The religious consciousness of the muslim minority in the muslim majority country: the case of Haidar Baba followers of Bangladesh

Abstract

The research assesses religious consciousness as an explicit rhetoric of lived experiences of a group of minority Muslims living in the Muslim majority country, Bangladesh. It is a qualitative endeavor that reports and interprets the religious consciousness of the followers of late Zulfigar Haider Shah, aka “Haidar Baba”. The research argues that the religion of a particular minority group, when socially constructed, founded on the beliefs and ideas that are socially significant for the group members. Second, the resemblances of the lives of the key figures of the world religions signify the ontological foundation of the beliefs of the minority. Third, the mystic experiences by the followers are pivotal because it leads them to a realm of symbolic meaning by obscuring their harsh mundane lives. Finally, the epistemological framework of the beliefs is centered on believing the omnipotent presence after demise, finding a deep sense of peace around the shrine, and regarding the late saint as an intercede on behalf to be acceptable to God. Since the most prolific research communities of the developed countries often get less scope to examine the modes and mechanisms of the traditional reproduction of beliefs of the Muslim minorities, studying the followers of Haidar baba would be a reference to how the religious consciousness of the minority flourishes and survives.

Keywords

• Lived Islam
• muslim minority
• shrine veneration
• ethnography
• Bangladesh