Taibu was also in BD when Zim were touring!!!

[zimfan1]

Dumb question here, how did Bangladesh end up predominantly Muslim like Pakistan when it is bordered by India, a largely Hindu nation? Why are Pakistan and Bangladesh more closely linked to each other?

Well Bangladesh and Pakistan were once unfied and were called East Pakistan which i guess explains it but i am sure there are deeper reasons than that.

[foreignfield]

Dumb question here, how did Bangladesh end up predominantly Muslim like Pakistan when it is bordered by India, a largely Hindu nation? Why are Pakistan and Bangladesh more closely linked to each other?

Well Bangladesh and Pakistan were once unfied and were called East Pakistan which i guess explains it but i am sure there are deeper reasons than that.

Independence and the Partition of India in 1947 along religious lines (followed by mass migration) have led to a more homogenous make-up of the respective populations.

What is now Pakistan has been predominantly Muslim ever since the first Arab conquests in the 8th century. When Muslim rulers invaded India from the 13th century onwards, and founded Muslim dynasties there, Islam took a foothold (especially in the north which was first invaded) which was particularly strong in what was then the Sultanate of Bengal (later on part of the Mughal Empire). The region's strong medieval ties with Arabia through trade might also explain why the Muslim population in East Bengal ended up proportionally bigger than that of, say, Delhi, before 1947. But I'm not well-versed enough in the region's history to tell for sure.

That's my short take on a much more complex history. Now over to my Bangladeshi and Indian friends

[Kriterion_BD]

Well India still has a large Muslim population...the third largest by gross numbers after Indonesia and Pakistan. Somewhere around 150 million Muslims in India. This was largely a result of various Muslim conquests of India over the years. My guess is that it would be mostly low caste Hindus and others who converted to Islam, as Islam has always attracted the downtrodden lower classes.

Bengal saw quite a few conquests from the likes of the Afghan Sher Shah Suri (the tiger king), and the Persian Bakhtiar Khilji before that. But the man most credited with the entry of Islam in Bengali is the saint, Shah Jalal and his 360 disciples. Shah Jalal is a hero as he settled in the Sylhet region. That is the extent of my knowledge on the subject.

It is unusual to see such a large Muslim community (~150 million) that is territorially seperate from the rest of Muslim world. But there are significant pockets of Muslim minorities is almost all countries. Burma, Thailand, Philippines, etc all have sizable Muslim minorities cut off from the rest of the Muslim communities.

[CrimsonAvenger]

Connaught Place, New Delhi. And where do you stay?

OK, you have a better chance of meeting up with the other India based ZCF member DrSitu(Zimfanatic). He is in Delhi. I'm way down south in Bengaluru (although I had come to Delhi last month).

[grant]

Dumb question here, how did Bangladesh end up predominantly Muslim like Pakistan when it is bordered by India, a largely Hindu nation? Why are Pakistan and Bangladesh more closely linked to each other?

I don't think so. Bangladesh is closer to the India state of West Bengal when it comes to language and culture. Even appearance-wise, I guess.

Connaught Place, New Delhi. And where do you stay?

OK, you have a better chance of meeting up with the other India based ZCF member DrSitu(Zimfanatic). He is in Delhi. I'm way down south in Bengaluru (although I had come to Delhi last month).

Haha, you're right.
Btw I am considering moving to Zim when I turn 18. Heck, the way things are going, I might just make it to the national squad Zim, here I come!
P.S. I am 16, so I'm pretty much dependent on my parents for now

[grant]

Vote for Brandes
http://www.icc-cricket.com/cricket-worl ... rs-england

[Kriterion_BD]

Dumb question here, how did Bangladesh end up predominantly Muslim like Pakistan when it is bordered by India, a largely Hindu nation? Why are Pakistan and Bangladesh more closely linked to each other?

I don't think so. Bangladesh is closer to the India state of West Bengal when it comes to language and culture. Even appearance-wise, I guess.

Appearance wise Indians, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis are all extremely diverse. I have cousins who get mistaken for Eastern European, Thai, and Persian. And I look African American. Go figure.