About Us

About The Bengali People
The Bengali people are identified primarily by a common language – Bengali. They originated in the Chittagong Hill tracts of Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan), but they have migrated over time. A significant number have immigrated into present day India and live in the states of Assam, West Bengal and Arunnachal Pradesh.

The Bengali, who are both Muslim and Hindu, are the fourth largest people group in the world, with a population over 200 million. The state of West Bengal has over 81 million. They have a traditional resistance to the Gospel with less than 1/10^th of 1% believers.

The first known religion of the Bengali was Animism, sometimes called “tribal” religion. Animists believe that the spirits of the gods live inside the mountains, the rivers, and the forests. As a result, many objects in nature are worshiped. The Bengali’s tribal religion also included the worship of a variety of village and household gods and the belief in life after death.

In time, the Bengali tribes became “Hinduized”, incorporating both the Hindu caste system and the worship of millions of Hindu gods practiced by their neighbor, India, into their ethnic religion. In the twelfth century, Muslim invaders began conquering the Hindu regions of Bangladesh. For the next four hundred years, those Bengali unwilling to convert to Islam took refuge in the hills. As a result, the Bengali were split into two people groups – the Bengali Hindus and the Bengali Muslims. Eventually, the Bengali Hindus were able to return and settle in the adjoining plains, where many continue to live today.

This large people group is complex for many reasons; one being the fact they are both Muslims and Hindus. That makes developing strategy and engaging the Bengalis very challenging. But it can be done and will be done because God desires for all peoples to worship and bring glory to his name. While there are obstacles to overcome, we can see God at work right now among the Bengalis. Under the direction of the Holy Spirit, our experience gives us some proven methods and practices to help the church reach the Bengalis and see a Church Planting Movement begin among these incredible people.

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7 Days of Prayer for the Bengali

	Brochure (PDF)
	Bookmark for Adults (PDF)
	Bookmarks for Children (PDF)

Prayer Calendars

Bengali - 31 Days of Prayer

LINKS
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Brigada Resource List