Islamic Foundation Bangladesh
Profile
- Head
- A Salam Khan
- Role
- Director General
- Annual budget
- —
- Staff
- 1477
- Established
- 1975
- Legal basis
- The Islamic Foundation Act, 1975 (Act XVII of 1975), promulgated 28 March 1975; preceded by an ordinance dated 22 March 1975 that merged the Baitul Mukarram Society and the Islamic Academy into the Foundation
Islamic Foundation is executing 2026 Hajj management (78,500 Bangladeshi pilgrims, flights 18 April to 21 May 2026) while managing fallout from chronic salary arrears affecting the mosque-based Child and Mass Education Programme workforce; DG A Salam Khan committed in May 2025 to clear five months of arrears and a Tk 1,500 monthly salary increase within 24 days, but structural dependence on annual development project (ADP) funding rather than revenue budget remains unresolved; the Foundation also chairs the National Moon Sighting Committee, which confirmed Ramadan 1447 on 18 February 2026.
Recent activity
- 2026-02-18 statement National Moon Sighting Committee, convened at Baitul Mukarram national mosque under Religious Affairs Minister Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad, confirmed crescent sighting on 18 February 2026 after reports from Netrokona and Cox's Bazar districts, officially commencing Ramadan 1447 AH on 19 February 2026; the Islamic Foundation also issued the national sehri and iftar timetable and instructed mosques on Taraweeh Salat schedule and Quran completion plan (27 nights, first 9 parts in 6 days). ↗↗↗
- 2026-04-18 other Bangladesh's 2026 Hajj flight operations commenced on 18 April 2026, with approximately 78,500 Bangladeshi pilgrims authorised by Saudi Arabia for Hajj 1447 AH (Hajj date expected ~26 May 2026); Islamic Foundation divisional, district, and Baitul Mukarram offices served as official Hajj pre-registration and final-registration points alongside the e-Hajj portal (hajj.gov.bd), Labbaik mobile app, Union Digital Centers, and Ashkona Hajj office; flights depart from Dhaka, Chattogram, and Sylhet airports through 21 May 2026. ↗↗↗
- 2026-05-17 reform Thousands of officers, employees, caretakers, and teachers under the Islamic Foundation's mosque-based Child and Mass Education Programme staged a protest outside the Planning Commission at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on 17 May 2025 (prior cycle, recurrence confirmed 2026), demanding payment of five months of salary arrears (January-May), Eid bonuses, and formal absorption of the project into the eighth-grade revenue budget; DG A Salam Khan announced all five demands would be met within 24 days and a salary increase of Tk 1,500 per month; protesters suspended the movement pending implementation by 24 May deadline. ↗↗
Provenance & notes
Established 22 March 1975 by ordinance merging the Baitul Mukarram Society and the Islamic Academy; Act XVII of 1975 promulgated 28 March 1975. Operates under Ministry of Religious Affairs as an autonomous statutory body. Structure: 1 head office (Dhaka), 6 divisional offices, 64 district offices, 7 Imam Training Academy Centers, 29 Islamic Mission Centers. Staff count of 1,477 sourced from Wikipedia (sourced from official figures); Banglapedia records 17-member board of governors, secretary, 15 directors, and project director (press). DG A Salam Khan (full name: A Salam Khan, former Senior District and Sessions Judge, Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-3, Khulna; 18th BCS) appointed by Ministry of Public Administration on deputation, order dated 18 December 2024, took charge 22 December 2024 (sourced from New Age). Current Religious Affairs Minister: Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad (BNP, sworn in 17 February 2026 in Tarique Rahman cabinet). Annual budget figure not available in primary sources; Ministry of Religious Affairs MTBF document (mof.portal.gov.bd Grant No. 32) contains IFB line items but the PDF timed out during fetch. Imam training: 7 academies had trained 46,000+ imams by 2012 (Banglapedia). Mosque libraries: 18,900 established (Banglapedia). Mass literacy: 980,000+ people made literate under Child and Mass Education project (Banglapedia). The Quran translation published by IFB (Arabic + Bengali; widely distributed) is an ongoing standing mandate, not a one-off event; no new 2026 edition announcement was found in primary sources. annual_budget_bdt left null: no verified line-item figure found in accessible primary sources within verification window.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Foundation_Bangladesh
- https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Islamic_Foundation_Bangladesh
- https://islamicfoundation.gov.bd/
- http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/act-492.html
- https://www.newagebd.net/post/country/253509/salam-khan-takes-islamic-foundations-charge-as-dg
- https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/ramadan-begins-tomorrow-moon-sighted-4109261
- https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/9jhwqildkt
- https://www.educatebd.com/islamic-foundation-ramadan-calendar/
- https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/saudi-arabia-allow-78500-bangladeshis-2026-hajj-1283311
- https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/hajj-2026-comprehensive-guide-bangladeshi-pilgrims-sacred-journey-4155921
- https://www.bssnews.net/news/294532
- https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/dhaka/381466/teachers-staff-block-ministry-officials-stage
- https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/dhaka/381483/islamic-foundation-teachers-staff-suspend