Islam in West Bengal: Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox ethnic group
{{Short description|none}} <!-- This short description is INTENTIONALLY "none" - please see WP:SDNONE before you consider changing it! -->
{{use dmy dates|date=August 2015}}
{{Infobox religious group
| group            = Muslims in West Bengal
| group            = Muslims in West Bengal
| pop              = '''31,144,763''' (2021) <br /> (30% of the state population){{increase}}<ref name="indiaonlinepages-population">https://www.indiaonlinepages.com/population/west-bengal-population.html</ref><ref name="times-of-india-assembly-elections">{{Cite web |url=https://timesofindia.com/india/west-bengal-assembly-elections-why-getting-muslims-votes-could-be-tough-for-mamata-banerjee/articleshow/80725522.cms |title=West Bengal assembly elections: Why getting Muslims votes could be tough for Mamata Banerjee |website=Times of India}}</ref><ref name="free-press-journal-muslim-vote-share">https://www.freepressjournal.in/analysis/why-the-30-muslim-vote-share-is-crucial-in-bengal-explains-robin-roy</ref><ref name="india-census">https://www.indiacensus.net/states/west-bengal</ref><ref>[http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/India_at_glance/religion.aspx Census of India - Religious Composition]</ref>
| image            = Nakhoda Masjid Courtyard Top View.jpg
| regions          = Majority in [[Murshidabad district|Murshidabad]] with 66.2%, [[Maldah district|Maldah]] with 51.3%, [[Uttar Dinajpur district|Uttar dinajpur]] with 50%.
| caption          = [[Nakhoda Mosque|Nakhoda Masjid, Kolkata]]
 
| total            =  
Significant minority in [[Birbhum district|Birbhum]] with 37%, [[South 24 Parganas]] with 35.6%, [[Howrah]] with 26.20%.
| regions          = '''Majority''' {{plainlist| [[Murshidabad district|Murshidabad]] (66.3%) • [[Maldah district|Maldah]] (51.3%) • [[Uttar Dinajpur district|Uttar Dinajpur]] (50%)}}
| langs            = [[Bengali language|Bengali]] and [[Urdu]]
'''Significant minority''' {{plainlist|[[Birbhum district|Birbhum]] (37.1%) • [[South 24 Parganas]] (35.6%) • [[Nadia District|Nadia]] (26.76%) • [[Howrah District|Howrah]] (26.20%)  • [[North 24 Parganas]] (25.82%) }}
| langs            = Majority [[Bengali language|Bengali]], Minority [[Urdu]], [[Surjapuri]], and others
| native_name      =  
| native_name      =  
| native_name_lang =  
| native_name_lang =  
| religions        =  
| religions        = [[File:Star and Crescent.svg|15px|link=]] [[Sunni Islam]]
| related_groups  =  
| related_groups  =  
| rawimage        = File:Muslims-WB.jpg
| rawimage        =  
}}
|population=24,654,825 (2011 census) <br /> (27% of the state population){{increase}}<ref name="indiaonlinepages-population">{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiaonlinepages.com/population/west-bengal-population.html|title = Population of West Bengal - West Bengal Population 2021}}</ref><ref name="india-census">{{cite web | url=https://www.indiacensus.net/states/west-bengal | title=West Bengal Population 2022 }}</ref><ref>[http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/India_at_glance/religion.aspx Census of India - Religious Composition]</ref>}}
{{use dmy dates|date=August 2015}}
{{Islam}}
[[File:Zohora Begum Mosque 4.JPG|thumb|right|Zohora Begum Mosque in Kolkata]]
[[File:Motijheel Masjid 1.jpg|thumb|Motijheel Mosque, the oldest mosque of West Bengal, located in [[Murshidabad district]]]]
 
According to the 2011 census, [[West Bengal]] has over 24.6 million [[Muslims]], making up 27% of the state's population. The vast majority of Muslims in West Bengal are ethnic [[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 [[Urdu-speaking people|Urdu]]-speaking Muslim community numbering 1.66 million, constituting 2.9% of the state population and mostly resides in Urban areas of the state.<ref>[https://censusindia.gov.in/census.website/]</ref>
 
Muslims form the majority of the population in three districts: [[Murshidabad district|Murshidabad]], [[Malda district|Malda]] and [[Uttar Dinajpur district|Uttar Dinajpur]].<ref name="Saibal">{{cite news |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Bengal-beats-India-in-Muslim-growth-rate/articleshow/48675987.cms |title=Bengal beats India in Muslim growth rate |author=Saibal Sen |date=26 August 2015}}</ref> 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 language|Surjapuri]] speakers.<ref>{{Cite web|last=hajarduar|date=2013-10-22|title=The curious case of the Surjapuri people|url=https://alalodulal.org/2013/10/22/the-curious-case-of-the-surjapuri-people/|access-date=2022-01-22|website=আলাল ও দুলাল {{!}} ALAL O DULAL|language=en}}</ref>


