Bangladesh-Saudi Arabia relations
Map indicating locations of Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia

Bangladesh
Saudi Arabia

Bangladesh–Saudi Arabia relations are the diplomatic and bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia. Relations between the two nations had a strained beginning but have grown strong since then. Being a Muslim-majority state, Bangladesh attaches a special importance to its ties with Saudi Arabia, which is the birthplace of Islam. Both nations are members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Saudi Arabia hosts a large proportion of the global Bangladeshi diaspora.[1][2][3]

History

The Sultan of Bengal, Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah, sponsored the construction of madrasas in the Hejaz.[4] The schools became known as Bangaliyyah madrasas. Taqi al-Din al-Fasi, a contemporary Arab scholar, was a teacher at the madrasa in Makkah. A madrasa in Madinah was built at a place called Husn al-Atiq near the Prophet's Mosque.[5] Several other Bengali Sultans also sponsored madrasas in the Hejaz, including Sultan Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah, who had close relations with the Sharif of Makkah and would gift him and other residents of the two holy cities with presents and robes of honours.[6]

The introduction of Islam to the Bengali people has generated a connection to Saudi Arabia, as Muslims are required to visit the land once in their lifetime to complete the Hajj pilgrimage. Some Bengalis even settled in present-day Saudi Arabia and an early example is that of Haji Shariatullah's teacher Mawlana Murad, who was permanently residing in the city of Mecca in the early 1800s.[7]

Liberation War

United States diplomat Kissinger sent letters to King Faisal, encouraging its participation in the Bangladesh Liberation War. F-86 aircraft were sent from Saudi Arabia to help camouflage the extent of PAF aircraft losses and perhaps as a potential training unit to prepare Pakistani pilots for an influx of more F-5s from Saudi Arabia.[8]

Establishment of diplomatic relations

Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh formally established diplomatic relations in 1975–76, after the Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by mutinous officers in Bangladesh Army. The military regimes of Ziaur Rahman and Hussain Muhammad Ershad took steps to forge strong commercial and cultural ties with Saudi Arabia. Since the late 1980s, many both skilled and unskilled Bangladeshi workers have moved to Saudi Arabia; the number of Bangladeshis living in Saudi Arabia today exceeds 2.5 million. Many Muslim religious students and clerics also regularly travel to Saudi Arabia for study and religious work. As one of the most populous Muslim countries, Bangladesh is a major source of Hajj pilgrims. Saudi Arabia has become a major source of financing and economic aid to Bangladesh.[9] In August 2014 Saudi Arabia banned Bangladeshi women from marrying Saudi nationals.[10][11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Saudi Arabia widens its door for Bangladesh". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  2. ↑ "Saudi Arabia keen to expand relations with Bangladesh". Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha. 19 June 2013. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  3. ↑ "Kingdom-Bangladesh meet will boost economic and trade ties". Arab News. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  4. ↑ Richard M. Eaton (31 July 1996). The Rise of Islam and the Bengal Frontier, 1204-1760. University of California Press. p. 47. ISBN 978-0-520-20507-9. Archived from the original on 6 January 2017.
  5. ↑ Abdul Karim. "Ghiyasia Madrasa". Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  6. ↑ Taher, MA. "Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah". Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  7. ↑ The Muslim Society and Politics in Bengal, A.D. 1757-1947. University of Dacca. 1978. p. 76. Maulana Murad , a Bengali domicile
  8. ↑ Bowman, Martin (2016). Cold War Jet Combat: Air-to-Air Jet Fighter Operations 1950–1972. Pen and Sword. p. 112. ISBN 978-1-4738-7463-3.
  9. ↑ "Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia". The Economist. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  10. ↑ "Saudi men can't marry women from Pakistan, Bangladesh..." Emirates 24|7. AFP. 8 August 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  11. ↑ "Saudi Arabia bans marriages to women from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Chad and Myanmar". Marilyn Stowe Blog. 6 August 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
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