Rafiqul Islam was a Bangladeshi educationist, scholar, writer, linguist and cultural activist. He was the president of Bangla Academy since May 2021 until his death. He was inducted as a National Professor by the Government of Bangladesh in July 2018. He was a vice-chancellor (2007–2011), professor emeritus and adviser to the Centre for Bangla Studies of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB). He served as the chairman of the Nazrul Institute Trustee Board. He was awarded Ekushey Padak in 2001 and Independence Day Award in 2012 by the Government of Bangladesh.

The Bangla Academy is the official regulatory body of the Bengali language in Bangladesh. It is an autonomous institution funded by the Government of Bangladesh that fosters the Bengali language, literature and culture, works to develop and implement national language policy and conducts original research in Bengali. Established in 1955, it is located in the Burdwan House in Shahbagh, Dhaka, within the grounds of the University of Dhaka and Suhrawardy Udyan. The Bangla Academy hosts the annual Ekushey Book Fair.