Sutradhar (Muslim traditions) in Bangladesh

Introduction / History

Carpentry has been the traditional source of livelihood for the Sutradhar community. They straddle the worlds of the high caste Brahmins and that of artisans. In India they provide intricate carvings for Hindu temples. Like many people groups in South Asia, the Sutradhars were all Hindu at one time, but some converted to Islam, splitting the community in two. Needless to say, the Muslims among them no longer work with Hindu temples. They are more likely to design furniture in Bangladesh, a Muslim majority country to the east of India. Their population in Bangladesh is much smaller than it is in India.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Sutradhar people in Bangladesh seldom have access to modern wood-working tools. They make furniture and other goods the same way as their fathers and grandfathers.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Sutradhar people who are Sunni Muslims believe that the supreme God, Allah, spoke through his prophet, Mohammed, and taught mankind how to live a righteous life through the Koran and the Hadith. To live a righteous life, you must utter the Shahada (a statement of faith), pray five times a day facing Mecca, fast from sunup to sundown during the month of Ramadan, give alms to the poor, and make a pilgrimage to Mecca if you have the means. Muslims are prohibited from drinking alcohol, eating pork, gambling, stealing, slandering, and making idols. They gather for corporate prayer on Friday afternoons at a mosque, their place of worship.
The two main holidays for Sunni Muslims are Eid al Fitr, the breaking of the monthly fast and Eid al Adha, the celebration of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to Allah.
Sunni religious practices are staid and simple. They believe Allah has pre-determined our fates; they minimize free will.
In most of the Muslim world, common people depend on the spirit world for their daily needs since they regard Allah as too distant. Allah may determine their eternal salvation, but the spirits determine how well they live on a daily basis. For that reason, some Muslims appease spirits using charms and amulets to help them with spiritual forces. More orthodox Muslims consider these practices heretical and un-Islamic.

What Are Their Needs?

Muslim Sutradhar people need to be given the chance to hear the life-changing gospel so they can enjoy life to the full.

Prayer Points

Pray for loving gospel workers to catch a vision for reaching the Sutradhar people for Jesus and that in God's sovereign timing the hearts of these people would be open and ready to follow him.
Pray for Jesus movements to bless extended families so the gospel will spread rapidly.
Pray for the spiritual lives of the Sutradhar people to become fruitful so others will be drawn to Jesus Christ.

Text Source:   Joshua Project