundamental principles of law. The Preamble and Article 8 of the Constitution of Bangladesh, available on the website of the 'Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division' of the Government of Bangladesh, state that, 'Nationalism, socialism, democracy and secularism shall be the fundamental principles of state policy.'

How many people of which religion in Bangladesh?

According to the 2022 census, the population of Bangladesh is around 16.5 crores. In this, the Muslim population is about 91.04 percent, Hindus are 7.95 percent, Buddhists, Christians and other communities have a population of about 1 percent. If compared to the 2011 census data, only the Muslim population has registered an increase, the population of all other religions has declined.

What did the Attorney General say?

During the hearing on the validity of the 15th Amendment to the Constitution, AG Asaduzzaman argued that amendments should support democracy and not authoritarianism. He said, 'Earlier there was continuous trust and faith in Allah, I want it to remain the same.' Referring to Articles 2A and 9 of the Constitution, he said that 2A states that the state will ensure equal rights and equality in the practice of all religions, while Article 9 talks about 'Bengali nationalism', which is contradictory.

Is the constitution of countries with 90% Muslim population secular?

The second largest population of the world is that of Muslims, Muslims are in majority in about 51 countries of the world. The demand of the Attorney General of Bangladesh raises the question whether the constitution of these countries is also secular? If we talk about countries with more than 90 percent population, then in about 32 countries including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, the population of Muslims is 90 percent or more. At the same time, out of all the countries of the world with Muslim majority, only 10 countries are secular.

Know the constitution of countries with more than 90 percent Muslim population

Pakistan

96.5 percent of Muslims live in India's neighboring country Pakistan, according to the 2020 data of Pew Research, the number of Muslims here is more than 20 crores. There are words like democracy, freedom, equality and tolerance in the constitution of Pakistan, but it is not secular.

Turkiye

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's country Turkey changed its name to Turkey a few years ago. According to Pew Research, the population of Muslims here is more than 7.9 crores which is 98% of the total population. The word secular is mentioned more than 10 times in the constitution of Turkey. In the list of fundamental principles in its first part, the Republic of Turkey has been described as a democratic, secular and social state where the rule of law prevails.

Maldives

The population of Muslims in Maldives, located in the Indian Ocean, is about 98.4 percent, according to research data, about 3.5 lakh Muslims live here. Like Pakistan, the word secular is not even mentioned in the constitution of Maldives. It is written in it that, 'Maldives is a sovereign, independent, democratic republic based on the principles of Islam.'

Iran

According to Pew Research data, about 81 million Muslims live in Iran, which is 99.5% of the country's total population. Iran's constitution also talks about following Islamic principles. Iran is an Islamic country.

Egypt

Egypt is an Arab republic with a Muslim population of about 9 crore. The population of Muslims here is 95.3 percent of the total population. The basic principles of Egypt's constitution include many elements including sovereignty, democracy, freedom of citizens, equality, but it is an Arab and Islamic country.