According to the (2021) estimation, the [[West Bengal]] state has over 31,144,763 [[Muslims]], who form 30% of the state's population.<ref name="indiaonlinepages-population" /><ref name="free-press-journal-muslim-vote-share" /><ref name="times-of-india-assembly-elections" /><ref name="india-census" /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.livemint.com/Politics/XkVYBX2IaBk5Sqf8yr2XMM/Hindu-population-declined-Muslims-increased-2011-census.html |title=Census 2011 shows Islam is the fastest growing religion in India |date=26 August 2015 |newspaper=Mint }}</ref> The Muslim population in West Bengal as per as latest past Indian census of (2011) was around 24,654,825 forming 27% of the state population.<ref>https://core.ac.uk › pdfPDF
==History==
Muslims of West Bengal - CORE</ref> [[Muslims]] form the majority of the population in three districts: [[Murshidabad district|Murshidabad]], [[Malda district|Malda]] and [[Uttar Dinajpur district|Uttar Dinajpur]].<ref name=Saibal>{{cite news |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Bengal-beats-India-in-Muslim-growth-rate/articleshow/48675987.cms |title=Bengal beats India in Muslim growth rate |author=Saibal Sen |date=26 August 2015 }}</ref>
{{See also|Bengal Sultanate}}{{See also|Nawabs of Bengal and Murshidabad}}
[[File:Zafar Khan Ghazi Mosque And Dargah at Tribeni in West Bengal.jpg|thumb|The Gazi Dargah (গাজী দরগা) of Tribeni (ত্রিবেনী) in West Bengal. This is one of the oldest Islamic heritage structures of Bengal]]
[[File:Bengal Sultanate.png|thumb|upright=1.3|The [[Bengal Sultanate]], 16th century covering whole Western part of Bengal]]


==Demography==
[[Islam]] first arrived in Bengal in the year 1204.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Eaton |first1=Richard M. |title=The Rise of Islam and the Bengal Frontier, 1204-1760 |date=1993 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-20507-9 |edition=1 |url=https://archive.org/details/riseofislambenga00eato |url-access=registration}}</ref> The establishment of the first Muslim state in Bengal, the [[Bengal Sultanate]], in 1352 by [[Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah]] is credited to giving rise to a Bengali socio-linguistic identity.<ref name="Ahmed, ABM Shamsuddin">{{cite Banglapedia|article=Iliyas Shah|author=Ahmed, ABM Shamsuddin}}</ref> The Sultanate's influence was expansive, with the Hindu-born sultan [[Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah]] funding the construction of Islamic institutions as far as [[Makkah]] Al Mukarramah and [[Madinah]] Al Munawwarah, which came to be known as [[Banjaliyah Madrasah|al-Madaris al-Banjaliyyah]] (''Bengali madrasas''). [[Sufism|Sufis]] also became prominent in this period, such as [[Usman Serajuddin]], also known as ''Akhi Siraj Bengali'', who was a native of [[Gauḍa (city)|Gaur]] in western Bengal and became the Sultanate's court scholar during [[Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah|Ilyas Shah]]'s reign.<ref>{{cite book |author=[['Abd al-Haqq al-Dehlawi]] |title=Akhbarul Akhyar}}</ref><ref name="bpedia">{{cite Banglapedia|article=Shaikh Akhi Sirajuddin Usman (R)|author=Abdul Karim}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Hanif, N |title=Biographical Encyclopaedia of Sufis: South Asia |publisher=Prabhat Kumar Sharma, for Sarup & Sons |year=2000 |page=35}}</ref> Alongside Persian and Arabic, the Sultanate also used the [[Bengali language]] to gain patronage and support, contrary to previous states which exclusively favored [[liturgical language]]s such as [[Sanskrit]] and [[Pali]].<ref name="banglalang">"What is more significant, a contemporary Chinese traveler reported that although Persian was understood by some in the court, the language in universal use there was Bengali. This points to the waning, although certainly not yet the disappearance, of the sort of [[Cosmopolitanism|cosmopolitan]] mentality that the Muslim ruling class in Bengal had exhibited since its arrival over two centuries earlier. It also points to the survival and eventual dominance of [[Parochialism|parochial]] Bengali culture at the highest level of official society." {{harvcol|Eaton|1993|p=60}}</ref><ref name="jol">{{cite journal |last=Rabbani |first=AKM Golam |date=7 November 2017 |title=Politics and Literary Activities in the Bengali Language during the Independent Sultanate of Bengal |url=https://www.banglajol.info/index.php/DUJL/article/view/3344 |url-status=live |journal=Dhaka University Journal of Linguistics |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=151–166 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011123110/https://www.banglajol.info/index.php/DUJL/article/view/3344 |archive-date=11 October 2017 |access-date=7 November 2017 |via=www.banglajol.info}}</ref> [[Islam]] became especially widespread when the region was under [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] rule from 1576 to 1765 and was commonly known as [[Bengal Subah]].{{citation needed|date=November 2022}} The [[Mughal Emperor]]s considered Bengal their most prized province. The [[Mughal emperors|Mughal emperor]] [[Emperor Akbar|Akbar]] is credited with developing the modern [[Bengali calendar]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Shoaib Daniyal |url=http://scroll.in/article/720351/bengali-new-year-how-akbar-invented-the-modern-bengali-calendar |title=Bengali New Year: how Akbar invented the modern Bengali calendar |website=Scroll.in |date=15 April 2015 |access-date=7 November 2016}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+ ''Percentage and population of Muslims in West Bengal by decades''<ref>https://m.statisticstimes.com/demographics/india/west-bengal-population.php</ref><ref name="BPSR_2019">{{cite news |url=http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/2342/1/U615290.pdf |title=The Population Trajectories of Bangladesh and West Bengal During the Twentieth Century: A Comparative Study |author=Nahid Kamal}}</ref>
|-
! Year
! Percentage (%)
! Muslim Population [[File:Star and Crescent.svg|18px]]
! Total population
|-
| '''1901'''
| 29.44
| 3,954,776
| 16,940,088
|-
| '''1911'''
| 26.31
| 2,955,098
| 17,998,769
|-
| '''1921'''
| 26.07
| 4,101,516
| 17,474,348
|-
| '''1931'''
| 26.65
| 4,521,313
| 18,897,036
|-
| '''1941'''
| 26.18
| 5,506,442
| 23,229,552
|-
| '''1951'''
| 19.85
| 5,102,330
| 26,299,980
|-
| '''1961'''
| 20
| 6,915,348
| 34,926,279
|-
| '''1971'''
| 20.46
| 9,083,963
| 44,312,011
|-
| '''1981'''
| 21.51
| 11,743,209
| 54,580,647
|-
| '''1991'''
| 23.61
| 16,050,000
| 68,077,965
|-
| '''2001'''
| 25.25
| 20,240,543
| 80,176,197
|-
| '''2011'''
| 27
| 24,654,825
| 91,347,736
|-
| '''2021'''
| 30
| 31,144,763
| 103,815,877
|}


