Christian mission in Bangladesh : a case study of Khulna division

Abstract

Bangladesh has a long history of Christian missionary activities lasting around 500 years. The dramatic rise of Christianity every year and the popularity of Christian missionary activities in Bangladesh are causing tension in society as Muslims perceive the phenomenon as a threat to the understanding and practice of their religion and culture. Thus, this research aims to study the historical background of the Christian mission in Khulna Division, identifying the significant areas of activity that Christian missionaries apply for conversion. Similarly, the research investigates how Muslim du’at and Hindu priests in Khulna have responded to Christian missionary activities. The research adopted a qualitative method that incorporates extensive textual analysis. Data were collected from both primary and secondary sources. Interviews were carried out with Muslim du’at and Hindu religious leaders. The secondary data were sourced mainly from relevant books, documents, articles, theses, dissertations, seminar and conference papers, journals, reliable websites, newspapers, and social media. Two different methods were utilized for the data analysis, namely descriptive and analytical techniques. The findings of the research revealed that there are five key factors influencing religious conversion: socio-economic factors; psychological and emotional appeals; education and interfaith dialogue; government policies and support from the legal infrastructure; and misinformation about religious texts. In addition to that, this research analysed the attitudes of Hindu religious leaders towards Hindu conversion to Christianity. Likewise, the research discovered the strategies to contain Muslim conversion to Christianity as follows: da'wah, which includes training programs for Muslim du’at, producing and distributing da’wah literature, promoting knowledge of comparative religion, expanding discussions on Islam’s superiority; educational initiatives; social awareness about missionary activities; community outreach programs; and service-oriented programs. The researcher concluded that Muslim du’at and scholars should take proactive measures in propagating Islam as a whole. In addition, practising Muslims should promote social development projects such as education, medical services, poverty alleviation, relief and rehabilitation, and other measures that will prevent Muslims from being enticed by Christian missionary propaganda in this regard.