Understanding Perception of the Urban People on the Political Instrumentalisation of Religion in Bangladesh

Political elites in Bangladesh have been using religion for their political leverage, consolidating regimes and increasing their popularity, as the existing literature suggests. While existing literature has explored various debates regarding religion and politics, such as secularism and state religion, religious freedom, and minority rights, there is a gap in the literature that examines how people perceive these debates, especially the political instrumentalisation of religion by political elites. In this context, this study, underpinned by the elite instrumentalism theory, aims to understand the perception of the urban population, especially in Dhaka, regarding the institutional political instrumentalisation of religious institutions. To that end, this research followed the quantitative approach and survey method. The study offers three key findings. Firstly, it reveals a profound awareness of the implications of religious instrumentalisation in Bangladesh and a consistent understanding of secularism among participants. Secondly, the research argues that the public in an urban setting is aware of the contextual meaning of secularism, specifically as religious freedom and equality, and that the coexistence of secularism and the provision of state religion Islam is feasible in the country. Additionally, the concept of freedom of religion is also regarded as a fundamental element of human rights in the country. Finally, interesting findings emerged regarding the public perception of the stakeholders or agents involved in this phenomenon. Although scholarly consensus indicates that political parties and military rulers collectively contribute to the instrumentalisation of religion, the survey response failed to align with this consensus. In fact, public opinion regarding this issue is fragmented. The research contributes to the field by applying the elite instrumentalism theory in the Bangladesh case and by presenting the perceptions of urban people, which lends empirical significance to the findings.