== Population ==
== Population ==
{{Historical populations
{{Historical populations
|title      = Historical Muslim Population
|title      = Historical Muslim Population in West Bengal
|type        =  
|type        =  
|footnote    =  
|footnote    =  
Line 102: Line 38:
|state      =  
|state      =  
|shading    =  
|shading    =  
|pop_name    =
|pop_name    =  
|percentages =  
|percentages =  
|source      = <ref name="BPSR_2019" />
|source      = <ref name="BPSR_2019">{{cite news |url=http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/2342/1/U615290.pdf |title=The Population Trajectories of Bangladesh and West Bengal During the Twentieth Century: A Comparative Study |author=Nahid Kamal}}</ref>
|1901 | 3,954,776
|1901 | 3,954,776
|1911 | 2,955,098
|1911 | 2,955,098
Line 110: Line 46:
|1931 | 4,521,313
|1931 | 4,521,313
|1941 | 5,506,442
|1941 | 5,506,442
|1951 | 5,102,330
|1951 | 4,402,330
|1961 | 6,915,348
|1961 | 5,515,348
|1971 | 9,083,963
|1971 | 7,983,963
|1981 | 11,743,209
|1981 | 9,743,209
|1991 | 16,050,000
|1991 | 12,050,000
|2001 | 20,240,543
|2001 | 18,240,543
|2011 | 24,654,825
|2011 | 24,654,825
|2021 | 31,144,763
}}
}}
The [[Muslim]] population in West Bengal before 1947 partition was around 30%.<ref name="core.ac.uk">{{cite news |title=Muslims of West Bengal |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/144521229.pdf |access-date=16 March 2021 |work=core.ac.uk}}</ref> After [[Partition of Bengal (1947)|partition of Bengal]] in 1947, some Muslims from [[West Bengal]] left for [[East Pakistan]], (Present-Day-[[Bangladesh]]). Estimates show that 1,534,718 [[Muslim]] refugees from West Bengal settling permanently in East Pakistan during 1947–1951.<ref name="Chatterji-2007">{{cite book |last=Chatterji |first=Joya |date=2007 |title=The Spoils of Partition: Bengal and India, 1947–1967 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FjQ0iWSq2R0C |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-139-46830-5}}</ref>


=== Population by district (2011)===
As per as Indian Census figures, The Muslim population in West Bengal has increased from 19.85 per cent in 1951 to 27 per cent in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bhattacharya |first=Snigdhendu |date=12 May 2023 |title=The Politics of Demography in Assam and West Bengal |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/national/politicising-demography-magazine-284973 |website=Outlook}}</ref>
 
