Rafiqul Islam

Rafiqul Islam (born 1 January 1934) is a Bangladeshi educationist, scholar, writer and cultural activist. He is the current president of Bangla Academy since May 2021. He was inducted as a National Professor by the Government of Bangladesh in 2018. He is a professor emeritus and adviser to the Centre for Bangla Studies of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB). He is the current chairman of the Nazrul Institute. He was awarded Ekushey Padak and Independence Day Award by the Government of Bangladesh.

Rafiqul Islam was born on 1 January 1934 at Matlab Uttar in Chandpur. His father's name was Md. Zulfiqar Ali and his mother was Jannatun Nesa.

Islam completed his master's in Bengali language and literature from University of Dhaka in 1956. He then joined the same university as a research scholar and lecturer. He received a Fulbright Scholarship to study linguistics in the United States in 1959. He attended Yale University. He obtained master's degree from Cornell University in general linguistics and cultural anthropology in 1960. He joined the department of Bengali in the University of Dhaka as an assistant professor in 1961. He eventually served as a professor of the university. Later, he served as the vice-chancellor of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh.

Islam has written 30 books on the language, literature, history and culture of Bangladesh.

• Nazrul Academy Award
• Bangla Academy Literary Award (1984)
• Ekushey Padak (2001)
• Independence Day Award (2012)
• Star Lifetime Award (2016)
• National Professor recognition (2018)
• International Mother Language Award (2021)