Islam in West Bengal
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Maldah (51.3%), Uttar Dinajpur (50%).
Significant minority in Surjapuri , and others |
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According to the 2011 census, West Bengal has over 24.6 million Muslims, making up 27% of the state's population.[6] The vast majority of Muslims in West Bengal are ethnic native Bengali Muslims, numbering around over 22 million and comprising 24.1% of the state population (mostly they reside in Rural areas). There also exists an Immigrants Urdu-speaking Muslim community numbering 2.6 million, constituting 2.9% of the state population and mostly resides in Urban areas of the state.[7][1][3][2][4][8]
Muslims form the majority of the population in three districts: Murshidabad, Malda and Uttar Dinajpur.[9] Among these, Uttar Dinajpur is notable as ethnic Bengali Muslims comprise 28% of the district's population, with the remaining 22% being Urdu and Surjapuri speakers.[10]
History
Bengali calendar.[18]
The Bengal Sultanate
, 16th century covering whole Western part of Bengal
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 3,954,776 | — |
| 1911 | 2,955,098 | −25.3% |
| 1921 | 4,101,516 | +38.8% |
| 1931 | 4,521,313 | +10.2% |
| 1941 | 5,506,442 | +21.8% |
| 1951 | 5,102,330 | −7.3% |
| 1961 | 6,915,348 | +35.5% |
| 1971 | 9,083,963 | +31.4% |
| 1981 | 11,743,209 | +29.3% |
| 1991 | 16,050,000 | +36.7% |
| 2001 | 20,240,543 | +26.1% |
| 2011 | 24,654,825 | +21.8% |
| Source: [19] | ||
As per as Indian Census figures, The Muslim population have increased from (5.1 million) 20 per cent in 1951 to (24.6 million) 27 per cent in 2011 (a growth of 19.5 million in absolute numbers and an increasement of 7 per cent points from last 6 decades) respectively.[20]
Partition and immigration
The
Muslim population in West Bengal before 1947 partition was around 33%.[21] After partition of Bengal in 1947, some Muslims from West Bengal left for East Pakistan, (Present-Day-Bangladesh). Estimates show that 1,634,718 Muslim refugees from West Bengal settling permanently in East Pakistan during 1947–1951.[22]
Population by district (2011)
| # | District | Total population | Muslim population | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Murshidabad | 7,103,807 | 4,707,573 | 66.88% |
| 2 | South 24 Parganas |
8,161,961 | 2,903,075 | 35.57% |
| 3 | North 24 Parganas | 10,009,781 | 2,584,684 | 25.82% |
| 4 | Malda | 3,988,845 | 2,045,151 | 51.27% |
| 5 | Bardhaman | 7,717,563 | 1,599,764 | 20.73% |
| 6 | Uttar Dinajpur | 3,007,134 | 1,501,170 | 49.92% |
| 7 | Nadia | 5,167,600 | 1,382,682 | 26.76% |
| 8 | Birbhum | 3,502,404 | 1,298,054 | 37.06% |
| 9 | Howrah | 4,850,029 | 1,270,641 | 26.20% |
| 10 | Kolkata | 4,496,694 | 926,414 | 20.60% |
| 11 | Hooghly | 5,519,145 | 870,204 | 15.77% |
| 12 | Purba Medinipur | 5,095,875 | 743,436 | 14.59% |
| 13 | Cooch Behar | 2,819,086 | 720,033 | 26.54% |
| 14 | Paschim Medinipur | 5,913,457 | 620,554 | 10.49% |
| 15 | Jalpaiguri | 3,872,846 | 445,817 | 11.51% |
| 16 | Dakshin Dinajpur | 1,676,276 | 412,788 | 24.63% |
| 17 | Bankura | 3,596,674 | 290,450 | 8.08% |
| 18 | Purulia | 2,930,115 | 227,249 | 7.76% |
| 19 | Darjeeling | 1,846,823 | 105,086 | 5.69% |
Linguistic groups
According to the 2021 census estimation, there were around 30 million
Urdu-speaking Muslims from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh constitute rest 2.9%, numbering around 3 million and are mainly concentrated in Kolkata, Asansol, Islampur subdivision of West Bengal.[25][3][26]
Notable Muslims from West Bengal
Kolkata
- Altamas Kabir, Indian former Chief Justice of India
- Abdul Masood, Indian Former cricketer.