===Partition and immigration===
{{See also|Partition of Bengal (1947)}}
The Muslim population in West Bengal before 1947 partition was around 33%.<ref name="core.ac.uk">{{cite news |title=Muslims of West Bengal |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/144521229.pdf |access-date=16 March 2021 |work=core.ac.uk}}</ref> After [[Partition of Bengal (1947)|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.<ref name="Chatterji-2007">{{cite book |last=Chatterji |first=Joya |date=2007 |title=The Spoils of Partition: Bengal and India, 1947–1967 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FjQ0iWSq2R0C |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-139-46830-5}}</ref>
 
=== Population by district (2011) ===
 
[[File:Percentage of Muslim population in West Bengal.svg|thumb|Percentage share of Muslims in the districts of West Bengal, 2011 Census]]


{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
Line 127: Line 69:
! # || District || Total population || Muslim population || %
! # || District || Total population || Muslim population || %
|-
|-
| 1 || [[Murshidabad district|Murshidabad]] || 7,103,807 || 4,707,573 ||style="background: darkgreen" |66.88%
| 1 || [[Murshidabad district|Murshidabad]] || 7,103,807 || 4,707,573 || 66.27%
|-
|-
| 2 || [[South 24 Parganas district|South 24 Parganas]] || 8,161,961 || 2,903,075 || style="background: lightgreen |35.57%
| 2 || [[South 24 Parganas district|South 24 Parganas]] || 8,161,961 || 2,903,075 || 35.57%
|-
|-
| 3 || [[North 24 Parganas district|North 24 Parganas]] || 10,009,781 || 2,584,684 || 25.82%
| 3 || [[North 24 Parganas district|North 24 Parganas]] || 10,009,781 || 2,584,684 || 25.82%
|-
|-
| 4 || [[Malda district|Malda]] || 3,988,845 || 2,045,151 || style="background: darkgreen" |51.27%
| 4 || [[Malda district|Malda]] || 3,988,845 || 2,045,151 || 51.27%
|-
|-
| 5 || [[Bardhaman district|Bardhaman]] || 7,717,563 || 1,599,764 || 20.73%
| 5 || [[Bardhaman district|Bardhaman]] || 7,717,563 || 1,599,764 || 20.73%
|-
|-
| 6 || [[Uttar Dinajpur district|Uttar Dinajpur]] || 3,007,134 || 1,501,170 ||style="background: lightgreen |49.92%
| 6 || [[Uttar Dinajpur district|Uttar Dinajpur]] || 3,007,134 || 1,501,170 ||49.92%
|-
|-
| 7 || [[Nadia district|Nadia]] || 5,167,600 || 1,382,682 || 26.76%
| 7 || [[Nadia district|Nadia]] || 5,167,600 || 1,382,682 || 26.76%
|-
|-
| 8 || [[Birbhum district|Birbhum]] || 3,502,404 || 1,298,054 || style="background: lightgreen |37.06%
| 8 || [[Birbhum district|Birbhum]] || 3,502,404 || 1,298,054 || 37.06%
|-
|-
| 9 || [[Howrah district|Howrah]] || 4,850,029 || 1,270,641 || 26.20%
| 9 || [[Howrah district|Howrah]] || 4,850,029 || 1,270,641 || 26.20%
Line 164: Line 106:
|-
|-
| 19 || [[Darjeeling district|Darjeeling]] || 1,846,823 || 105,086 || 5.69%
| 19 || [[Darjeeling district|Darjeeling]] || 1,846,823 || 105,086 || 5.69%
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|##    || '''West Bengal''' (Total) || '''91,276,115''' || '''24,654,825'''|| '''27.01%'''
|}
|}


=== Trends ===
=== Linguistic groups ===
According to the census, there were around 24.6 million [[Bengali Muslims|Muslims]] living in [[West Bengal]], comprising 27% of the state's population. Nearly most of them, about 22 million are native [[Bengali Muslims]], constituting around 90% of the total Muslim population in the state, and are mostly concentrated in rural and Semi Urban areas. The [[Urdu-speaking]] [[Muslims]] from [[Bihar]] and [[Uttar Pradesh]] constitute rest, numbering around  2.6 million and are mainly concentrated in [[Kolkata]], [[Asansol]], [[Islampur subdivision]] of West Bengal.[https://censusindia.gov.in/census.website/]


{| class="wikitable"
==Notable Muslims from West Bengal==
|+ Trends in Muslim population of West Bengal after Partition<ref name="BPSR_2015">{{cite news |url=http://www.thestatesman.com/news/opinion/bengal-s-topsy-turvy-population-growth/93152.html |title=Bengal’s topsy-turvy population growth |author=B.P. Syam Roy |newspaper=The Statesman |date=28 September 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910125228/http://www.thestatesman.com/news/opinion/bengal-s-topsy-turvy-population-growth/93152.html |archivedate=10 September 2016}}</ref><ref name="BPSR_2019" />
*[[Murshid Quli Khan]], the first [[Nawab of Bengal]], Murshidaabad.  
! Census year !! % of total population !! Decadal growth !! Increase
*[[Siraj ud-Daulah]], last independent [[nawab of Bengal]], Murshidaabad.  
 
