Community Life, Culture, and Religion

There are now approximately fifteen Bangladeshi cultural and political organizations throughout Canada. Of these, two community groups (the Bangladesh Association of Canada and the Bangladesh Association of Toronto), three political organizations affiliated with major political parties in Bangladesh (the Awami League, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and the Jamat-el-Islam), and a cultural association (Bangladesh Theatre Toronto) are located in the greater Toronto area. The Bangladesh Association of Canada is the older of the two community organizations. It came into being in the wake of the war with Pakistan in 1971. At the time, the principal objectives of the association were to mobilize the opinions of Bangladeshis living in Canada and of Canadians against the atrocities committed by the occupying Pakistani army in the former East Pakistan and to put pressure on the international community to force the government to give its people the right of self-determination. Only after the independence of Bangladesh did the association become a community organization.

In 1991 a few members of the Bangladesh Association of Canada broke away from the parent organization and formed a group called the Bangladesh Association of Toronto. The objectives of the two associations are similar, however. Besides promoting culture and family values, they display their commitment to the cause of Bangladesh by commemorating Shaheed Dibas, or Martyr Day (21 February), Independence Day (26 March), Bijoy Dibas, or Victory Day (16 December), and other national celebrations, as well as religious festivals such as ‘G d al-Adh and ‘G d al-Fitr. Bangladeshi associations from Canada, in cooperation with their compatriots in the United States, bring noted poets, artists, and singers from the homeland to North America. They also provide community-oriented services to their compatriots in the form of financial and legal assistance as required. The Bangladeshi community has yet to establish a community-based resource centre offering English as a second language, job training, or legal assistance on a regular basis to those who are in need.

Following in the footsteps of the national organization, the Bangladesh Association of the Ottawa Valley was formed in 1972. It engages in activities similar to those of the national and Toronto organizations. In 1988 a few enthusiastic Bangladeshis in Vancouver formed the Bangladesh Association of British Columbia. It claims to have seventy members. At present the province of Quebec has three associations: the Bangladesh Association of St Lawrence, the Bangladesh Association of Quebec, and the Jalalabad Association. Thus, Bangladeshis in Canada are inclined to organize along cultural and political lines, rather than according to religion.

Unlike politics, religion is not a topic of concern because Bangladeshis have grown up in a multicultural world. Although Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians form a minority in Bangladesh, a number of them have immigrated to Canada and are actively involved in community affairs. Bangladeshi Muslims tend to see the mosque as a place for saying prayers and therefore above politics. They worship with other Muslims regardless of ethnic background, and they do not at present own or manage any mosque in Toronto or elsewhere in Canada. There are, however, plans for a Bangladeshi mosque to be built in suburban Toronto.