- Hashim Abdul Halim, Indian Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembl.
- boxer, medalist in Commonwealth Games.
- Mohammad Hamid Ansari, former Vice President of India
- Mohammed Salim (footballer), Indian footballer
- Mohammed Salim (politician), The Minister for Technical Education and Training, Youth Welfare
- Mayor of Kolkata, MIC Urban Development and Municipal Affairs
- Begum Rokeya, Bengali feminist thinker, writer, Philanthropist
- Sultan Ahmed (politician), Indian politician and former Union Minister of State Tourism.
- Noor Alam Chowdhury, Former Minister of Animal Resources Development.
- Mohammed Rafique (footballer), Indian footballer
- Sahil Khan, Indian gymnast and model of India
- Nafisa Ali, Indian actress, politician and social activist
- Pinky Lilani, Indian author, motivational speaker, food expert and women's advocate
Malda
- Alaul Haq, Bengali Islamic scholar
- Usman Serajuddin, Bengali Islamic scholar
- Railways Minister (India)
- Maldaha Uttar
- Maldaha Dakshinand Ex-State Health Minister
- Sujapur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
- Sujapur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)and Ex-Minister of Science and Technology
- Mothabariand Minister of North Bengal Development, Irrigation Department
- Sujapur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
Murshidabad
- Nawab of Bengal
- Amina Begum, princess of the Nawab family and mother of siraj ud-Daulah
- nawab of Bengal
- Abul Hayat, actor
- Mir Afsar Ali, radio jockey, actor
- Abdul Alim, folk singer, songwriter
- Baby Islam, cinematographer and director
- Syed Mustafa Siraj, Bengali writer
- Mujibar Rahaman, Bengali Documentary Filmmaker
- Moinul Hassan, writer, member of Parliament of India
- Mabinul Haq, Bengali writer
- Moniruddin Khan, Bengali poet and writer
- Abul Bashar, Bengali writer
- mayor of Kolkata
- Jahanara Imam, writer and political activist
- Zainal Abedin, politician and four time former MP of Jangipur
- Niamot Sheikh, M.L.A of Hariharpara, Hariharpara
- Babar Ali (teacher), "youngest headmaster in the world" by BBC
Hooghly
- Mohammad Abu Bakr Siddique, was a Bengali Islamic scholar and the inaugural Pir of Furfura Sharif, West Bengal
- Abdul Mannan, politician
- Muhammad Mohsin, Bengali social reformer, Islamic scholar, philanthropist
- Syed Rahim Nabi, retired professional Indian international footballer who primarily played as a midfielder though he could play as a striker and defender.
- Abbas Siddiqui, founder of Indian Secular Front
Bardhaman
- Kazi Nazrul Islam, Bengali poet and music lyricist composer, writer known as Bidrohi Kobi.
- Abul Hashim, Islamic thinker and Freedom Fighter.
- Abdullah el Baqui, Bengali Islamic scholar, writer, Freedom Fighter.
- Nawab Abdul Jabbar, Indian bureaucrat, Social worker.
- Sheikh Saidul Haque, The first and incumbent M.P. from Bardhaman-Durgapur constituency.
- Abu Ayesh Mondal, Former chairman of West Bengal Minority Development & Finance Corporation.
- Siddiqullah Chowdhury, politician, minister and president Of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind.
Birbhum
- Ekram Ali, Bengali poet
North 24 Parganas
- Titumir One of the First Bengali Freedom Fighter
- Azizul Haque (educator), Educationist, Education minister for Bengal .
- Mohammad Akram Khan, Bengali journalist,
- Masudur Rahman Baidya, Bengali swimmer.
- Sheikh Sahil , Footballer
- Basirhat Uttar.
- Haji Nurul Islam Indian politician ,MLA from the Haroa.