*[[Alivardi Khan]], [[Nawab of Bengal]], Murshidaabad.  
|-
*[[Titumir]], Indian Bengali Revolutionary, Barasat, North 24 Parganas
|1946 '''(Before partition)''' || 30.32%<ref name="core.ac.uk" /> || NA || NA
*[[Kazi Nazrul Islam]], Bengali poet and music lyricist composer, writer known as Bidrohi Kobi, Aasansol.  
|-
*[[Begum Rokeya]], Bengali feminist thinker, writer, Philanthropist in Pre Independent India, Belgharia.  
| 1951 || 19.85% || 27.26% || style="background: red" |
*[[Alimuddin Ahmad]], Bengali Freedom Fighter in Pre Independent India, Kolkata
'''-10.47%'''
*[[Syed Badrudduja]], [[List of mayors of Kolkata|Mayor of Kolkata]]
|-
*[[Syed Mustafa Siraj]], Indian Bengali Writer, Murshidaabad
| 1961 || 20% || 36.48% || style="background: lightgreen" | '''+0.15%'''
*[[Masudur Rahman Baidya]], First physically disabled Asian swimmer to cross the English Channel.  
|-
*[[Mohammed Ali Qamar]] is a first Bengali Indian to win a gold medal in [[Commonwealth Games]], Kolkata.
| 1971 || 20.46% || 29.76% || style="background: lightgreen" | '''+0.46%'''
*[[Abu Sayeed Ayyub]], [[Sahitya Akademi Award]] winner Writer, literary critic, Educator in Kolkata.  
|-
*[[Abul Bashar]], [[Banga Bhushan]] winner Novelist, Poet
| 1981 || 21.51% || 29.55% || style="background: lightgreen" | '''+1.05%'''
*[[Farha Khatun]] is a National Awarded [[documentary film]]maker, Kolkata
|-
*[[Muhammad Mohsin]], Philanthropist and Educator.
| 1991 || 23.61% || 36.89% || style="background: lightgreen" | '''+2.1%'''
|-
| 2001 || 25.25% || 25.91% || style="background: lightgreen" | '''+1.64%'''
|-
| 2011 || 27.01% || 21.80% || style="background: lightgreen" | '''+1.76%'''
|-
| 2021 || 30%<ref name="times-of-india-assembly-elections" />|| 26.30% || style="background: lightgreen" | '''+2.99%'''
|}


{| class="wikitable"
|+ Trends in Muslim population of West Bengal before Partition<ref name="BPSR_2019" />
! Census year !! % of total population !! Decadal growth !! Increase
|-
| 1901 || 25.98% || NA || NA
|-
| 1911 || 26.31% || NA || NA
|-
| 1921 || 26.07% || NA || NA
|-
| 1931 || 26.65% || NA || NA
|-
| 1941 || 26.18% || NA || NA
|}
===Projections===
According to the 2011 census, there were around 24.6 million Muslims living in West Bengal. Nearly 19 million are Bengali Muslims, constituting around 77% of the total Muslim population in the state, and they are mainly concentrated in rural areas. The Urdu-speaking Muslims live mainly in Kolkata and other urban areas of West Bengal.<ref>https://m.timesofindia.com/india/west-bengal-elections-2021-mamata-banerjee-and-muslim-votes/articleshow/81700787.cms</ref> Their percentage in the population has remained largely stable, from 30.3% in 1946 (before partition) to again regaining 30.05% in 2021 as the same status just they have before partition of Bengal in 1947.<ref name="free-press-journal-muslim-vote-share" /><ref name="times-of-india-assembly-elections" /><ref name="Chatterji-2007" /> Furthermore, the Muslim decadal growth rate has decreased over the last three decades, owing to a fall in fertility rates.<ref>https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/condition-of-muslims-in-west-bengal-a-reality-check-ahead-of-west-bengal-assembly-elections-2021/article33887344.ece</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Ghosh |first1=Subhanil Chowdhury & Saswata |title=Condition of Muslims in West Bengal: A reality check |url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/the-nation/condition-of-muslims-in-west-bengal-a-reality-check-ahead-of-west-bengal-assembly-elections-2021/article33887344.ece |access-date=16 March 2021 |work=Frontline |language=en}}</ref>
==Notable Muslims from West Bengal==
===Kolkata===
===Kolkata===
* [[Mohammed Ali Qamar]], [[boxer]], medalist in [[Commonwealth Games]]
* [[Wajid Ali Shah]], last king of calcutta from Lucknow.
* [[Rupam Islam]], musician
* [[Abu Sayeed Ayyub]], Indian philosopher, teacher, literary critic and writer.
* [[Masudur Rahman Baidya]], [[swimmer]]
* [[Altamas Kabir]], Indian former [[Chief Justice of India]]
* [[Alimuddin Ahmad]], Indian Freedom Fighter
* [[Abdul Masood]], Indian Former cricketer.
* [[Gauri Ayyub]], Indian Teacher and Social activists
* [[Hashim Abdul Halim]], Indian Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly
* [[Mohammed Ali Qamar]], [[Boxer (boxing)|boxer]], medalist in [[Commonwealth Games]].
* [[Mohammad Hamid Ansari]], former [[Vice President of India]]
* [[Mohammad Hamid Ansari]], former [[Vice President of India]]
* [[Mohammed Salim (footballer)]]
* [[Mohammed Salim (footballer)]], Indian footballer
* [[Mohammed Salim (politician)]]
* [[Mohammed Salim (politician)]], The Minister for Technical Education and Training, Youth Welfare
* [[Altamas Kabir]], former [[Chief Justice of India]]
* [[Muzaffar Ahmad]], Indian journalist, essaist,  and a co-founder of the Communist Party of India.
* [[Nusrat Jahan]], Indian Bengali Actress.
* [[Firhad Hakim]], [[Mayors of Kolkata|Mayor]] of [[Kolkata]], MIC Urban Development and Municipal Affairs
* [[Firhad Hakim]], [[Mayors of Kolkata|Mayor]] of [[Kolkata]], MIC Urban Development and Municipal Affairs
* [[Sultan Ahmed (Indian politician)|Sultan Ahmed (politician)]], Indian politician and former Union Minister of State Tourism
* [[Begum Rokeya]], Bengali feminist thinker, writer, Philanthropist
* [[Nafisa Ali]], actress, politician and social activist
* [[Farha Khatun]], [[67th National Film Awards]] Winner [[Documentary film|Documentary Filmmaker]]
* [[Sahil Khan]], gymnast and model of India
* [[Sultan Ahmed (Indian politician)|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
* [[Rupam Islam]], Founder of Bengali rock music band [[Fossils (band)|Fossils]]
* [[Kabir Suman]], Indian Musician, lyricist, Former Journalists & Actor
* [[Kazi Masum Akhtar]], Educator and  writer and [[Padma Shri]] winner.
* [[Shehla Pervin]], Indian Scientist


