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Hisham Hasan
Prof John Tsuchida
Asian American history
April 26, 2014
The Political Organization and Affiliation of Bangladeshi-Americans: Social, Cultural and
Religious Values that Influence Voting Pattern among Bangladeshi-Americans
According to the Encyclopedia of New Americans, Bangladeshi-Americans are a
quintessentially political animal. Bangladeshi-Americans have continued the political tradition
in their ancestral homeland by laying down new roots in the American political landscape.
Bangladeshi-American communities and interest groups across the nation have formed many
political alliances and organizations at the local, regional and national levels ever since they
started to arrive in the United States regularly since the passage of US Act in 1965 that ended
racial quotas for immigration (see Appendix-1). The overarching goal of the organizations is to
increase the participation of Bangladeshi-Americans in the American political process as well as
educate US legislators on the political, social and economic issues facing Bangladeshis in
America and abroad. The President of the Bangladeshi-American Democratic Caucus (BADC)
Nazmul Hassan stated its mission as The voice of Bangladeshi-Americans in mainstream
politics working on issues important in our community (qtd. in Rahman).
According to the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDE),
Bangladeshi-Americans comprise the largest proportion of Democrat voters in the last three
Presidential Elections as well as displaying the highest rate of enrollment (84%) in the
Democratic Party amongst all Asian-Americans. In the 2008 and 2012 Presidential Elections,
respectively 97% and 96% of Bangladeshi-Americans voted Democrat.
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Bangladeshi-Americans view their participation in the political process as a necessary
means to realize the promise of America and contribute to achieving a more perfect union. The
communities' largely Democrat support provides an insight into the issues, challenges and
opportunities that it perceives when it comes to growing a strong middle class, immigration and
legal rights, racial justice and a better relationship with Bangladesh and the Muslim world in a
post 9/11 world.
The personal experience of many Bangladeshi-Americans in the post-9/11 world
highlighted their sharp sense of marginality, [yet] they also saw America as a land of
opportunity, whatever its problems (Kibria 33). The various interviews taken by Nazli Kibria in
her sociological study of Bangladeshi-Americans from both the middle and upper-income
brackets reveal a deeply entrenched view of America as the land of promises. On the other hand,
Bangladeshi-American economic attainment is lower than the national average median family
income is $45,281 compared to $61,173 (Kibria 34). Bangladeshi immigrants experience class
decline as well as a waning of their middle class identity and its attendant privileges as a result
of migration (Kibria 36). Thus, many Bangladeshi-Americans identify strongly with a political
agenda that favors growing a strong middle-class with stable and well-paying administrative and
professional jobs. This plan of action is a central part of the 2012 Democratic National Platform
and has been on the Democrat Party agenda since FDRs New Deal.
Kibria has pointed out employment discrimination, legal status and overall loss of social
capital due to the American emphasis on individualism over family networks as root causes of
the class decline and lower economic attainment of Bangladeshi-Americans (Kibria 37).
Bangladeshi-Americans see immigration reform and racial justice as key barriers to attaining the
American promise. Dr Yusuf Hoque, member of the BADC pointed out in his keynote address
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that his organization shall tackle rising anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiments because it is
a rights issue guaranteed by the US Constitution and [that BADC] must add [their] voice to
marginalize extremist elements in this society (qtd. in Rahim). The Bangladesh Caucus in the
US House of Representatives co-chaired by Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Rep. Peter King (R-
NY) and Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) has been a supporter of immigration reform to regularize the
status of thousands of Bangladeshis in the USA. Bangladeshi-Americans largely endorse
President Obamas proposal for immigration reform according to the 2012 AALDE exit poll.
The community has also gravitated toward the Obama administrations outreach to various
communities throughout the Muslim world to build bridges and normalize relations after 9/11.
