Photo: Women and children in a fishing village, Bangladesh. Credit: Peter Fredenburg, 2009. In 1947, East Bengal became the most populous province in Pakistan. It was renamed ‘East Pakistan,’ and Dhaka became the country’s legislative capital. Following the rise of Bengali nationalism and pro-democracy movements combined with a conflict with Pakistan‘s military junta, the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 began. Aided by India, there was a successful armed revolution. However, the conflict saw Bangladeshi genocide and the massacre of pro-independence Bengali civilians, primarily targeting intellectuals. The new state of Bangladesh became the first constitutionally secular state in South Asia in 1972. Islam was declared the state religion in 1988, however in 2010 the Bangladesh Supreme Court reaffirmed secular principles in the constitution. The Constitution of Bangladesh officially declares it a socialist state. Follow Jim Luce on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and X (Twitter). © 2024 The Stewardship Report on Connecting Goodness – Towards Global Citizenship is published by The James Jay Dudley Luce Foundation Supporting & Educating Young Global Leaders is affiliated with Orphans International Worldwide, Raising Global Citizens. If supporting youth is important to you, subscribe to J. Luce Foundation updates here. Discover more from The Stewardship Report Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email. Type your email… Subscribe