===Malda===
===Malda===
* [[Shahzada Barbak]], the [[Sultan of Bengal]]
* [[Saifuddin Firuz Shah]], the [[Sultan of Bengal]]
* [[Alaul Haq]], Bengali Islamic scholar
* [[Ghulam Husain Salim]], Historian
* [[Usman Serajuddin]], Bengali Islamic scholar
* [[A B A Ghani Khan Choudhury]], former [[Railways Minister (India)]]
* [[A B A Ghani Khan Choudhury]], former [[Railways Minister (India)]]
* [[Mausam Noor]] Formar [[Member of Indian Parliament|M.P]] of [[Maldaha Uttar (Lok Sabha constituency)|Maldaha Uttar]]
* [[Mausam Noor]] former [[Member of Indian Parliament|M.P]] of [[Maldaha Uttar (Lok Sabha constituency)|Maldaha Uttar]]
* [[Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury]] [[Member of Indian Parliament|M.P]] of [[Maldaha Dakshin (Lok Sabha constituency)|Maldaha Dakshin]] and Ex-State Health Minister
* [[Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury]] [[Member of Indian Parliament|M.P]] of [[Maldaha Dakshin (Lok Sabha constituency)|Maldaha Dakshin]] and Ex-State Health Minister
* [[Isha Khan Choudhury]] current [[West Bengal Legislative Assembly|M.L.A]] of [[Sujapur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)]]
* [[Isha Khan Choudhury]] current [[West Bengal Legislative Assembly|M.L.A]] of [[Sujapur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)]]
* [[Abu Nasar Khan Choudhury]] Ex-[[West Bengal Legislative Assembly|M.L.A]] of [[Sujapur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)]] and Ex-Minister of Science and Technology
* [[Abu Nasar Khan Choudhury]] Ex-[[West Bengal Legislative Assembly|M.L.A]] of [[Sujapur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)]] and Ex-Minister of Science and Technology
* [[Sabina Yeasmin]] current [[West Bengal Legislative Assembly|M.L.A]] of [[Mothabari]] and Ex-Minister of Labour Department
* [[Sabina Yeasmin]] current [[West Bengal Legislative Assembly|M.L.A]] of [[Mothabari]] and Minister of North Bengal Development, Irrigation Department
* [[Rubi Noor]] former three times [[West Bengal Legislative Assembly|M.L.A]] of [[Sujapur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)]]
* [[Rubi Noor]] former three times [[West Bengal Legislative Assembly|M.L.A]] of [[Sujapur (Vidhan Sabha constituency)]]