- Abdur Rahim Quazi Indian politician ,MLA from the Baduria.
- ATM Abdullah Indian politician.
South 24 Parganas
- Abdur Razzak Molla, Former Minister for Land and Land Reforms
- Abul Hasnat, Bengali physician .
- Sonarpur Uttar
Howrah
- Azangachhi Shaheb, Indian Sufi saint.
- Hannan Mollah, social worker and MLA
- Afsar Amed, Writer
Uttar Dinajpur
- Abdul Karim Chowdhury , Bengali Former Politician , Ex Minister for Mass Education Extension and Library Services.
Midanapur
- Ubaidullah Al Ubaidi Suhrawardy, Bengali Educationist.
- Khujista Akhtar Banu, writer, social reformer.
- Begum Badar un nissa Akhtar, Indian social reformer.
- Zahid Suhrawardy, jurist and lawyer.
- Hasan Shaheed Suhrawardy, Translator, art critic, Diplomat.
- Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Prime minister of Bengal.
Cooch Behar
- Abbasuddin Ahmed, Folk singer and Composer.
- Ferdausi Rahman, Folk singer
- Hussain Muhammad Ershad, military officer and politician who served as President of Bangladesh.
Jalpaiguri
- Khaleda Zia, politician who served as Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
Nadia
- Mohammad Mozammel Huq, Poet, novelist
- I'tisam-ud-Din, linguistic, Munshi in Mughal period.
- Azizunnessa Khatun, a Bengali poet, writer, and philanthropist.
- Nurun Nahar Faizannesa, Feminist.
See also
References
- ^ a b "Population of West Bengal - West Bengal Population 2021".
- ^ a b "West Bengal assembly elections: Why getting Muslims votes could be tough for Mamata Banerjee". Times of India. 6 February 2021.
- ^ a b "West Bengal Population 2022".
- ^ Census of India - Religious Composition
- ^ "Why the 30% Muslim vote share is crucial in Bengal, explains Robin Roy".
- ^ Jayanta Ghosal (21 April 2021). "Decoding the Muslim vote in West Bengal". India Today. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ misu-2011-census.html "Census 2011 shows Islam is the fastest growing religion in India". Mint. 26 August 2015.
{{cite news}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ Saibal Sen (26 August 2015). "Bengal beats India in Muslim growth rate".
- ^ hajarduar (22 October 2013). "The curious case of the Surjapuri people". আলাল ও দুলাল | ALAL O DULAL. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ http://pu.edu.pk › historyPDF the diffusion of islam in bengal - Punjab University
- OL 30677644M. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
- 'Abd al-Haqq al-Dehlawi. Akhbarul Akhyar.
- OL 30677644M. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
- ^ Hanif, N (2000). Biographical Encyclopaedia of Sufis: South Asia. Prabhat Kumar Sharma, for Sarup & Sons. p. 35.
- ISBN 978-0-520-20507-9. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
- ^ Rabbani, AKM Golam (7 November 2017). "Politics and Literary Activities in the Bengali Language during the Independent Sultanate of Bengal". Dhaka University Journal of Linguistics. 1 (1): 151–166. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2017 – via www.banglajol.info.
- ^ Shoaib Daniyal (15 April 2015). "Bengali New Year: how Akbar invented the modern Bengali calendar". Scroll.in. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ Nahid Kamal. "The Population Trajectories of Bangladesh and West Bengal During the Twentieth Century: A Comparative Study" (PDF).
- ^ https://www.outlookindia.com/national/politicising-demography-magazine-284973
- ^ "Muslims of West Bengal" (PDF). core.ac.uk. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ISBN 978-1-139-46830-5.
- ^ Population by religious community: West Bengal. 2011 Census of India.
- ^ "Mamata's Muslim Gameplan".
- ^ "Owaisi's entry into Bengal likely to unsettle TMC's sway over minorities | India News - Times of India". The Times of India. 13 November 2020.
- ^ "West Bengal elections 2021: Mamata Banerjee and Muslim votes - Times of India". The Times of India.