Who the Bengali Muslim are
Bengali is among the most widely spoken languages in the world, and the Muslim Bengali community of Bangladesh and West Bengal is one of the largest frontier populations anywhere — roughly 150 million people among whom followers of Jesus are a tiny fraction of one percent.
The most significant development of the last few decades has been the emergence of Bengali Muslim-background believers meeting in small home fellowships, often retaining Bengali cultural identity while following Christ. These groups are scattered and easy to overlook, but they matter enormously: they are the Gospel taking root inside the majority culture rather than only among tribal minorities.
Signs of hope
Bengali-speaking, Muslim-background fellowships — the Gospel inside the majority culture, in the heart language, with the whole Bible available.
The honest difficulty
Family and community pressure on converts, repeated flooding and displacement, and a believing community small enough to have no public voice.
What "Frontier" means
Fewer than 1 in 1,000 follow Jesus, and there is no indigenous movement large enough to grow on its own. Most people in this group will never meet a Christian.
This describes access to the Gospel, not the worth of a people or the sincerity of anyone's faith.
How to pray for the Bengali Muslim
Take one of these for a week rather than all of them for a day.
- Pray for Bengali Muslim-background believers meeting quietly in homes.
- Ask God for Bangladeshi leaders who can disciple in Bengali, inside Bengali culture.
- Pray for churches caring for neighbours through floods, cyclones and displacement.
- Pray for the Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar — a people almost entirely without access.
Where the Bengali Muslim live
Each nation profile carries church size, unreached peoples, what is going well, what is hard, and four prayer points.
Questions people ask about the Bengali Muslim
Who are the Bengali Muslim people?
The Bengali Muslim (also called Bangladeshi Bengali) are a people group of roughly 150 million, living mainly in Bangladesh, India. They speak Bengali and are predominantly Islam (Sunni). One of the largest language communities on earth, and one of the least reached. Population figures for people groups vary considerably by source and by how a group is defined.
Are the Bengali Muslim an unreached people group?
The Bengali Muslim are classified as frontier. Fewer than 1 in 1,000 follow Jesus, and there is no indigenous movement large enough to grow on its own. Most people in this group will never meet a Christian. Scripture status: Full Bible in Bengali.
How can I pray for the Bengali Muslim?
Pray for Bengali Muslim-background believers meeting quietly in homes. Ask God for Bangladeshi leaders who can disciple in Bengali, inside Bengali culture. Take one of these for a week rather than all of them for a day.