Religion
Further information: Islam in the United Kingdom and Islam in EnglandThe Bangladeshi population is dominated by one religion, Islam. Out of all the ethnic groups in the UK it has the largest proportion of people following a single religion. Nearly all Bangladeshis are Sunni Muslims; the 2001 census in England and Wales showed those who indicated their religion, 92.5% were Muslim, and 1.2% follow other religions (mostly Hindu and Christian). In London, Bangladeshi Muslims make up 24% of all London Muslims, more than any other single ethnic group in the capital. The largest affiliations are the Deobandi movement (mainly of Tablighi Jamaat), the Jamaat-e-Islami movement, and the Sufi Barelvi (includes the Fultali movement). The Hizb ut-Tahrir, and the Salafi movement also have a small following.
Most Bangladeshis regard themselves as part of the ummah, basing their identity on their religion rather than their ethnic group. A majority of older women wear the burqa, and many young women are opting to wear a hijab, a traditional women's headscarf—whereas in Bangladesh, comparatively very few women do so; this has been described as a "British phenomenon". Arabic is also learned by children, many of whom attend Qur'an classes at mosques or the madrasah. Many male youths are also involved with Islamic groups, which include the Young Muslim Organisation, affiliated with the Islamic Forum Europe. This group is based in Tower Hamlets, and has thus attracted mainly young Bangladeshi Muslims. It has been increasingly associated with the East London Mosque, which is one of the largest mosques used predominantly by Bangladeshis. In 2004, the mosque created a new extension attached, the London Muslim Centre which holds up to 10,000 people.
Read more about this topic: Bangladeshi Diaspora In The United Kingdom
Famous quotes containing the word religion:
“There is nothing in our book, the Koran, that teaches us to suffer peacefully. Our religion teaches us to be intelligent. Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery. Thats a good religion.”
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“This religion takes away the courage of thinking of unusual things and prohibits self-examination above all as the most egregious of sins.... It is one step away from protestantism.”
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“We think of religion as the symbolic expression of our highest moral ideals; we think of magic as a crude aggregate of superstitions. Religious belief seems to become mere superstitious credulity if we admit any relationship with magic. On the other hand our anthropological and ethnographical material makes it extremely difficult to separate the two fields.”
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