===Murshidabad===
===Murshidabad===
* [[Mir Afsar Ali]], Radio Jockey, Actor
*[[Murshid Quli Khan]], the first [[Nawab of Bengal]]
* [[Syed Mustafa Siraj]], Bengali writer
*[[Alivardi Khan]], [[Nawab of Bengal]]
* [[Abul Bashar]], Bengali writer
*[[Amina Begum]], Princess of Bengal.
* [[Niamot Sheikh]], Current M.L.A of Hariharpara, [[Hariharpara]].
*[[Siraj ud-Daulah]], last independent [[nawab of Bengal]]
*[[Abul Hayat]], actor
*[[Atiul Islam]], Indian Filmmaker
*[[Mir Afsar Ali]], radio jockey, actor
*[[Abdul Alim]], folk singer, songwriter
*[[Rabiul Alam]], actor
*[[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
*[[Syed Badrudduja]], Former [[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===
===Hooghly===
*[[Abdul Mannan (West Bengal politician)]], Politician
* [[Mohammad Abu Bakr Siddique]], was a Bengali Islamic scholar and the inaugural Pir of [[Furfura Sharif]], West Bengal
* [[Abdul Mannan (West Bengal politician)|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]]
* [[Nawsad Siddique]], politician


===Burdwan===
===Bardhaman===
*[[Siddiqullah Chowdhury]], Politician & President Of [[Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind]]# Tabassum ara deputy Mayor ## Mir hasim amc President
* [[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===
*[[Rezaul Karim (lawyer)|Rezaul Karim]], Nationalist.
*[[Ekram Ali]], Bengali poet
*[[Mosarraf Hossain]], Member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly
*[[Manirul Islam (Indian politician)]],
 
===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
* [[Rafikul Islam Mondal]] Indian politician, MLA from the [[Basirhat Uttar]].
* [[Haji Nurul Islam]] Indian politician, MLA from the [[Haroa Assembly constituency|Haroa]].
* [[Abdur Rahim Quazi]] Indian politician, MLA from the [[Baduria Assembly constituency|Baduria]].
* [[ATM Abdullah]] Indian politician.


===South 24 Parganas===
===South 24 Parganas===
*[[Abdur Razzak Molla]], Politician & Former Minister Of Land Reforms
* [[Abul Hasnat (Magrahat Paschim politician)|Abul Hasnat]], Bengali physician .
* [[Abdur Razzak Molla]], Former Minister for Land and Land Reforms  
* [[Firdousi Begum]], First Lady MLA of [[Sonarpur Uttar]]
 
===Howrah===
*[[Azangachhi Shaheb]], Indian Sufi saint.
*[[Afsar Amed]], Writer
*[[Hannan Mollah]], social worker and MLA
 
===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|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==
==See also==
{{Portal|India|Islam}}
* [[Islam in Bangladesh]]
* [[Islam in Bangladesh]]
* [[Bengali Muslims]]
* [[Bengali Muslims]]
* [[Islam in India]]
* [[Islam in India]]
* [[Hinduism in Bangladesh|Hinduism in East Bengal]]


== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist|2}}
 
== External links ==
{{Commons}}
 
{{Islam in India by region}}
{{Islam in India by region}}
{{Minority Concentrated Districts in India}}


[[Category:Islam in West Bengal| ]]
[[Category:Islam in India by state or union territory|West Bengal]]
[[Category:Islam in India by state or union territory|West Bengal]]
[[Category:Religion in West Bengal]]

Revision as of 15:02, 15 March 2026


Muslims in West Bengal
Nakhoda Masjid, Kolkata
Total population
24,654,825 (2011 census)
(27% of the state population)Increase[1][2][3]
Regions with significant populations
Majority
Murshidabad (66.3%) • Maldah (51.3%) • Uttar Dinajpur (50%)
Significant minority
Birbhum (37.1%) • South 24 Parganas (35.6%) • Nadia (26.76%) • Howrah (26.20%) • North 24 Parganas (25.82%)
Religions
Sunni Islam
Languages
Majority Bengali, Minority Urdu, Surjapuri, and others
Part of a series on
Islam
Beliefs
Practices
History
Culture and society
Related topics
Motijheel Mosque, the oldest mosque of West Bengal, located in Murshidabad district

According to the 2011 census, West Bengal has over 24.6 million Muslims, making up 27% of the state's population. The vast majority of Muslims in West Bengal are ethnic 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 Urdu-speaking Muslim community numbering 1.66 million, constituting 2.9% of the state population and mostly resides in Urban areas of the state.[4]

Muslims form the majority of the population in three districts: Murshidabad, Malda and Uttar Dinajpur.[5] 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.[6]

History

See also: Bengal Sultanate
See also: Nawabs of Bengal and Murshidabad
The Gazi Dargah (গাজী দরগা) of Tribeni (ত্রিবেনী) in West Bengal. This is one of the oldest Islamic heritage structures of Bengal
The Bengal Sultanate, 16th century covering whole Western part of Bengal