Bangladeshi-Americans have played a bridging role between US and Bangladesh
businesses to assist the rapid growth of trade between the two countries of United States and
Bangladesh. According to the US-Bangladesh Advisory Council (USBAC), there is a very active
caucus in the House of Representatives that has been instrumental in the recent signing of the
Bangladesh-USA TICFA Agreement which shall positively impact U.S. policy toward
Bangladesh in such areas as aid, protection of trade quotas, immigration, global warming,
education, healthcare, and the building of democratic institutions. On the other hand, Josh Rogin
reports that 165 Republicans have endorsed the defunding of USAID. Bangladeshi-Americans
are disillusioned with such efforts to curtail the program of US government institutions that
enhance democracy and good governance of Bangladeshi institutions.
The ethnographic study of Shafiqur Rahman that comprised Bangladeshi-American
participants in various jurisdictions found that the overwhelming impact of the post-9/11
backlash was not religious; rather the impact was social and political, which involved their
identity and citizenship (18). Bangladeshi-Americans experienced a chasm between the
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representation of their Muslim religion in the media and what they thought of their own religion,
as Bangladeshis have historically aspired to reconcile Islam with democracy and human rights
(Rahman 19). As a result, Bangladeshi-Americans strived to find a balance between their
identities as Muslim and American post 9/11 and have sought to exercise their right as American
citizens to practice their religion as they wish. Bangladesh-Americans are disillusioned due to
legislation such as The Patriot Act passed during the previous Republican administration that led
to stigma surrounding the community. Bangladeshi-Americans see a Democrat administration as
more inclined to create an atmosphere of racial and religious tolerance in the United States.
Bangladeshi-Americans want to construct a public image that does not narrowly classify them as
Muslims but is also inclusive of their Bengali identity and they see a Democrat administration as
more conducive to this goal.
At the same time, younger Bangladeshi-Americans often see themselves as part of a
larger, trans-national Muslim-American community in response to the discrimination that they
faced in college campuses and work places around the nation after 9/11. This distinguishes them
from their parents generation whose identity is deeply rooted in their village and hometown and
Bengali culture. Young Bangladeshi-Americans feel inclined to align themselves with politicians
and candidates who reach out to the Muslim community and promote legislation to protect the
civil liberties of Muslim Americans. Young Bangladeshi-Americans have gravitated toward
President Obamas efforts to reach out to many Muslim countries in the early part of his first
Presidential term and voted for him during the 2012 Presidential elections.
Even though the majority of Bangladeshi-Americans have voted for Democratic
candidates in the last three Presidential Elections, the Democratic Party has to continue to
promote an economic policy that uplifts the middle class and de-regulate the important real estate
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and energy markets that has an important bearing on many Bangladeshi and Asian-American
businesses. Many Bangladeshi-Americans had switched their support from Obama to Romney
during the 2012 Presidential Elections due to Obamas heavy regulation of certain industries and
the negative impact this has caused to Bangladeshi businesses in the United States. The Obama
administration shall also have to deliver on promises made on immigration reform and closing
Guantanamo Bay in order to sustain the strong Democrat Bangladeshi-American voter base
during future years.
















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Appendix-1: List of Important Bangladeshi-American Institutions
Bangladesh Caucus in the US House of Representatives co-chaired by Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-
NY) and Rep. Peter King (R-NY) and Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL).
US-Bangladeshi Advisory Council (USBAC)
Bangladesh-American Public Affairs Committee (BAPAC)
Bangladesh American National Alliance (BANA)
Bangladeshi-American Democratic Caucus (BADC)
Drishtipath Voice of Human Rights
Bangladesh Association of Chicagoland
Expatriate Bangladeshi 2000
North America Bangladesh Info Center
Bangladesh Youth Federation
ProBash: Probashi Bangladesh Shomity
North American Bangladeshi Islamic Community (NABIC)
Bangladesh Association of New York
Bangladesh Association, Houston
Bangladeshi American Foundation, Maryland
Bangladesh-American Society of Greater Houston





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