Re-Examining the Nexus between Madrasa Education and Politics in Bangladesh

Abstract

The paper investigates the dynamics between madrasa education and party politics in Bangladesh using data gathered through in-depth field interviews with madrasa students and teachers, and it examines the nature of madrasas’ political engagements, views and orientations. It argues against the conventional wisdom that madrasas in Bangladesh do not have political affiliations and, explicitly, do not organise activism with political parties. The survey supports the argument that the government Aliya madrasas are aligned with Bangladesh Jamaat-i-Islami politics, whereas the private Qaumi madrasas’ political alignments vary depending on the strength of the political party in the area in which the madrasa is located and the madrasa’s economic condition. However, Qaumi madrasas exhibit their political activism by controlling the ‘true’ meaning of Islam, by maintaining a monopoly of authority on Islam, and by mobilising for Bangladesh to become a Sharia-based Islamic state.