Islam first arrived in Bengal in the year 1204.[7] The establishment of the first Muslim state in Bengal, the Bengal Sultanate, in 1352 by Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah is credited to giving rise to a Bengali socio-linguistic identity.[8] The Sultanate's influence was expansive, with the Hindu-born sultan Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah funding the construction of Islamic institutions as far as Makkah Al Mukarramah and Madinah Al Munawwarah, which came to be known as al-Madaris al-Banjaliyyah (Bengali madrasas). Sufis also became prominent in this period, such as Usman Serajuddin, also known as Akhi Siraj Bengali, who was a native of Gaur in western Bengal and became the Sultanate's court scholar during Ilyas Shah's reign.[9][10][11] Alongside Persian and Arabic, the Sultanate also used the Bengali language to gain patronage and support, contrary to previous states which exclusively favored liturgical languages such as Sanskrit and Pali.[12][13] Islam became especially widespread when the region was under Mughal rule from 1576 to 1765 and was commonly known as Bengal Subah.[citation needed] The Mughal Emperors considered Bengal their most prized province. The Mughal emperor Akbar is credited with developing the modern Bengali calendar.[14]

Population

Historical Muslim Population in West Bengal
YearPop.±%
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 4,402,330−20.1%
1961 5,515,348+25.3%
1971 7,983,963+44.8%
1981 9,743,209+22.0%
1991 12,050,000+23.7%
2001 18,240,543+51.4%
2011 24,654,825+35.2%
Source: [15]

As per as Indian Census figures, The Muslim population in West Bengal has increased from 19.85 per cent in 1951 to 27 per cent in 2011.[16]

Partition and immigration

See also: Partition of Bengal (1947)

The Muslim population in West Bengal before 1947 partition was around 33%.[17] 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.[18]

Population by district (2011)

Percentage share of Muslims in the districts of West Bengal, 2011 Census
Muslims in West Bengal by district (2011)[19]
# District Total population Muslim population %
1 Murshidabad 7,103,807 4,707,573 66.27%
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 25.54%
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 census, there were around 24.6 million Muslims living in West Bengal, comprising 27% of the state's population. Nearly most of them, about 22 million are native Bengali Muslims, constituting around 90% of the total Muslim population in the state, and are mostly concentrated in rural and Semi Urban areas. The Urdu-speaking Muslims from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh constitute rest, numbering around 2.6 million and are mainly concentrated in Kolkata, Asansol, Islampur subdivision of West Bengal.[2]

Notable Muslims from West Bengal

Kolkata

Malda

Murshidabad

Hooghly

Bardhaman

Birbhum

North 24 Parganas

South 24 Parganas

Howrah

Uttar Dinajpur

  • Abdul Karim Chowdhury, Bengali Former Politician, Ex Minister for Mass Education Extension and Library Services.

Midanapur

Cooch Behar

Jalpaiguri

  • Khaleda Zia, politician who served as Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

Nadia

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Population of West Bengal - West Bengal Population 2021".
  2. ↑ "West Bengal Population 2022".
  3. ↑ Census of India - Religious Composition
  4. ↑ [1]
  5. ↑ Saibal Sen (26 August 2015). "Bengal beats India in Muslim growth rate".
  6. ↑ hajarduar (22 October 2013). "The curious case of the Surjapuri people". আলাল ও দুলাল | ALAL O DULAL. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  7. ↑ Eaton, Richard M. (1993). The Rise of Islam and the Bengal Frontier, 1204-1760 (1 ed.). University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-20507-9.
  8. ↑ Ahmed, ABM Shamsuddin (2012). "Iliyas Shah". In Islam, Sirajul; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  9. ↑ 'Abd al-Haqq al-Dehlawi. Akhbarul Akhyar.
  10. ↑ Abdul Karim (2012). "Shaikh Akhi Sirajuddin Usman (R)". In Islam, Sirajul; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. Retrieved 9 August 2026.
  11. ↑ Hanif, N (2000). Biographical Encyclopaedia of Sufis: South Asia. Prabhat Kumar Sharma, for Sarup & Sons. p. 35.
  12. ↑ "What is more significant, a contemporary Chinese traveler reported that although Persian was understood by some in the court, the language in universal use there was Bengali. This points to the waning, although certainly not yet the disappearance, of the sort of cosmopolitan mentality that the Muslim ruling class in Bengal had exhibited since its arrival over two centuries earlier. It also points to the survival and eventual dominance of parochial Bengali culture at the highest level of official society." (Eaton 1993:60)
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ Shoaib Daniyal (15 April 2015). "Bengali New Year: how Akbar invented the modern Bengali calendar". Scroll.in. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  15. ↑ Nahid Kamal. "The Population Trajectories of Bangladesh and West Bengal During the Twentieth Century: A Comparative Study" (PDF).
  16. ↑ Bhattacharya, Snigdhendu (12 May 2023). "The Politics of Demography in Assam and West Bengal". Outlook.
  17. ↑ "Muslims of West Bengal" (PDF). core.ac.uk. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  18. ↑ Chatterji, Joya (2007). The Spoils of Partition: Bengal and India, 1947–1967. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-139-46830-5.
  19. ↑ Population by religious community: West Bengal. 2011 Census of India.

External links

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