Why the Sundarbans has unwavering faith in Bon Bibi — a forest deity with a stage presence

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The language of the johuranama is Musalmani Bangla, written in the Bengali script, but with the book opening to the right, in the Arabic style. “Her worshippers do not think of her in terms of ‘Muslim’ or ‘Hindu’ but as a ‘forest super-power’ who extends her protection over individuals of all communities equally,” writes Jalais. “When people read Bon Bibi johuranama, they punctuate the verses with a chorus of ‘Allah Allah Bol (Say the name of Allah)’,” adds Mehebub Sahana, a research associate in the School of Environment, Education and Development, University of Manchester, the UK.