People's Republic of Bangladesh جمهورية بنغلاديش الشعبية

1971 CE – 9999 CE · South Asia (Bengal delta)

Bengali Muslim national identity; world's largest garment export industry; Sufi-influenced popular Islam; tension between secular founding ideology and rising Islamist influence

Capital

Dhaka

Peak Era

2010s–present (Development success story)

Historical Significance

Bangladesh — born from the 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan — is the world's eighth-most populous country and the third-largest Muslim-majority nation (~170 million Muslims). It demonstrates that a Muslim-majority country can achieve rapid economic growth through garment manufacturing and development innovation (Grameen Bank, BRAC) while navigating the tension between secular Bengali nationalism and Islamic identity. This tension manifests in political discourse and societal dynamics, as both secular nationalism and Islamic identity vie for legitimacy in shaping the nation's governance and cultural identity.